Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
For the past two days, we decided to try something new. Longtime hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton, and my daughter also a long time hawkwatcher as she started when she was ten or so and is now in college, Samantha Browne-Walters have been casing Central Park for Pale Male, Octavia, Fledge 1, Fledge 2, and the above hard case, Third who does not want to leave the nest. When Stella or Sam catch one of the hawks in the act they text me an update and I immediately post it on the blog from my computer. Therefore readers can get the latest in real time.
We're still ironing out the glitches for update photos in real time so this evening I'm posting the pix which went with the earlier updates today of the on the spot sightings.
Here we go!
2:31 PM Above, still on the nest is, I'm calling him Third, the eyass who just doesn't want to take the leap. You'll note as usual with a hard case he is spending quite a bit of time alone. Pale Male and Octavia are out hunting and looking after Fledge 1 and Fledge 2 who need more looking after as they are out in the world. Third is safe, and he is fed, visited, and checked on but it is likely pretty lonely up there after the previous crowd before everyone left.
2:33PM Third decides to do a little preening.
But as we will see, Pale Male has decided it is time that Third left the nest....so what does Pale Male do?
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:39 PM He soars a giant circle around the Model Boat Pond and above the buildings on Fifth Avenue.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:40PM Then Octavia gives it a try by soaring by.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:45PM Then here comes Pale Male again.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Third takes some interest.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:49PM Nope. Not going to look...
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Full wide display, see its fun. And isn't there a little something in Pale Male's beak?
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Wait! Is that a MOUSE in Dad's beak?
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:50PM Okay I'll flap. See I'm making an effort.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Still flapping!
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Where'd he GO!
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:52PM He better not be eating it.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Hey, somebody could bring one of those up to me. I could eat a duck.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Fine. I'll preen.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
What now?
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
3:13PM What is that?
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Hmmm.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
I'm eating it.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
3:22PM Pale Male on another circuit flies between Woody and Shipshape.
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Third sees Pale Male
Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
And Third starts to flap. There may well be a sympathetic mimicry for wing flapping once eyasses reach a certain maturity. And Pale Male being an experienced parent is well aware of it. Part of his reason for making periodic circuits in full view of Third, perhaps?
I'm still working on extracting Stella's photo from my phone so look forward to Fledge 2 with her rat next post.
To see Sam's original updates from earlier today scroll down and hit older posts to get to the next page.
Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne
Photo courtesy of Stella Hamilton
Hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton has been watching Pale Male and his mates for many many years. Stella is often the first to welcome new hawkwatchers to The Bench and has been a stalwart observer every season.
Dear D ,
This rainbow appeared after the storm on Tuesday , 6/ 3
around 7:45 pm . It was beautiful ! To me it was a sign to go, baby , go
! And they did the next day .
Even a portion of a rainbow in Manhattan is an extremely rare event and a full rainbow over Fifth Avenue is something very special all together.
Hi Donna,
Yes
, 2 babies fledged on Wednesday, 6/4.
No one seems to know what time
the first baby fledged .
I got to Pilgrim Hill around 7:30 pm. One baby
was up on an oak tree close to the corner of 5th Avenue and 72nd street,
very difficult to see, while the other sib was on another oak tree ,
even more difficult to find.
So, I did not see much that evening .
Yesterday, [6/5] while hanging out at Hawkbench , one baby flew over model
boat pond , circled around the trees along 5th Avenue , then landed on a
window ledge on the "ship building"on the 8th or 9th floor, second
building north of the Woody building .
For new watchers of Pale Male, the center building directly under the arch of the rainbow is 927 Fifth Avenue where Pale Male and Octavia's nest is located. It is on the cornice of the middle window of the top floor.
The next building to the left, north, is the Woody Allen Building, (Woody had an apartment there when Pale Male first nested on 927) and the NEXT building after Woody to the north is the Ship Building. Named for its shape.
Now back to Stella.
Remember last year , a baby
landed on a hedge on their terrace?
Indeed I do!
Second baby was seen on
76th street yesterday evening, around 8pm, Pale Male dropped
off a rat to 3rd baby who is still on nest . Octavia flew in seconds
later to assist baby with dinner . I now have to go to work. Will call after my visit to the park .
Stella
MORE TO COME SO STAY TUNED!!!
Scroll down for the latest Thompkins Square Park Update from Francois Portmann!
Happy Hawking!
D.B.
P.S. I've asked my daughter Samantha, who is back from her studies at Brandeis and working at Dr. Pepperberg's Parrot Lab at Harvard, to grab her camera and try to track down the Fifth Avenue fledglings when she has a chance. We'll see if she gets anything. Fingers crossed!
Photo Donegal Browne
Back when the nest was much smaller Pale Male considers renovations.
As there is no hawk cam to watch as yet from Washington Square Park, the Cornell Lab has a nice one of the nest of Big Red and Ezra.
CHECK IT OUT!
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/?pid=2422
Check out "Red-tails in Love" author Marie Winn's Nature News posting for February 20th, concerning a letter she received from a gentleman who had a Red-tail standing on his car roof staring at him as he opened the door and got in. And John Blakeman's response as to why the hawk might just be acting in that manner.
http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/
In from Samantha of Brandeis--
If Animals Would Eat Fast Food
(I found this very funny.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOqTLcKkLHM
