Bluebirds and Turkeys on the Move

The Bluebirds are on the move. I looked out and there were at least 20 of them flicking around the backyard. For whatever reason during their annual migration south, just love or cavities or perhaps scoping out possibilities for the Spring, Bluebirds can't pass a cavity or nestbox without trying it out for size. First they peer in.


Then one or the either of a pair goes inside, checks the interior, then looks out of the "hole", while the other looks on.

After all nooks and crannies are investigated they're off once again.

I was driving down Cox Road when I had to come to a stop while a horde of turkeys trotted across the road. This is just the tail end of the flock.

They then loped off into a backyard. Can't imagine what it's like the first time you look out the kitchen window and see any number of big hefty birds just marching along through your garden.

I then trotted up to the head of the flock and there they were, just standing around waiting for the others to catch up. Though not exactly migrating, turkeys flock up into large groups in the winter and hang out with one another until breeding season begins the following year. Then all bets are off when it comes to the buddy system.

Burrowing Owl Off Course from long time correspondent Robin of Illinois--
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/weird-birdie-on-cruise-ship-golf-course

And from my man, Bill Walters, in New York City,
More feather colors from bird fossils--
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/science/01penguin.html?emc=etal

Urban Red-tails Kay and Jay, Wild Turkeys, and the Ms

PHOTO BY CHERYL CAVERT
Easing her way back into life as usual--
April 7-Kay in a tree at Riverparks at 12:30 pm - about 1/3 mile west of the nesting tower.

PHOTO BY CHERYL CAVERT
A closer look at Kay in the same position.

PHOTO BY CHERYL CAVERT
Kay on the tower, around 5:15 pm.

PHOTO BY CHERYL CAVERT
Kay and Jay, sunset, keeping an eye on things.

PHOTO BY CHERYL CAVERT
Crop bulging, Jay keeps a particular eye on an attacking Kestrel who seems to be a serial offender.

Cheryl says, "I have seen the Kestrel zinging Jay before at sunset. Also several Tulsa Hawk forum members have captured screen shots of a kestrel on the tower.
- Cheryl


Some answers to my questions of yesterday to Rose Cuthbert, Tulsa Hawkwatcher--
Donna,

There are not many pigeons in the park, but then there never are. There is, however, an abundance of mourning doves.

The Langenheim pair does has a nest nearby, about maybe a quarter of a mile at the most. Right along the creek bank in a tree. It is way way back in someone's yard so any observations must be done at a good distance. Cheryl found it. I don't have the kind of camera equipment she does, so I just normally drive by to make sure it is still up there and if there are any hawks flying around near it.
Rose


Thanks Rose. So that's the nest that was found in the back yard.

Have you ever seen one of the Tulsa RTs nab a Mourning Dove? I don't remember ever seeing it. We have a few in Manhattan but rare compared to rural areas and I've not seen the urban hawks get one. I'd think the Red-tails would have a much harder time catching Doves than they do pigeons. Mourning Doves don't circle, are harder to spy on the ground due to coloration, and are very fast up and through the air to cover.

Here In WI I've seen Doves sitting on wires not far from an RT. It could just have been a Dove who wasn't long for this world. But maybe not as these rural hawks seem to usually stick to voles, mice, and I hear rabbits though I've not seen them with one of those either.

I was told by a retired dairy farmer in the area, Ron Wade, that back when he had dairy cows and therefore lots of grain around to feed cows that a flock of pigeons lived on his farm. They would often sit up on roof of the silo to sun themselves. At which time the resident Red-tail pair, would come sweeping round the silo from the rear and pluck off a pigeon, rather like the hunting of urban RTs coming round the corner of a building and snatching a perched bird.

Therefore a some point in time at least some rural Red-tails hunted pigeons, but as there are so far fewer of them than there once was, perhaps fewer hawks know the techniques. And there are just far fewer pigeons available in the first place to hunt at the current time as many of the dairy farms are now gone.

NOW TO THE Ms--
The M formel: Same position, different day, with different light. I was there a bit after sunrise. Very blustery, temps in the 20's, and as usual no sign of the tiercel. Though no doubt he is there, as usual, enjoying his cleverness at not being seen.


THE WILD TURKEYS START STRUTTING THEIR STUFF IN WISCONSIN--
I was up early this morning and was rewarded with a pair of male turkeys displaying first against each other until one, "won the field", the second retired and then showing off for the hidden females in the bushes.

