Pale Male, Lola, and the Pope--helicoptors, fire trucks, sirens, police presence

Rik Davis reports that this morning Lola had a short break. Dominique reports Pale Male brought Lola a twig and she flew off for less than her half hour which is usually taken for food.


For the rest of the day, at least until 7:30PM Lola had no breaks at all. Nor did anyone see her eat. What is it that keeps a formel on the nest all day? Is she waiting to answer a pip from an egg? Or did it have to do with the nearly constant hovering of helicopters over the Model Boat Pond?
Above photo, 4:03PM Lola protects the bowl of the nest from a particularly strong sunbeam.

Actually all the burning of fossil fuels for security made it look like the Eastside was having it's own private heat inversion. Over to the west, the air seemed clear. People walking in from that side of the park thought a storm was brewing in the distance.

Pale Male was pretty scarce today. He perched on the Stovepipe railing for 45 minutes or so and then disappeared once again.

That bright white speck of Pale's breast glinting in the sun makes it reasonably easy to spy him even from the Hawk Bench visually unaided.

4:44PM It's hot up there in the sun. Lola pants.

Yet another helicopter whips by. Lola did make sure to cover the bowl when the giant flying machines came by but she didn't go so far as to hunker down in the nest and pretend not to be there.

Lola shuffles her wing feathers.

6:30 Lola turns her back to the sun and lowers her head. Is she shading her head and the bowl at the same time?

Here she might actually be looking.

Mustn't forget to scan the territory now and again. The immature Red-tail who has been pushing her luck in Pale Male and Lola's territory streaked over the Model Boat Pond, circled, and then kept on going.

Preening?

This is definitely preening--

Though I'm not sure what is happening here?

A fly buzzes Lola. She snaps her beak at it a few times.

She preens her breast.

Fixedly watches something to the north.

Keeps at it.

7:14PM And having disappeared momentarily, Lola sits back up.

7:25PM After having done nearly 7 hours on the nest without respite, Lola settles more deeply into the nest and peers through the twigs. She'll watch for Pale Male. Either for a late evening snack or to know his roost site for the night.

7:30 Exit.

Next up, Eileen of New York's Eagle News--

Hi Donna-

While we (im)patiently wait for PM & Lola, some amazing Bald Eagle news from from Santa Catalina Island California and the Institute for Wildlife Studies!!! www.iws.org

(Don't miss the photos on the site. D.B.)

The Catalina pair who nest at the West End have always had their eggs removed & hatched at the incubation facility, then the eyases were returned to the nest as they have always had thin-shelled eggs from DDT. Two eggs were removed from the nest this year. One didn't make it, but this little guy/gal hatched with some assistance on April 15th.

S/he is scheduled to return to the nest tomorrow. Well, the parents surprised everyone today...they apparently laid another egg and were incubating it along with the fake eggs...and it hatched late this morning!

The camera page today is "Dedicated to Mother Nature...She's always full of surprises!"

Eileen