Stella Hamilton's Pale Male Nest Report! Plus Pale Male Raids Another Nest...

Longtime Hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton was out in Central Park with her Stella Scope focused on Pale Male and Octavia's nest on 927 Fifth Avenue, today.

Stella:  One eyass is trying to peck and feed itself . (right eyass)
 Pale Male and Octavia are actually on the Linda Building , staying close by.

The Linda Building is on the next corner S on Fifth Avenue.  It became the "Linda Building" because back in the day of the original Pale Male Hawkwatchers  someone named Linda lived in that building.  

 See Marie Winn's wonderful book Red-tails in Love for stories of the young Pale Male, his mates, and the original "Regulars" at the Hawk Bench.  

Hence the name of this blog, if you have ever wondered, as my generation of Hawkwatcher came about when Pale Male and Lola's nest was torn down by the management of 927 Fifth Avenue and we new and to some extent  younger folk arrived....we, second generation Irregulars (a bit like Sherlock Holmes younger helpers) helped to protest the ripping down of the nest and then stayed to watch the nest for the many many seasons since.

And there is also a third generation, though not particularly younger, just those who appeared too late to help with the protests but who arrived to photograph and try for fame of their own by photographing  Pale Male, the most famous Red-tailed Hawk in the world. 

Now back to today's saga...I got a text from Stella.

Well...today Pale Male raided the nest of a smaller pair of birds...not our favorite of his activities but nature is nature and Hawks do whatever is necessary to feed themselves and  their young.

 We would be terribly upset if his eyasses went hungry, right?

 At any rate, Stella got the word that Pale Male was over at the Metropolitan Museum and high tailed it over there.

  The nest Pale Male had raided lying empty on the ground.  

        Pale Male flew high up onto the Met after his raid.  Though somewhat protected from the furious mob of smaller birds who had banded together to fly at him and peck at this head...it wasn't the best location.

     
Stella wrote: Pale Male behind the Met after raiding nest . He was mobbed by grackles , robins and blue jays .

Stella also noted, "Here are a couple of the people who saw the whole thing."
                     We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

As it happens-- Stella Hamilton Finds Pale Male's Fledglings Near the Great Arch in Central Park

 Photo by Stella Hamilton

 Stella has done it again.  She's tracked down Pale Male and Octavia's fledglings over near the Great Arch.

5:53PM  Fledgling attempts to catch a squirrel in a tree.

One of the first lessons Central Park Fledglings learn is that they can't catch a squirrel in a tree.  I've never even seen an experienced Red-tail working solo nab a squirrel in a tree.  The squirrel just scuttles to the other side of the trunk or if on a branch he zips under the branch when the hawk attempts to grab him.  Youngsters have to learn that a squirrel has to be on the ground to get caught.  

Experienced hawks use stealth.  They sit and wait for a squirrel to go to ground and that's when they swoop in.

 Photo by Stella Hamilton
6:08PM Two of the Fledglings look for scraps.

While waiting for dad to "bring the bacon" most often these days a squirrel or a rat, the youngsters look for scraps and or mimic the killing of mock prey. The "play" of all young predators develops their hunting skills.  Young Red-tails leap onto sticks or good sized rocks, grasp them in their talons, then jump up and down with them which is really quite hilarious, and then "kill" the stick or rock. 

6:16PM  Up in a tree, the third eyass looks to the sky for a delivery.  Dad where are you?

Currently Pale Male will be making regular deliveries of prey to the youngsters.  As time goes on the intervals between meals will lengthen as the hawk parents help their progeny to develop hunting skills by bringing on an edge of hunger between food drops.

7:29PM Fledgling finds water in a depression of a branch and drinks it.

Obviously on the nest, eyasses receive all their water needs from the prey they eat. 

In fact when I first started watching Red-tails there was no information in the scientific literature as to whether or not Red-tailed Hawks drank water or even  bathed.

