Pale Male and Fledglings from Stella Hamilton in Central Park, Rural Hawk Worm Eating, Plus A New Visitor to the Gonzo Deck and Caring for the Little Brown Bat

All hawk photos by Stella Hamilton

 6:07 PM  Back to her favorite tree near Glade Arch.

Stella tells me this is Octavia and Pale Male's eldest this year and likely female from her size.  She is also extremely fiesty.

 6:54 PM  Let me out!

Pale Head now finds herself on the wrong side of the fence.  Though at this age the fledglings understand fences so if she wants to get to the other side she knows how.  Wings do help.

6:55 PM Organic bug killing.  Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

6:55:30 PM  More worm eating.

For those who caught yesterday's blog with the worm eating behavior, you'll remember I asked for any others who had seen this behavior to get in touch.

As chance would have it,  Bob Corning of Wisconsin has been watching a juvenile rural Red-tail and though he hadn't seen the behavior before, today Bob did see the young hawk out in a pasture eating worms!  

It appears therefore that worm eating is a rural as well as an urban juvenile Red-tail behavior.

 6:56 PM  Smile 

 6:57 PM I am OUT!

7:29 PM  Nice try.

8:21 PM   Pale Male in a tree behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art....winding his day down.

It has been awhile since we heard from Karen Anne Kolling of the Gonzo Deck.  So called because one can never tell just what species of mammal or bird is paying the Gonzo Deck a visit this time.

Photo Karen Anne Kolling

I am trying to get a photo of him or her with his wings outspread.  These are really huge birds.  I didn't realize that until this one was up close, but their wingspan must be three feet at least.
Karen


Karen, is Gull eating cat chow?

And now, last but not least Part One of The Saga of the Little Brown Bat.

I was pulling weeds out of a flower bed that backs the garage on one side and a sidewalk on the other. When suddenly leathery wings appear where I'd just pulled the last handfull and a Little Brown Bat who is hanging there hisses at me showing me ALL of his cute little teeth.

Yikes.  Needless to say I back off.  

He then settles back down to the hanging by his toes position.

I then note his eyes are open and he's staring at me.  Okaaay!

Alright.  I'd accidentally moved the broken bird house away and ripped the foliage out that was masking him.   You just never know who's mini ecosystem you are wrecking when "tidying up".

 I can't leave him this exposed so I wait for his eyes to close then move the broken bird house back in front of him so he's better masked against predators and the sun for that matter.

The next day at 11:30 AM when I first come out the door adjacent to his roost...

He is lying on top of the house looking not well at all and flattish as if he is extremely dehydrated...

End of Part 1...stayed tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of Little Brown Bat's Saga. (It's okay he makes it.)




P.S. I'm still comparing photographs in hope of figuring out when Isolde of the Cathedral nest disappeared. Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne