Screech Owls, Thompkins RT, and Leap Frogging Kingbirds

Photograph by Francois Portmann
http://www.fotoportmann.com/blog/2009/07/20/eastern-screech-owls-release-central-park/ (As this is a broken lined link, you may have to type it into your address bar to get there.)

South African filmmaker Adam Welz releases one of the Horvaths rehabilitated Screech Owls--7/20/09

Photograph by Francois Portmann

Photograph by Francois Portmann

For more of Francois' beautiful photographs of the release follow the above link.

Plus for Adam Welz's take go to...

http://adamwelz.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/eastern-screech-owl-central-park-new-york-city-18-july-2009/

Also from Francois a look at one of the Tompkins Square Park Red-tailed Hawks.

8/05/09Francois says--

Hey Donna,

The same 2 hawks are hanging in Tompkins Square Park this summer, seems that dominatrix (Valkyrie D.B) is always there and keeps the light supercilium male away (he could be the one seen at Gramercy Park!!) both birds have scraggy tails and could be molting?

Francois

For those without long memories, both these Red-tailed hawks wintered in or near Tompkins. Usually the wintering immatures at this park leave come summer, and winter elsewhere the next year. But these two, a male and a female, have stayed now nearly through a full year.

I can well imagine that they both have scraggy tails at this point as most of their habitat is made up of buildings. And buildings are very tough on tails and wing-tips that tend to brush against them.

Yes it is getting along toward molting season. Particularly the case for these non-breeding adolescents as they will molt earlier than their breeding adult counterparts.

I'm actually quite excited that these two have stayed around and it should be this molt in which their tails will take on the distinctive orangey red of adult and ready to breed Red-tailed hawks. Could Tompkins Square Park (and Gramercy for that matter) finally be getting a bonded pair and their nest?

Photograph by Jackie Dover

It's catch up time and if your memory is long you'll remember a thread about Kingbird's started by Jackie Dover of the Tulsa Hawk Forum--

I understand that Kingbirds are related to the Scissortail Flycatcher, Oklahoma's state bird. To my ears, their jabbery vocalizations sound very much like those of the Scissortail. And the babies chatter much as the adults do.I’m attaching one more Kingbird photo, this time, of one of the babies "leapbirding" over a sibling, apparently just to get to the other side.

Jackie Dover

Tulsa Hawk Forum

Donegal Browne