Central Park Hawkwatchers with their multiple and far more intimate observations of human habituated Red-tails as opposed to scientists who tended toward population counting and the like,   saw both these activities but as they weren't of name so were not believed in some circles.  Then Ann Shanahan, long time wildlife watcher and photographer in Central Park got photographs of both activities.  

Score a big one for the citizen scientist!

More as it happens.

Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

Stella Hamilton Reports-- the Last Eyass Flew the Coop on 927 Plus What the Family Was Doing This Evening! (Second Post of the Day)

Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

JUST IN FROM STELLA--
I learned this afternoon that the 3rd baby had fledged off 927 Fifthe Avenue. Again, no witnesses . It has been raining on and off this afternoon. I arrived in Central Park around 6:30 pm to find the baby hawks perched on tree tops around Alice in Wonderland statue. Pale Male has been very busy trying to hunt around the 76th street playground for his trio. 

At times, bluejays would dive bomb him on the head . Anyway, it got dark really fast. Looks like more rain is on the way. I did not see Pale Male with prey . 

 Octavia was heard calling somewhere along the Glade Arch . 

That's my report for now . Will visit again tomorrow. 
Stella

(Keep scrolling down to read the first post of the day.)

DB

FLASH!!! PALE MALE UPDATES AS THEY HAPPEN (These were posted as they came in, if you are beginning scroll down to the end, the actual beginning 7:08PM and read up)

9:03PM EST,

Nearly all the hawkwatchers have gone home.  wending their way on buses, subways, and even cabs for those who are running late for a friday dinner, to apartments all over the city.

Octavia will have finished helping the remaining eyass on the nest with her dinner.  Dozing, the eyass slumps.  Octavia will preen and compose herself for sleep.  But her eyes will open every few minutes in the night and survey her surroundings.  

The eyass may be restless sporadically in  the night, new pin feathers poking her skin.  If so Octavia will preen her until she rests quietly again.  Then back to momentary sleeping and waking.  Only half of Octavia's brain will sleep at a time, the other will be aware and ready.

The Oriole who has been going through the motions of attacking Fledge 2 will have gone to his own rest by now after checking in with his family.

The Central Park Raccoons will be coming out of their sleeping places to peruse any possible eatable goodies that have been left behind.  Perhaps the prize of a forgotten bag of cotton candy still wrapped in plastic which will be laboriously pulled up a tree with the climb to privacy and enjoyed at leisure. 

Pale Male will have chosen a spot to roost where he can see both fledglings in their trees and Octavia and the eyass on the nest.  From the sounds of the fledglings locations he could well pick an old favorite, a tall  London Plane with a branch directly above his head to protect him from Great Horned Owl attack in the night only a stones throw from the Hawk Bench.

 He will not fall immediately asleep. He will carefully preen every feather just so.  He must be ready for anything day or night.

The night breeze will come up.  The moon will shine on the Model Boat Pond as it has for a hundred and more years.  Perhaps  there are one or two watchers who have decided to keep a vigil on the Hawk Bench, though I hear that that is very  rare these days.  In fact the Bench in daytime is often empty with no Rick to mark it's identity.

The lights of Fifth Avenue are there to the East, sifting through the trees, as is the commotion of the cabs and buses on Fifth Avenue.  Close, but far away in the dark of Central Park.  The small night creatures rustle in the flower beds and the little wind sighs in the leaves.

And perhaps the spirits of former watchers meet on the bench for yet another vigil through the night to keep Pale Male's vigil company.  Just perhaps.  So many who have come and gone...drifting into the night forever. 

And still Pale Male remains.  

With a last long look around him, he will settle himself into yet another sleep, protecting his family, ears aware, his eyes close.  Ready to open and he'll fly out yet again at a moments need.

Good night Pale Male.  Sleep well.



