Palemaleirregulars: Two Fledge Day at Pale Male and Octavia's Nest--Part Two

Monday, June 15, 2015

Two Fledge Day at Pale Male and Octavia's Nest--Part Two

Medium went into the trees somewhere around here.

He does appear to be rather tangled in the branches. Well at least his feet appear to be in contact with a branch, though whether they are bearing much weight is debatable.

The Blue Jays are beginning to arrive in force and in full voice.

But Medium's guardian angel, his mother Octavia, has also arrived.

And she doesn't look the least bit amused by the Blue Jays hounding her eyass.

She focuses on two Jays that haven't backed down at all.

Octavia is beyond irate so she just smashes into the foliage going for any who would threaten her offspring.

The Jays take wing and she heads after them yelling. See her open beak? I'm not kidding. These vocalizations are not the keeeeeh, we are all familiar with. This sounds like a very harsh version of the Redtail enfamilial language....and her meaning is perfectly clear. Fly or you die. No question she means it and she takes off after them with mother power.

Aren't those the most amazing and beautiful set of wings?

Well, Medium is no longer being harassed by Jays or not as many as previously anyway but he's still all tangled up in a tree. This isn't something I've ever seen Red-tail parents attempt to help with. I'm assuming it is one of life's early Red-tail lessons. Flying is grand but you do have to land...figure it out...you've seen us do it often enough. Beyond the biological fact that even familial talons are still talons.

Medium just did manage to turn his head just a touch. He's going to be here for awhile. The hawkwatchers decide to split up. Some remain with Large and others go back to the Hawk Bench to keep tabs on Medium and Little.

Large looks at Little on the nest.

And Little looks at Large on the rail.

Large continues to look at Little.

Little's position takes on that of a crouch as if he is thinking of leaping up onto the rail. Right impulse but some wing action at the same time would be necessary to make the height and distance required. Little doesn't appear to be ready to make the leap just yet.

Large now stares towards the Park. Perhaps she sees a parent or perhaps she is looking at possible prey. Wait. Now I know what she might be looking at.

Now I know where the young hawks attention might have been pulled. We'd just been having a Mallard moment at the Model Boat Pond. Note the Mallard pair. Scant minutes ago another male was attempting to put the moves on this female. Her consort was not amused. Therefore he and the other male, after a chase across the pond while consort attempting to keep between his female and the other male, the consort leapt out of the pond, herding the female and came to a halt right next to me. Much quacking ensued. Hence the pulling of the young hawks focus at this particular moment. When it appeared that Consort Mallard Male being all testosteroned out might be hepped up enough to take on all comers including dogs, one of the hawkwatchers pulled out a jar of unsalted peanuts and threw some on the pavement. PEANUTS? All is forgotten.

Okay, the peanut interlude is finished time to get back to hawks.

Octavia is at her post on the corner of Linda. Pale Male is likely watching over Medium who is attempting to ease his way out of his twig bound position.

Little is fascinated by Large...and why?

Because Large has begun to "dance".

A Red-tail arabesque? Or perhaps more of a hornpipe?

Yes, yes, I know he is attempting to walk the rail without falling off much the same way many of us tried to walk on railroad tracks without stepping off. Not having wings, human children walking any railing could have led to stitches or a plaster cast let alone this one with its rather large drop to the ground.