VISITS BY BOTH KAY AND JAY TO THE TULSA KJRH NEST

All the wonderful screen captures today are courtesy of Tulsa Hawkwatcher Sally of Kentucky as are the following updates on Kay and Jay.
http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
8:22 a.m. Kay visits the tower. Checks her nest, moves a piece of bark and a stick near the eggs, then perches on the rail.

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
A little hawk tai chi and a rouse of her feathers, then she settles to survey her realm, Queen of KJRH tower! Cam was zoomed on her feet in the nest but someone was watching and pulled out so we could see all of her! Yes! She looks fit and fine and is NOT calling!! Looks pretty contented, actually. 8:32 She rouses once more and flies off right. Gee it was good to see her in person!!


http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
10:26 a.m. Jay in nest briefly, very cropped up! I think today he has swallowed the softball! He must have gone out on the camera support because he came back over to the nest, steps ever so carefully into the bowl with the eggs, talons still curled with care, and moved a few twigs.


http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
He hovered over the eggs as if about to sit (my heart was breaking) Then ever so gently rolled the pale egg a bit, then looked up in a half-sit, seemed to think a moment, then walked over and got up on the bar.

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx

He is now surveying his kingdom as well. Flew off 10:37.
Oh goodness that was heart-wrenching for me...if they had human feelings it just looked so touching and sad, like "Hi little egglets, I still love you, I want to care for you but something tells me its too late"...I know, I indulge in the dreaded anthropomorphic illusions, but after all isn't that partly why we love these birds? We feel we "know" them in some intimate way?

Sally

Indeed. D.B.

Brett Odom Finds the Date, Pale Male and Lola, NYTimes Nature News, Plus the Tulsa Red-tails: How to tell Kay from Jay from Thunder

Photograph Donegal Browne
4/22/08 Lola waits for Pale Male to rise from the bowl of the nest.

Southern Central Park and Downtown Hawkwatcher Brett Odom, did yeoman's duty and searched though the Spring, 2008 archives of www.palemale.com/ searching for the reference to the unattended nest episode. Here is Brett's report--

I scoured Lincoln's archives and found the exact date. It was March 29th and PM & Lola left the nest unattended for 11 minutes according to the posting (not sure what time of day it was). Lincoln does not state why. Going back over each day of his archives does reveal a lot with regard to their behavior. There are several instances where he says that Lola sits on the nest for hours without a break or food being brought by PM. Perhaps during some of those instances Lola had to leave the nest unattended to feed herself.

Brett B. Odom
brettodom@mac.com




Photograph courtesy of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
January 7, 2009,
After the Holidays, Still on the Lam
By Sewell Chan AND Jennifer 8. Lee


(Sent to the blog by long time reader and contributor Bill Walters.)





FOR MORE FOLLOW THE LINK--


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/a-stray-turkey-on-central-park-south/?emc=eta1
I believe there are several Central Park Turkeys and beyond those mentioned in the article there is also Hedda Gobler up in Morningside Park. (It is north of Central Park.) She is a neighbor of Isolde and Norman, who's Red-tail territory includes Morningside Park.



Photograph courtesy of Peter Kayafas




A Red-Tailed Tableau at Bethesda Fountain




"Oh, my God!”




The tour guide leading two dozen high school-aged visitors through Central Park on Thursday morning stopped dead in mid-narration at Bethesda Fountain. There, on the right hand of “Angel of the Waters,” perched a red-tailed hawk. It looked as if it were naturally part of the sculpture — except for the radiant glow of its plumage against the statue’s muted bronze.


FOR MORE FOLLOW THE LINK--http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/a-red-tailed-tableau-at-bethesda-fountain/?emc=eta1


I particularly like the last line. .

Stage Manager and avid newspaper reader Bill Walters discovered this April 3, 2008, story in the New York Times archive. I'd certainly like to see that hawk's belly band to see if it was Lola for certain. But as it is April, and breeding season with the territorial boundaries harden, it could be Lola. In winter that area and the Ramble across the Lake are destinations for any number of Red-tailed hawks that fly in from their usual residences to partake of Central Park's deep prey base.







HOW TO TELL THE TULSA KJRT TV HAWKS, KAY, JAY, AND THUNDER APART

Many thanks to Tulsa's Cheryl Cavert for the use of her very helpful photographs, and to "Other Donna" of the Tulsa Forum for gleaning the shots that showed the mid-sections of the birds, and sending them on to me.


1/01/09 Kay


Notice her belly band, her "ankles", and a female's slightly larger beak. Because of the angle her belly band appears quite low on her torso. The band appears here as jagged streaks.