SCROLL DOWN FOR PREVIOUS UPDATES OF TODAY

Francois Portmann Catches a Feeding at Sheep Meadow! Plus the Decorah Eagle Mom and Eaglets And Quicksilver the African Grey Parrot

Photograph by Francois Portmann  http://www.fotoportmann.com/birds

Fabulous pro photographer Francois Portmann caught a feeding at Sheep Meadow nest in Central Park on Tuesday.

Hawkwatchers report that all is going well for these younger parents with the nest very close to that of Pale Male and Octavia.

By the way, I've reloaded the pipping photo from yesterday. (Next post down) I hope it is now visible to all readers.  For some obscure reason I could see it on my computer but some others could not.

The Decorah Eagle Cam

The Eaglets are restless, Mom checks, they settle down and she dozes.

Mom wakes and preens.

A noise.  Head up and around.  Mom peers into the darkness.  Many birds have the innate ability to be aware and functioning using one side of their brain  while the other side of the brain sleeps.  Works well for nest guarding Moms.

Then she tucks her head for a more complete sleep.
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

After many days of constant vigilance guarding various cavities around the house, Silver has calmed to the point he can't help himself, he naps.
Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

FLASH!!!! Rob Schmunk Reports There Is A Hatch at St. John the Divine!!

 Photo courtesy of Rob Schmunk


                           Isolde feeds!
Rob has observed Isolde of the Cathedral Nest making feeding motions.   For the full scoop click Rob's link below.
http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/

Happy Hawking!
D.B.

John Blakeman on T2 of the Franklin Institute Nest Plus Pale Male and Zena's Eyasses and Mama and Papa"s Eyasses-One Formel and One Tiercel?

                  Pale Male and Zena's eyasses courtesy of http://www.palemale.com/
          Some eyasses prefer the shade and some don't. 

 Screen capture courtesy of               T2 AND THE STEP-EYASSES

►►

www.ustream.tv/channel/the-franklin-institute-haw-cam     
I asked John Blakeman for his thoughts on the amazing T2.  The new  tiercel at the Franklin Institute nest who took up step-dad duties for the three eyasses with a vengeance.  

Plus whether the rumors he would be doing a Red-tailed Hawk seminar in Philadelphia were true.

Donna,

The T2 saga at the FI is remarkable. I know of no other instances of this, where a floating haggard came in and essentially took all the functional duties of a very recently killed resident haggard, right at the start of the brooding of hatched eyasses.

The behavioral adaptations required for this are remarkable. We falconers see and know the full hunting and killing powers and mind-sets of Red-tails. It's remarkable in and of itself that tiercels can convert themselves from hunter/killers to food providers and feeders of their own eyasses. But in this case, the new tiercel came in, almost instantly, and took up those duties. The hormonal and psychological mechanisms of this are astonishing.

And finally, T2 carefully feeds his step-eyasses. Who'da thunk?

An FI Blakeman appearance or program is quite tenuous just yet; mere talk among chatroom posters, as far as I know. The matter of expenses might be constraining. I'm in no position to get myself to Philadelphia for a day or two by my own resources, so an Amtrak ride and a night or two in some hotel would have to be accommodated, along with getting me around the city. I have no idea how to utilize cabs or buses or subways. I'd be utterly flummoxed with all of that, in any big city.

But I do have a fine digital slide show on raptors, and I'm (dare I say) extremely good in front of keen audiences. I do hawk talks around Ohio (and prairie programs, too).

--John Blakeman

Thanks John. :)  T2 is a mind boggler.  There are so many questions.  Why did Franklin Mom not run him out of the territory?  Did she know him?  Rather like Pale Male and First Love, who went to rehab for too long and PM bonded again.  The second mate died so he took up with F. L. again. Could this be similar.

 Maybe.  

