Buster Is Back! The OTHER Crane Nest, a Decorah Eaglets Update, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak Interlude

 As I hadn't seen Buster the Black-chinned Hummingbird for several days, I thought he'd traveled on but to my surprise this evening about 6:30PM there he was in the little mulberry tree next to the magnolia and its feeder.

Remember I'd found another Sandhill Crane on a nest while I was watching the one in the middle of the pond? 

 The "Just Try It" Crane?  The grass very soon obscured this nest so my main focus switched to the nest in the pond.  Though I still attempted to see this one periodically, and each time  I stopped, instead of seeing the crane, on the opposite side of the pond a goose head popped up above the grass each time.

It was 7:15PM, so the light was already fading but today when I stopped...

Instead of the goose head popping up, two crane heads popped up instead.

Then the right head disappeared, but the left remained.

Then she stood and looked down.

And the male stood and suddenly the female's  head goes down as a Red-winged Blackbird goes for it.

An Aside:  Red-winged Blackbirds appear to be a situational hazard for any creature who frequents wetlands at this time of year.  Yesterday I  watched two cranes walking across a marshy area and every ten feet or so as they passed from one Red-wing's territory to the next, the previous bird would ease the attack, while the next attacked afresh.

The female begins to browse and the male stands guard...and remember the goose head I kept seeing previously when I stopped?  Look at the left side of the photo.  There she is.

Goose withdraws slightly.  The female eyes her and the male continues to stare at the Red-wing.  Then the light fails enough to make even a weak focus possible.

I do hope there is a colt or colts in that long grass.  I'll keep checking.

A pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks also stare.  A disagreement?
The finale of a discussion about nest placement?

And last but not least...

 The Decorah Eaglets
Just in from Jackie of Tulsa-
I'm glad to know that after the 2 electrocution incidents last year, there was a huge effort to retrofit all the hazards before this season rolled around.

A Wednesday Contributor Miscellany-Imping, Decorah Eagles First Hatch, and Does T3 Have the Look of Pale Male?

 A Red-shouldered Hawk Nest in a tree just across from the entrance of  the Port Orange Regional Library in Florida.  It seems the parents have been dive bombing the borrowers as they go in and out.

Do the patrons freak out and want the nest torn down?  Nope.  Does the town scream liability and want it torn down too?  Nope.   They put up these signs.

 And numerous folks appear to be hanging out just to watch the hawks, dive bombing or no.
Many thanks to Robin of Illinois for sending in the link!  Check it out-
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/mother-hawk-attacks-library-patrons-in-florida/

I asked myself why this episode of hawk bombing hasn't sent people screaming down the walk as it has in other locales?

Could it be because library patrons read books?

Next up, courtesy of  Jackie of Tulsa,  the Decorah Eagles have their first hatch of the year.

A little surge of biophilia anyone?

And Mom looks on.... http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

I just took a moment to look at the cam and heard eaglet cheeping from under Mom as she re-situated herself on the nest.  It's great the Decorah Cam has sound!

NEXT UP SNOWING OWL WING IMPING!

Snowy Owl Feathers to be used for imping.  I'm quite taken with the fact that they tape the replacement feathers to the wall.  Makes perfect sense though as if you did't batten them down somehow they could waft all over over the place.

A Snowy Owl with singed wing feathers gets an expert imping job.  Yes imping! (I love that word.)  It is a falconer's technique in which saved feathers of the correct position are clipped to the right length and are connected to the shortened feather shaft of the damaged feather... which is still connected to the bird.  Bamboo is often used as the stabilizer between the two shafts.
http://www.wtop.com/109/3590725/DCs-snowy-owl-gets-replacement-wings

And as  I love the word here is a rundown complete with origin..

  Imping, a verb used in falconry

a. to graft (feathers) into a wing.

b.to furnish (a wing, tail, etc.) with feathers, as to make good losses or deficiencies and improve powers of flight.

 

6. Archaic. to add a piece to; mend or repair.

 Origin:

before 900;  (noun) Middle English impe, Old English impa, impe  shoot, graft < Late Latin impotus, imputus  grafted shoot < Greek émphytos  planted, implanted, verbal adjective of emphŷein  to implant ( em- em-²  + phŷein  to bring forth); (v.) Middle English impen  to plant, graft, Old English impian, geimpian,  derivative of the noun (compare Old High German impfōn, impitōn  > German impfen  to inoculate); sense “demon” < phrase imp of the devil

 "Imping." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 03 Apr. 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Imping
>.
Sally of Kentucky just sent me some photographs of T3, the hawk who has been courting Franklin Mom.  Sally reports that there has been some talk that T3 has the look of Pale Male.  And he DOES.  Will post some pix as soon as permission comes in.

TIS THE SEASON...HAPPY HAWKING!

Donegal Browne