Pale Male, Riverside Park Hawks, and Funny Fur Fox

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

All seems well on the Fifth Avenue front for Pale Male and Ginger Lima so far. Keep those fingers crossed!


Photo courtesy of palemale.com
Riverside Mom and one of her eyasses.

Bruce Yolton at urbanhawks reports that Riverside Park Mom is accepting food left near the nest by humans and so far she and the two eyasses are making it without the tiercel who was likely poisoned.

(No permission for a feeding station necessary as she's just picking the human supplied food up from where ever when she sees it.)

We aren't out of the woods yet as it is difficult for a single parent to feed and watch over multiple young particularly when one has fledged and one is still on the nest. Though she is likely experienced enough to know the tricks of tempting them with food to keep them somewhat together once off nest as she and her mate have fledged three eyasses at once in past years.

Read through and then go to the link above for the full story and to find email addresses for the person in charge of placing the rat poison, and his letter which reads in part--

"Please rest assured we have been actively engaged in working to care for the hawks."

Really? Then how come one of them is dead likely due to rat poison that you placed, and kept in place even after being alerted to the probable danger to the hawks?

I think Mr. Herrold could use a few emails making our deep concern about how he has handled this and our feelings about the death of Riverside Dad very clear, don't you?

Somehow I don't think I'll be buying anything from the Boat Basin Cafe either until they get some better garbage control going. The real answer to rat problems according to all the studies is GOOD SANITATION, not poison.


Zonotrichia albicollis stares at Pyewacket the cat.

Every year just about the time the Juncos head north, a couple of White-throated Sparrows appear, feed up for a week or so and then they too head further north. I find them quite beautiful, not to mention plucky.

A fox with what appears to be a possible fur problem trots cheekily towards the threshing shed and I'm assuming a den I've not discovered quite yet. I'm wondering if she could use some nice chicken with an anti-fungal on it similar to what we do for squirrels with a similar look?

Of course the squirrels get peanuts with their anti-fungal not chicken.

Donegal Browne

Kay and Jay Red-tail of Tulsa, The Wildshield Busting Golden Eagle, A Mini-update on Urban Hawks Charlote and Pale Male Jr. and More on Foxes

Photo courtesy of Yahoo News

Both R. of Illinois and Jeff Kollbrunner of www.jknaturegallery.com/ sent in this news item about the Golden Eagle vs The Big Rig.

Golden--1, Windshield--0

"RENO, Nev. – The eagle has landed — with a thud — after crashing throughthe windshield of a tractor-trailer on a Nevada highway. State wildlifeofficials said Wednesday that a 15-pound golden eagle with a 7-foot wingspan has a swollen head but otherwise appears unhurt after crashing into aFlorida truck driver's big rig on Monday.
Click for more!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090305/ap_on_fe_st/odd_eagle_truck_windshield_9


Photos of Tulsa Hawks attached from this week (all captures, unless noted otherwise): An update from Tulsa Hawkwatcher Jackie Dover--
1. Gentlehawk Jay

Donna,

The KJRH Tower nest is now a very substantial structure, and the center is packed with soft material--looks ready! So does Kay, ever rounder. The last couple of days, the number and length of her nest visits have increased.

Today (Wednesday, March 4) she was in the nest both in the morning and afternoon. A couple visits this week have lasted 30-50 minutes. She does do some nest-tending, but is also spending much quiet time there, just watching.

The big news today was that Jay twice brought in prey to the nest, each time accompanied by Kay. Both times Kay quickly took the prey (at least one, a bird) from him and flew off. As far as we know, Kay has not yet spent the night in the nest.

This year the view of the nest will be even clearer, as a double-barred rail at the "front" of the nest was removed last summer. I'm attaching a few photo captures, taken from the KJRH Hawk Cam live video.

In addition, one of our Forum members has put together some YouTube videos of recent nest activity highlights, also taken from the KJRH Hawk Cam. All clips prepared and presented under the name bobdmac--(Link below in Tulsa Donna's update.)

