Pale Male and Lola 4/22/2008

4 30PM Arrival. Not a Red-tail Hawk in sight. The Hawk Bench reports Lola is on the nest and there has been a previous switch sometime before 3PM.
5 05 56 PM Lola's back appears and she does whatever it is she does when we see it.

5 06 47 Lola's head appears, she pants. She then proceeds to sit high,


5 12 09 PM ...preen her wings,

...her tail, and everything else on her body with periodic bouts of looking around.

5 14 36 PM She once again retires to the bowl of the nest and disappears.

5 24 55 PM Pale Male arrives on the nest. No one saw prey being brought in. That does not necessarily mean there wasn't any. We don't know one way or the other. Sometimes one could swear he has a pocket. He waits for Lola to come out of the nest.

5 25 50 PM He waits some more while periodically scoping the territory.

5 27 07PM Pale Male focuses on something. He continues to watch "it" until 5 27 20.

5 27 20PM He turns for take-off.

5 27 22 PM He's off! And he is flapping with purpose and speed north and then west. Did he have an intruder emergency? Was there food stashed for Lola in a tree and that pesky immature RT was deciding to help himself? Was the food stashed and the fact Lola wouldn't go and get it a cue that something important was happening so she couldn't leave? Perhaps he should bring food to the nest?

5 48PM Lola's back appears once again.

5 54 15 PM Lola sits high. She continues to switch positions first one direction, then the other. She does a preen now and again.

5 56 44PM Lola once again disappears into the bowl.

6 11 30PM Lola's head appears and she actively looks out across the territory.

6 14 51PM Lola continues in this behavior. Many families come by and the children look through the scope while the parents ask questions. I don't know when she went back down again. Though by 7PM she has been out of sight for awhile. That being the case, I stow my equipment, take a hold of the wheelie bag to go--and, wouldn't you know it, here comes Pale Male toward the nest.

My only recourse is to grab the only camera within reach, the one I never use for distance, push the zoom to a place it should never ever go and start clicking. Remember this is documentation of a rather peculiar interlude.

7 07 47 Pale Male comes in from the south and lands.

7 07 59PM Lola's head appears above the nest rim. Pale Male has prey.

7 08 05PM What is that? I certainly can't tell from the "documentary photo". Thank goodness experienced Hawk Watcher and sharp eyed Stella Hamilton was on one of the Swarovski Scopes. Stella reports it is a skinned squirrel. Though it still has a head with fur. Unusual not only for the fact it is skinned but that it was brought to the nest with a head at all, furred or unfurred.

7 08 10PM Lola out of bowl.

7 08 15PM ???

7 08 21PM ???

7 08 30 PM Pale turns head, prey in his beak over nest bowl.

7 08 42 PM Pale places prey to south of bowl.

7 08 51PM Keep in mind that they do vocalize to each other. How complex Red-tail vocalization is, is currently unknown. But I figure after 7 years they can get their message across to each other one way or another. Note Pale Male has laid down the prey. But by the next photo...

7 08 56PM He has picked it back up again. Has Lola rejected it in some way? Or is he trying to tempt her off the nest with it? Though according to report her earlier break before 3PM was considered long by those on the Bench.

7 09 00PM Exactly the impetus is unknown, but Pale Male takes the prey with him when he goes.

7 09 05PM Lola watches him go. First to the north.

7 09 10PM Then circling round to the NW.

7:09:35PM Alert. Lola surveys territory.

7:09:46PM Lola heads for the nest bowl.

7:09:56PM Preens her breast.

7:10:05PM Looks and then disappears into the bowl.

Exit.

Donegal Browne