It Looks Like Astoria Park Has a Hatch and More Night Mothering from Mama, Rosie, and Blue Heron Mom plus Unscrewing Ticks

Big News from Jules Corkery one of the chief watchers of the Astoria Red-tailed Hawk nest of Andromeda and Atlas (Who was previously mated to Athena who died of secondary rat poisoning) --  

This morning, Andromeda was sitting in the nest and had switched off with Atlas. Tonight when I got home she was standing up and looking into the nest and this represented obvious change in behavior. It's a very deep bowl so we might not see little ones for a while. Will keep you posted!

Thanks Jules!

The wind is whipping across the nest site of Mama and Papa in Briarwood Queens tonight.  Mama isn't getting much sleep.  She's positioned herself to protect the eyasses from the wind.  Therefore her feathers are repeatedly being bent in the wrong direction.  It isn't easy being a good mom.

Though the wind isn't quite as intense on the Bobst Library nest overlooking Washington Square Park, Rosie has her head tucked up.  Note the eyasss snuggled between Rosie and the windbreak of foraged man made nesting material.

And Great Blue Heron Mom on the Cornell Lab Heron Cam turns  her eggs  in the dark and then settles back in.  The hatch estimate for this nest is the last part of April.  And like Red-tailed eggs, these eggs will hatch asynchronously.


On another topic, this is a big year for ticks.  Personally I've already gotten a half dozen of the little buggers this Spring.  I've nothing on the Langer father and son who went camping the other weekend and managed a whopping count of 26 ticks between them.  

And as you know whenever there are ticks there is discussion about the best removal method.  There is the hot match technique or the drop of acetone technique to name two.  

Well I was talking to Wisconsinite Annie Albright, who said, if you want to know the best way to remove ticks talk to the kids that play outside in the country and get them all the time.


Unbelievably the preferred method for outdoorsy country kids is kind of amazing.  No time to go home for a match or scrunge up their mother's finger nail polish remover, they just take hold of the tick and turn it counter clockwise.  You heard right.  Grab the tick between two fingers and give it a left hand turn.  

According to Annie Albright, you just unscrew them to the left a quarter turn and they come out.  The theory being that they screw themselves into your skin in a clockwise fashion so you counter it and TA DA!!!

Talk about something that sounds way too simple compared to all the strum drang usually associated with getting this creepy beasties off.

I was dying to  try it.  Might even be worth that horrid feeling when you run your hand through your hair, and....YUCK!   I HAVE A TICK!!!!


Of course, have I  gotten a tick since I got this mind boggling unbelievable bit of folk wisdom a few days ago?  Not a chance.  But I started spreading the word and one of the informed did not get a tick but his dog did.  He got hold of said tick turned to the left and guess what?  IT WORKED!


I know, I know, one success- a scientific truth does not make. 

Therefore you, dear  readers,  are now included in this "study".  If you get a tick, try the unscrewing method and let me know how it works  for you.  


I cannot wait to hear!


HAPPY HAWKING AND TICKING!

Donegal Browne