KJRH has also added a new feature to its Hawks Nest page--a live chatroom, which is featured just under the Hawk Cam window, so that viewers can watch the live action and comment live, as well. This is in addition to our Forum, which continues to offer observations and screen captures. Here is the link to the Hawks Nest page: http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx

And the Forum: http://community.kjrh.com/forums/1810/ShowForum.aspx

2. Jay taking bark to the Tower (photo by Catgirl)
(Catgirl is Cheryl Cavert who only took up a camera when the Tulsa Hawks came into her life and has taken truly marvelous photos for us all to enjoy ever since. Here is the link to her Flickr page. D.B. )http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryls_camera/

3. Also, Jay taking bark (photo by Catgirl)

4. Jay and Kay with a prey at the nest, 3/4/09

Jay left and Kay right. First of all one can see the head of the left bird, and it is light, meaning Jay, and the right bird looks bulkier but pretend those two comparisons weren't available to you to ID the birds and look at the "ankles". The bird on the right has thicker ankles, therefore she is the female.

5. Kay, 3/4/09

6. No eggs yet, 3/4/09

7. Jay and Kay both tugging on the same bark strip

8. The nest, 3/4/09

Again, the YouTube highlights are an excellent recap.

Jackie (Tulsa Hawk Forum)

And more news from Tulsa Hawkwatcher Donna-

We had a very active day in the KJRH hawks nest today and although Kay has not laid any eggs yet their work on the nest as been very intense. The KJRH webmaster also put up a live chat for us to communicate in. First I wanted to send you a series of shots I got a few days ago when it was windy. Jay landed in the nest and proceeded to arrange the sticks. He picked one up turned to move it and the wind caught him just right to almost send him tumbling!! He put the stick down turned looked and flew off kind of like” forget that it is too windy”.

Jay just short of flipping tail or teakettle in the wind.

Besides the numerous visits to the nest there were two occasions when Kay and Jay may have been having a disagreement over some food. Several viewers witnessed them. One of the forumers “Bobdmac” has been recording videos also and putting them on “you tube”.
Here is a link to it: http://www.youtube.com/user/bobdmac

I know he recorded the first time that Kay and Jay landed in the nest at the same time. One of them had some prey and they had a disagreement over who was to get it. It is worth watching!

Jay gives up on twigging for the moment and who could blame him.

AND THE PROMISED MINI-UPDATE ON SOUTHERN CENTRAL PARK HAWKS CHARLOTTE AND PALE MALE JR.--

Hey Donna,

I see both Charlotte and Junior every day that I am at work now. Yesterday, I saw Charlotte bring some paper to line the nest and then later I saw her perched on the roof of the building for about 30 minutes. I'm hoping to come in this weekend sometime to get some photographs.

Brett Odom

And R. of Illinois comes through again with the answer to my question as to exactly how had Sutton Mom nudged Dad out of the nest, plus some personal fox sighting information from her.

Sutton eagle mom used her shoulder and side/body to nudge dad off the eggs. It was gentle, but it was persistent, especially as he was trying to ignore her.

On another subject, about 15 years ago on a snowy winter night, by the automatic yard light, I saw a fox climb my tree to get at the bird feeder which was easily 6 feet off the ground and no low branches to aid the climb.Having had no clue that foxes climbed trees, I did some research. Gray foxes which do inhabit this part of the Midwest, though not in any substantial numbers, are tree climbers. And apparently bird-seed eaters too.

Nowdays I put out generic cat or dog food for whatever takers come along, foxes, coyotes, opossum, feral cats, raccoons, and even the starlings and jays love the cat/dog food.

Robin you can add NYC pigeons to that list as well. When I leave the terrace door open, the local pigeons walk through the door, cross the living room, and make their way into the kitchen to help themselves to the cat's big bowl of chow.

And what are the cats doing? Looking on in stunned wonder at the sheer hutzpah of these pigeons.

New Yorkers are New Yorkers no matter their species.