But with eyasses on the nest?  The fact that he feeds them himself means to me that he's an older experienced tiercel.  As far as I know, and also I think you may have pointed out, the careful feeding of eyasses by a tiercel is something that doesn't really happen in younger males.  In fact it doesn't always happen in older males.  I've never seen Pale Male feed, though he does appear to love sitting on eggs. :)

Or did T2 loose his family this season, was in the proper hormonal stage, and that's why he took to Franklin Mom and her brood?

It drives me crazy that we'll very likely never know definitely why he's acted as he has!

As to trips to a "big city" for a underwritten seminar/slide show, you never know.  And  I wouldn't let the vagaries of city transportation stand in your way.  For a novice, cabs are the way to go.  Just make sure you know the address; a mistake I made on my first trip to NYC.  I wanted to go to the American Museum of Natural History.  A friend said, you don't need the address, every cabbie in NYC knows where the Natural History Museum is.  Wrong.  I got the one cab driver in NYC who didn't. :)

And last but not least, an American factoid-- According to PBS, Yellowstone National Park includes half of the geothermal features on the Earth.

 I did my nightly check of Mama and Papa's nest in Queens expecting to once again see Mama keeping vigil and the two eyasses basically looking like a couple of mounds of feathers snuggled into the nest.  Instead there the eyasses were standing up, totally awake, staring at their mother.  Hmmm.  Has there been an attack on the nest?  A repeat of the likely Great Horned Owl attack in which an eyass was likely snatched?  Well, Mama did some swishing around with her wings that was a little worrisome.

I scrutinized.  Wait.  Mama appears to be preening.

And before long, both the eyassess tucked their heads like grown up hawks and went to sleep standing up.  No more nightly feather piles?

Beyond that, the soon to be fledglings,  are in stances in which they are completely comparable.  Check it out.  It looks like Mama and Papa have a formel, right, and a tiercel, left!

Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

STEP-DAD RED-TAILED HAWK!!!--A NEW ONE FOR THE "LITERATURE"Franklin Mom Takes a New Mate Who Is Feeding Her Eyasses!

Photo from FaceBook by way of Tulsa's Jackie Dover, by way of Robin of Illinois

Smaller new Franklin Stepdad on the left and larger Franklin Mom on the right.  As original Pale Male Regular Ben Cacace used to say, "NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A RED-TAIL!"  And this is definitely an occasion for the sentiment.

Hold onto your hats!!! 

  As we know, rapid bonding with a new mate, once the living hawk knows their previous mate has died, or when the reproductive imperative (It's time to COPULATE!) takes over,  can sometimes be a nearly same day process.  But Franklin Institute Mom, has done something I've not only never seen,  can't find a mention of it in the hawk literature either, but it appears no one in on the latest has ever seen or heard of the behavior either.

 She's gone and bonded with a new male while she has eyasses on the nest.  Ordinarily a formel  with eyasses on the nest, attempts to take care of them on her own while also protecting the territory from interlopers.  And another Red-tail is considered an interloper.

 This tiercel must is a real charmer.

I'm completely boggled!

 Why would a male take over the care and feeding of another tiercel's brood?

Now perhaps this isn't as rare as we think? 

 I don't know, we've had a number of instances of widowed hawks with nests full of young who didn't bond with a new hawk though they certainly could have used the help.

And why would a tiercel take on the care of another male's progeny.  In many species, males are out to do in the young of a new mate so he can replace them with offspring of his own.

Why would a tiercel do this? 

Here's my hypothesis--perhaps this tiercel had a mate and young of about this age this season.  Could they all have died? Frounce could have done it for instance, and left the  tiercel in the hormonal stage of the reproductive continuum in which he's being spurred to hunt like a maniac and feed young.

Then he comes across Franklin Mom and her nest full of eyasses.  There's no male fending him off so perhaps with the above posited biological urges, he hunts and makes a gift to mom.

Which during this time a year is also food to be fed to eyasses.

The urges meld and suddenly Mom has herself a new mate taking on all the responsibilities of mates at this time of year.

 Wow!