The particular head position that shows the length of the beak can be quite helpful as a possible clue to the sex of the bird but not completely definitive except for a very few infallible raptor experts such as Hermione Parry-Jones.

Kay
And the angle here makes her belly band appear further up her breast.
The wind is ruffling her anterior feathers. Note how suddenly they appear more dot like and less streaked.


Kay
We're back to streaks as there is no wind, and here you can see the shoulder wash of color.

12/19/08 Kay
Here the shoulder wash isn't visible, there is a mixed streak and dot pattern, and because of the different light, here here belly band appears paler than before. Even taking into account the varying light, her band is darker than either Thunder's or Jay's.

12/24/08 Kay from the back. Note the eyebrow is visible but nearly as light as Jay's .

Jay has a slightly smaller beak, fluffier feathers on his head, and skinnier ankles if you could see them.

He is in bright sunlight so his already light belly band appears next to nonexistent.

Jay

It's often hard to tell individuals apart by their backs but look at how light Jay's eyebrow is compared to Kay's, one photo up. Yes, Jay's head is lighter, than Kay's and he is slightly smaller but unless they were sitting together it would be difficult to positively ID them from those characteristics without direct comparison.

11/18/08 Thunder

We know that Thunder being a juvenile has lighter eyes than the other two but it is not apparent in the photo. Therefore check the tail. Not rusty red and just discernible--the horizontal stripes of a juvenile.


Thunder's belly band has a tendency to appear more often dotted than streaked even without the ruffling of wind. Her band is darker than her father's and lighter than her mother's.



12/25/08 Thunder


Check out the saturation of color between her head and back. Juveniles have more of a tendency for the head, neck, and back to appear matched. Though by no means a cut and dried field mark for a young bird.






Christmas Eve
Kay and Jay have very similar posterior coloration and pattern.


How sweet is this? Bonded pairs do spend time together in the off season. These two are even touching as they perch.

Which is which?

In this case as we can see both bird's brows and the light is just right, we've got the answer. Jay is top and Kay is bottom.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THROW IN THE POT IN REFERENCE TO POSSIBLE BEHAVIOR OF KAY AND JAY IF A CAMERA ADDITION IS MADE AT THE KJRH NEST
AN UPDATE ON MAMA AND PAPA'S NEST SITE MOVE IN 2008
From Jeff Kollbrunner, www.jknaturegallery.com/ Jeff and his wife Anna have watched this pair for 14 seasons. (I'm betting Mama and Papa do do interviews with Anna and Jeff.)


Donna,

I had read your update today and want to offer some additional information and clarity as to why Mama and Papa selected a new nest site this past nesting season.

Mama and Papa did use the same building as the previous season that was monitored by Hawkcam. They started using a newly constructed nest on the South side of the building on a similar window air conditioner unit on the same floor as the previous years nest which was located on the North side of the building that the hawkcam monitored. This past season Mama had started using that new nest on the South side of the hawkcam building for about a week when a prolonged period of intense media coverage started for a local trial. There were countless media trucks with their satellites fully extended every day, photojournalists and reporters on rooftops and large loud protests all day long with bull horns in constant use and the like in the immediate area of their nest. All of this being in such close proximity to Mama and Papa's new nest they decided to abandon it, luckily, just prior to laying eggs. Mama and Papa had constructed three nests that year, two on this building and one in a cemetery White Pine tree just East of these other two nests. They elected to move to the Pine tree nest, Mama had three eggs shortly after relocating to the Pine tree where they had three very large and very healthy fledglings.

Mama and Papa typically construct a new nest every year for the past 14 plus years we have been observing them. They have re-used a single location once but had to rebuild that nest from scratch as the Coop board had their previous seasons nest removed when that nesting season was completed. Mama and Papa routinely return to favorite vantage points on tall buildings that have been otherwise disturbed by construction activity or maintenance work. They don't seem bothered by this at all except they will stay away from these favorite vantage points if there is constant maintenance work in progress each day. They will return to these sites when the workers leave for the day and activity at the location ends. They are not disturbed by the scaffolds that are left in place as long as the work crew is gone for the day. When all the equipment is removed and the workers are gone for good Mama and Papa resume their typical use of these vantage points.

All the best,
Jeff


It just occurred to me anew, how the network of Hawkwatchers has grown each year, as has all of our knowledge as we share what we know, surmise, test, and see, every season.


Bravo! Brava! To Hawkwatchers every one.

Donegal Browne