HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
Mother Robin and her mate built their nest above the light fixture next to the garage door. The rumbling of the garage door going up and own on occasion flushes the Robins from the nest. But they are right back sitting it as soon as the vibrations stop.
By the way, the blue-green bit of stuff hanging down on the left side of the nest---belongs to my bathroom rug.
April 7, 2009--2:46pm
Mom feeds Eyass Two, while Eyass One looks on from behind the branch just to the right.
Is Mom tearing more food or is she looking down into the bowl of the nest?
Mom tears another bite.
Two gets it.
Mom's beak dips into bowl. Where is prey laying?
Two gets a bite.
Mom looks around and Eyass One comes stealthily closer.
Eyass Two gets yet another bite. Watch Eyass One's face.
The food begins to fall out of Two's mouth and Mom tucks it back in. Eyass One in a bit of pique bites the twig in front of him.
Mom scopes the area once again.
One gets a bite. You can't really see it here but One's crop is pretty full. I assume he had the major portion of a meal earlier and it still has not digested.
Mom tears a bite and One begs mightily. By the way, an eyass can be stuffed to the gills and will still beg so don't worry he isn't getting enough to eat. He is.
It looks like Mom is "speaking" to One about his noisy behavior.
Mom tears off a teeny bite.
She hold it and looks into the bowl.
She then feeds it to Two. One is not in the least amused by this. Look at the eyes.
One tries to take a bite out of Two. Mom speaks to him again while Mom's beak disappears behind the rim of the nest.
Two disappears into the bowl and Mom "speaks" to One again.
One with a bite in his mouth.
Mom's beak goes into the bowl. It really looks like there could be a third eyass.
Two gets a big bite.
Mom looks out.
Is mom covering the other eyass to protect her from predators or is she sitting on her?
A bite towards One who is back beaking the twig.
More food to Two, One's eyes are getting slitty. Not a happy baby hawk.
More for Two. More twig biting.
Two has debris on her beak and Mom has just pulled a large chunk of meat.
Where did Two go?
Ah, she has disappeared into the bowl.
More for Two.
More twig knoshing.
Look VERY carefully. What can you see mid-nest just above the rim? There is the top of a THIRD head without question. One is to the right, Two can be seen under Mom's neck, and that means Three is center.
Two gets a bite.
Three gets a bite.
Two chews, One complains, and Mom makes an abrupt sound while looking at One.
Mom looks east.
Mom looks down at Three.
Mom is distracted. One's head has disappeared into the bowl. To do what I wonder?
AND NOW WE'LL TAKE A MOMENT FOR A LOOK AT MAMA AND PAPA'S NEST IN QUEENS
An update from long time observer of Mama and Papa Jeff Kollbrunner--
Donna,
I was able to visit Mama and Papa’s nest today and I was able to get some great images. My concerns about the second sibling became a reality as there was only one eyass in the nest, now four weeks old and doing well. I didn't see any signs of its sibling in or out of the nest and I’m afraid we will never know what happened. I have posted new images of the nest of the single eyass with Mama in a new gallery “Nest Photos 2009” at this link http://www.jknaturegallery.com/nest_photos_2009_pg1.html the Photo Gallery Contents Page also has a link. There is additional information relating to the loss of the second sibling in the Current Red-tailed Hawk News section.
Hope all is well,
Jeff
Thank you Jeff, very sorry about the second eyass.
Thank you Jeff, very sorry about the second eyass.
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming--Feeding The Young Ms
Pulling a bite.
It must have gone to Three.
One complains, Mom complains back.
It is almost as if Mom is saying, "There you've had another bite but now get back it isn't your turn."
Then a bite for Two. (Neither Two nor Three can handle the big bites that One can handle for the moment.)
And the activity continues--By the end of the feeding all young had nice rounded crops.
Donegal Browne
