Violet with her plastic bag handle "necklace".
Photo courtesy of http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/
YES FOLKS, WE'RE BACK TO THE PLASTIC BAG IN THE NEST ISSUE--
FROM NYU HAWK CAM WATCHER JULIA G.--I've been following the NYU hawks (nesting with 3 eggs on the 12th floor of Bobst Library in Washington Square) on the NYTimes and NYU camera live feeds.
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2011/04/06/watch-violet-and-bobby-the-bobst-red-tailed-hawks-live-on-camera/
Today I got a little worried because Violet was turning her eggs around 2pm and she looped the handle of the plastic bag the eggs are on around her neck for about an hour. This did not bode well for Violet's ability to fly, nor for the eggs which are currently resting on the plastic bag.
Shortly after 3pm she managed to free herself and fly off, and either she or Bobby is currently on the nest, with the plastic bag handle as a potential, although not immediate, problem. Reading through the comments, I noticed the same thing happened yesterday - Violet got snagged by the bag handle, then managed to free herself.
Any ideas who to contact, either proactively or if disaster strikes? Would local rehabbers like Bobby Horvath try to be on standby if one of the hawks gets caught again and tries to fly and is injured? My son goes to school there and I asked him to be on the lookout and ready to grab a box or something, but it would help to know what to do if one of the hawks falls and is injured. Thanks!
Julia,
Thank you for the heads up.
For whatever reason a number of our very adaptable urban hawks have placed plastic bags in their nests. We've been worried about possible consequences but I think that Violet is the first case that's been observed (thank you, hawk cam) of the hawk actually getting entangled. Thank goodness she's managed to extricate herself and actually looks like she's using it in a specific way. Fascinating.
I see from the NYT Cityroom Blog that rehabber Bobby Horvath is now in the mix and he feels all is okay so far and well enough left alone for the moment, particularly as there is still some danger that any interference might cause the hawks to abandon the nest.
I would like you to contact me directly by email via the Contact Me button on the right column of this page for an exchange of phone numbers just in case, as you appear to be an avid viewer of the nest, there ever does appear to be a dangerous problem with a tangled eyass for instance.
As to your question about what to do if an injured hawk is found--If a hawk is injured or in danger, and needs to be rescued, the most important piece of equipment for me is a towel or jacket, t shirt, whatever-- Something to throw over the bird to cover her eyes before attempting to pick her up if that is possible.
With Red-tails, the most important part to get a hold of, to avoid injury to the rescuer, is the feet. Rarely does a Red-tail bite, she'll "foot" to protect herself, i.e. strike out with her talons. People often recommend wearing vet or welder's gloves. I found them so unwieldy in an emergency that I peeled them off and just made a grab for the bird's "ankles" from behind with one hand. After that grip is made the other hand can hold the back of the bird's head to pick her up and cuddle her to your chest or into the crook of your arm, face out.
This is the point when a cardboard box comes in handy, or in a pinch the hawk can be wrapped in the towel as long as you have control of the feet.
If it were a case where the hawk was being strangled by the plastic bag, I'd get an assistant to attempt to cut it off her if at all possible.
An injured hawk should then be taken to the Animal Medical Center, 510 E. 62nd. St., the phone number is (212) 838-7053. Also the Horvaths should be contacted so they know the hawk is there and AMC knows that the Horvaths are in the mix.
And updates from both chief watchers of the Fordham nest of Rose and Vince-
First off, a note from Richard Fleisher
Hi Everyone,
After weeks of seeing no activity around the Fordham nest and not being sure of what was going on because the nest has become so large, deep and thick, the last few days has clearly been different. This week I have on multiple occasions seen Rose standing up high on the side of the nest. Could mean several different things. She could simply be "rolling" the eggs or it might mean that the eggs have started to hatch. We should know more with each passing day. I will keep you posted.
Rich
Next Chris Lyons with his concise take on the nest--
Rose is still the resident female, Vince is still her mate, and she's incubating. It's getting close to hatch time. We'll see.
Also from Chris, information about the Van Cortlandt Park Bird-a-thonSaturday, May21, 2011, 6am-7pm
Get into the birding game and help out the park at the same time!
And meet some new folks besides.
http://www.vcpark.org/
Van Cortlandt Park Bird-a-thon (PDF)
5 comments:
Agh, that plastic bag picture.
I try to get as little plastic as possible, but this will redouble my efforts. I do cut through any loops or handles on anything (even on paper bags which I use for my recycling) and I tie up plastic bags into small lumps, which is something our recycling people recommend.
Excellent plan Karen. So do I particularly if someone unenlightened leaves one of the plastic sixpack traps around...snip, snip, snip. Then into the recycling.
Thank you for your prompt and thorough response! I know nature has thrived and survived long before we had cameras trained on every little movement, but some things like plastic bags seem like our peculiar contribution to the challenges faced by a nesting hawk pair, and it only seems fair to try even the odds if possible.
If nothing else, it's a good reminder, as Karen comments, to replace plastic bags with reusable ones - there are lots of good ones on the market, I like the Baggu bags which have their own little envelope so they store neatly in your handbag or whatever - no excuses to forget them!
The emergency tips are very helpful, and the contact info - with cats and dogs and mammals, I have a general idea what to do, and I'm such a big pushover, they always come right to me. With birds one has to be extra careful because it seems much easier to injure them further while trying to help.
The good news is, maybe our hawks are smarter than we think - yesterday Violet was alternately perusing and shredding a page of a local tabloid, most of which blew away in the strong wind :-)
Hi Julia,
Good to hear from you again and thank you for the name of a shopping bag so portable that we've no excuse for forgetting it.
I'm afraid that our human self-absorption, carelessness, and our penchant to "need" everything convenient for US is glaringly pointed up by the plastic shopping bag. And of course, as most of us know, it is just the beginning of our chauvinism. But just in case we might get a little careless, there will always be that mental picture of Violet with the plastic handle round her neck, attempting to go about her motherly business, which she did very nicely, thank you. Thank goodness she is such a smart adaptable bird and learned to manipulate the bag to her purpose without entangling herself.
Speaking of Violet and the newspaper, it makes me wonder if, hawks, being such visually attuned animals, are able to make any sense out of the pictures in newspapers. I never considered that before.
I was watching a little while ago when she stood up and saw that her right claw was tangled with some type of string and she couldn't free it. Has this changed?
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