Urban Red-tail Update: Pale Male Jr. and Charlotte

Photo by Brett Odom
Charlotte (left) and Pale Male Jr. (right) behind the partition.

Brett Odom, the hawkwatcher with the ringside seat, has done it again. Hurrah! Though Charlotte had been spotted within the last few months, Junior had been missing, we'd hoped he was only on a winter sabbatical, but now both are back, with positive I.D.'s and scoping out the old digs.

It's such a treat to see their beautiful and familiar faces once again. The adrenalin and hope starts for yet another year. The gyre continues its spiral.

Photograph by Brett Odom

Brett's note--
I made it into the office today with my camera and both Charlotte and Junior visited this nest this morning (01/10/2010). I have attached some photos of them. It is definitely Junior.

They did not bring any new twigs to the nest but they did spend a lot of time rearranging the ones already on the nest.


Photograph by Brett Odom

Now Junior is on the left and Charlotte is on the right. They are both looking down obscuring their faces, and as the light is striking the bird more heavily on the left, making color comparison iffy.

How does one make sure who is whom in this shot? Look at their size and particularly their feet. In this pair there is a sizable difference. Charlotte is a particularly big girl and Junior takes after his presumed dad, Palemale. Who, as we know, is swift, smart, and diminutive.

Here we go again, folks!

Donegal Browne

P.S. The update on Pale Male and Lola happened to come up BELOW the piece about how it was COMING SOON and you well may not have seen it. So I'm deleting the COMING SOON piece and if you scroll down to the next post you'll finally get to read about PM and L and find out how the Monarchs of Central Park are doing.