Donegal Browne

The Tulsa Hawks, Nest Materials, Fox or Coyote, and Jackie Dover's Peanut Gallery

Screen Capture Courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
Screen Captures gleaned by Jackie Dover of the Tulsa Hawk Forum--
She says, Kay and Jay, from Feb. 23, I'm calling it "Commonality of Purpose." That says a lot, doesn't it--to both birds and men.

(That is Jay in the back, he has the lighter head, and Kay in the foreground. Just what are they both looking and thinking about I wonder? D.B.)

Screen Capture Courtesy of KJRH Tulsa TV
Jackie Dover of the Tulsa Hawk Forum collected these screen captures of the fascinating nest materials that Kay and Jay have used to fashion their nest. Below is her note.

Screen Capture Courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa

Pine Needles?

Screen Capture Courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa

More Ever-Greenery. This must be the place they are using for sure, though there really hasn't been much doubt that Kay and Jay would use it again.

Screen Capture Courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa

Screen Capture courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa

London Plane Fruit

Screen Capture KJRH TV Tulsa

And a plastic bag with flowers. For whatever reason, plastic bags and other manmade materials are often included in Red-tailed nests but the plastic bags soon disappear. I suspect that their wing catching ability soon sends them off the nest and fluttering across town.

Screen Capture KJRH TV
Kestrels just have to do it. They just have to perch on or near any Red-tail nest when the pair is otherwise occupied. The nests do tend to be wonderful viewing areas to scope out prey but also there just might be a bit of counting coup involved for these little plucky falcons.

AND HERE IS A WONDERFUL HAWKCAM LINK SENT IN BY CATBIRD, A MIDWESTERNER ON THE TULSA HAWK FORUM!

Forum http://www.suttoncenter.org/eaglecam.html

The Sutton, Oklahoma Eagle Cam (visible only by daylight - clear, color real-time video feed), has two camera views of the nest. And they have THREE eggs! I saw a hand-off this morning where the dad (smaller in size) was sitting on the eggs and the mom (larger) came to the nest and started nudging dad repeatedly until he got off and she then nestled down into the nest.

Catbird, Did Sutton Mom nudge Dad with her forehead? Top of Beak? Or breast?

Photo by Karen Anne Kolling
Blog Contributor Karen Kolling of the Gadzooks Deck has succeeded in getting photographs of her Mystery Mammal. Here is what she had to say--

Photo by Karen Anne Kolling
The fox? coyote? was back this morning. He or she must really be hungry, to be eating birdseed, poor guy. I wonder if there is some food not containing animals that I can put out there for him. The web seems to say they will eat "fruit," so I'll try some apples.

Karen

Photo by Karen Anne Kolling
Well, I'm certainly not an expert on these species but that is certainly a foxy looking nose and tail.

I do wonder if a Prairie Wolf/Coyote being originally a buffalo predator would eat bird seed? Fox on the other hand are selective omnivores.

Photo by Jackie Dover

First Mr. Blue Jay, challenges the photographer with a look that says, "Make my day."

Photo by Jackie Dover

Then Mourning Dove is just pecking away minding her own business, when she gets the same treatment. Wing ready for a wing thump or flight, she glares back and then takes to her seed again. No takers so Mr. Blue Jay takes off with his peanut confident he has cowed all comers whether they were interested or not.

Photo by Jackie Dover

Edward G. Robinson Squirrel just might give Mr. Blue Jay a run for his peanut.

Photo by Jackie Dover

The Belly Perch

Photo by Jackie Dover

Just leaning over the fence and checking on what the neighbors might have to offer.

Photo by Jackie Dover

Incoming for peanuts!

A note in from NYC Hawkwatcher Brett Odom--He was watching City Slickers on Animal Planet, an episode which included Pale Male, (and believed he saw my daughter Samantha and I taking photos of Pale Male). At any rate, City Slickers has rated Red-tailed Hawks sixth on their list for adaptability to urban settings. I'd like to see the episode, though I doubt they will feature boars in the U.S., as per yesterday's post. If anyone happens to see the episode, could you please send me the episode number/title. Thank you.

Donegal Browne