Philadelphia Franklin Institute Red-tailed Hawks

Courtesy of http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/

Robin of Illinois sent an email with an update. The Franklin Hawk Cam is up and running.
Link above.

Note the wooden tray box they're using to anchor their nest. That is something that is very do-able for humans, to give the hawks a little help when a window ledge just isn't quite big enough and particularly if there is nothing for the hawks to anchor their nest to.

I do wonder if it ever collects water?

Though if it does, it doesn't seem to have affected their success, at least so far.

Donegal Browne

Pale Male and Pale Beauty and Rose and Vince of Fordham Get Going For Hawk Season

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

Look at he white feathers on the top of Pale Beauty's head. I think she may have some leucistic feathers there as well as on her "cheeks". (Click on the photo twice to go to an enlargement for this and the next two for a larger view.)

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

For an interesting comparison of reverse sexual dimorphism, compare the size and girth of Pale Beauty's feet and tarsi with those of Pale Male below.

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

Foot and leg stretched forward. One of Pale Male's signature stances. Tristan used to do this as well but less often as tucking a foot up was his signature stance. I thought at first, as a foot was tucked so often even in summer that something must be wrong with it. No, Tristan was just very laid back and relaxed until he had a reason to be something else.

Photo by Richard Fleisher
http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/
Rose doing some housekeeping on Collins Hall at Fordham.

Find hawk watcher and photographer Rich Fleisher's commentary below--

Hi,

The start of another breeding season for the Fordham Red Tails. I saw both Rose and Vince at the Collins Hall nest. They were in the trees and on various structures in the area around the nest site both during the morning and the afternoon. I have posted a good number of pictures on my flickr page but here is one taken this morning of Rose sprucing up the nest.

Rich


Donegal Browne

NOVA SCIENCE NOW-Pepperberg and Alex plus the Great Horned Owl Cam

Dr. Irene Pepperberg, the Homo sapien and the late Alex, the Psittacus erithacus erithacus

They not only proved that they broke the species to species verbal language barrier by speaking in English to each other, but to parse it even finer they broke the language barrier of an avian creature and a mammalian one communicating in a common language. Note Alex was the one with the physical equipment and the smarts to do it in the mammal's language.

Though to give Dr. Pepperberg credit, she couldn't have learned African Grey Parrot language from Alex as likely Alex didn't know it yet. He came to the lab very young. And just like human babies learn their language from those around them, young Grey's learn language from their parents and their flocks. It's thought that each flock might well have it's own dialect.

A hand raised Macaw in one cage and a hand raised Grey in another have been known to verbally compare what they were given for dinner in the language of their owner.

Alex was 31 when he died. If he had had his complete life expectancy there is no doubt in my mind that he would have learned to read as he already was grasping phonetics from children's plastic alphabet letters. And in one case when a nut was not forth coming when he wanted one, he sounded it out just in case they weren't getting it.
N-U-T.


Check your PBS stations for a repeat of Nova Science Now featuring the profile of Pepperberg.

Plus here is a nearly 12 minute video with segments of the program-
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/profile-irene-pepperberg.html

In you don't find a re-airing, the full program is often available online once all the local repeats are finished.

My apologies for not giving you a heads up earlier. I was painting the basement and washing the kitchen ceiling the last few days and accidentally stumbled on the program this evening...too late to let you know.


And for those of you who can't get enough of Great Horned Owls, Cornell's owl-cam link from Robin of Illinois--

http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/camera/view?cameraID=C100231

Rose, Vince, Interesting Cavities at Storr's Lake, and the NYBG

I'd went out to Storr's Lake Wildlife Area to look for cavities that might host roosting owls or possible nest sites. I looked up and, "OH! Is that a Screech Owl?"

Drat, just snow on recessed bark.

This cavity at Storr's Lake reminds me a great deal of the cavity that is often used by the Great Horned Owl pair in the NYBG. I'm thinking, I'll go and check it out at fly out time and see if it's inhabited. I particularly like the lid on the top with the snow cap. I can't help but wonder if that "roof" is a coincidence or whether it's a man created add to make the cavity more habitable.

Speaking of the NYBG, here's an update from Pat Gonzalez, who focuses on the fauna of the New York Botanical Garden--

Friends:

Today's wildlife adventure began shortly before entering the Conservatory. I noticed what appeared to be feathers on the ground in front of a tree just off Perennial Garden Way. When I got closer to it, that was when I noticed the ear. And the head it was attached to. Apparently, it was a rabbit that got way to close to some predator. All that was left was the head, a few bones and lots of fur. Perhaps it was the victim of one of the great-horned owls? I've decided not to share the photo I took as it is a bit gruesome. But if anyone wants to see it, please let me know and I'll e-mail it to you.

I went inside the Conservatory and took photos for about an hour. I walked around a bit, taking some photos of the Stone Mill and the surrounding area. Here are some of my pics.

http://flic.kr/p/9ix7nj

http://flic.kr/p/9iwmc5

Later, I was near the visitor center when a large red-tail few overhead. It has a very distinctive red tail which led me to believe that it was either Rose or Vince. Then right before I left, another one flew over me while I was walking the Library grounds. I managed to get one shot of it further down. I've attached it to this e-mail. As you can see, it is holding on to what appears to be a small bird.

I now want to take this time to share a story I call A Bronx Red-Tail. I submitted it to The NYBG who have published it on their blog. I hope you all enjoy it.

http://www.nybg.org/plant-talk/2011/02/wildlife/a-bronx-red-tail/#more-9298

Pat Gonzalez

Pale Male, Pale Beauty, the Franklin Institute Hawks, and John Blakeman

Photo courtesy of palemale.com
Pale Male clips a twig.

Photo courtesy of palemale.com
And heads for the 927 Fifth Avenue Nest. You can never have enough twigs. Ask any Red-tailed Hawk heading into breeding season.

Photo courtesy of palemale.com
And here is his lady love, just look at that wingspan!

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

So did you ever wonder how Pale Male lost the tips of those primaries on his left wing? This could certainly be part of it. He often looks like he is just brushing the building when he takes off from Linda, and indeed he is.

And who might this sweet faced hawk be, sitting in a London Plane looking pleased with himself? This could very well be Pale Male on a dark day. Oh, but it isn't. He's the dad from the Franklin Institute nest. They really are amazingly similar from this angle. He and his mate are twigging in earnest and copulating all over the place.
Photograph courtesy of http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/



Somehow when the following correspondence between Karen of Rhode Island and our stalwart John Blakeman, was forwarded to me, the photo of the leucistic Red-tailed Hawk they're talking about didn't make the ride, but we'll see it soon.

Do these birds have eye problems - is there pigment lacking in the eyes? Thanks. Karen

Karen,

The true, all-white (no pigments) albinos do have problems. They seldom live past their first year.

But most of the white Red-tails, including the one in the photograph, have only white feathers. Eyes work fine. This specimen was one of the whitest leucistic Red-tails, with almost no pigment anywhere, except in the eye. It was an older tiercel that had bred for a few years. It got hit by a train, with minor injuries.

Most leucistic Red-tails have normally dark eyes, and streaks or patches of normal coloration in many feathers. Still, they look (and are) mostly white.

--John Blakeman

Donna Browne

Still No Egg Creating Activity

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

Still no reported copulation but this would be an excellent spot for it! Plenty of room for Pale Male to just swoop right in. All she needs to do is lean over a little.

D.B.