 Check out the main blog covering the Franklin Institute Nest for their take.

Franklin Institute Camera

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Hawk history at the Franklin Institute: a stepdad already?

Just as we were recovering a little from the sadness at losing Dad, our beloved tiercel, and admiring the formel's ability to single-parent, aided so effectively by the Franklin Institute's food drops, events started tumbling from Sunday morning onwards faster than we could follow.

Red-tail hawk history is being made as it appears that a new tiercel has moved into the Franklin Institute territory, has been accepted by mom, and they are now pair-bonded.  It is unprecedented for a formel with eyasses on the nest to tolerate another hawk in her territory, let alone come anywhere close to the nest. yet this image taken yesterday from the exterior nest camera, clearly shows the new tiercel in front flying with a vole into the nest, closely accompanied by the formel.

MORE
http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/ 

Donegal Browne

THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE TIERCEL IS MISSING!!! Do Pale Male and Zena Have a Hatch?

                                       Photo courtesy of    http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/

The Franklin Institute tiercel was last seen on Friday.  He has gone missing leaving his formel with three very young eyasses on the nest.


The formel left the nest today to hunt.  She was gone two hours but did return with a large rat. Unfortunately it will be very difficult if not impossible for her to feed and care for three eyasses on her own.  

I have suggested that the local Hawkwatchers institute a supplemental food program similar to the one rehabber Bobby Horvath and the Riverside Park Hawkwatchers used when Riverside Dad was poisoned leaving Intrepid, the Riverside Mom with eyasses on the nest. Previously frozen rats and Quail were left where she could see them.  She took to the program without missing a beat. It worked very well and no eyass starved on the nest.


If memory serves, The Franklin Institute Nest overlooks a highway which will possibly make leaving visible and easily obtainable food for the formel to take to the nest somewhat more difficult.  Perhaps there is an adjacent window ledge where food could be left discretely for her to find.  This would also keep her closer to the eyasses in case they needed to be protected from predators.

The Franklin Hawk Cam was turned off for a short while after the tiercel went missing but then began broadcasting again.  It is currently off again. ???  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-franklin-institute-haw-cam

Fingers crossed.

Donegal Browne

 P.S.  Word began to circulate today that feeding behavior may have been observed on the part of Zena on the 927 nest.  No confirmation yet from long time Fifth Avenue Hawkwatchers. 
                           

A HAWK SEASON OF DESPAIR- Four Gone in a Month

 Intrepid broods eggs.  Her three eyasses that season were accidentally poisoned on the nest by being fed a poisoned rat.

 Photo Donegal Browne

2011-Young Ginger Lima, recently deceased,  tends her eyasses fathered by Pale Male- photo courtesy of palemale.com

                
From Myisha Priest,  hawk watcher,  NYU professor,  and the host of a seminar that 

celebrated the wildlife of New York City --


                                    Donna,                                    
   I just read the news of Intrepid. Heartbroken. She was singular in her ability to persevere. Though I guess they all are, which is one of the reasons we love them. Remember when her beak was broken and she made it through the winter anyway?
  What a sad hawk season. Violet, Lima, the Southside hawk and now Intrepid. Yet they say that grief is the price we pay for love...
 I send wishes for peaceful rest for those who are gone, wishes for better times for those who are here, and kind thoughts to the hawks and the tender (and bruised) hearts of those who love them.

 Myisha your note is beautiful.  Thank you.  I am afraid that my heart, among many others, has been bruised very badly this time around.

There have been times of despair before for those who love and attempt to succor New York City's urban hawks but the last year, which includes the long drawn out travail of Violet due to  human failure, has been, I think, the darkest.

Though there is no proof and may never be, as the testing of the very common Red-tail Hawk for poison is low on the list of priorities for the financially strapped New York State Wildlife Pathology budget, the known evidence points to secondary poisoning as the cause of death in this  latest wave of unblemished beautifully feathered corpses.
 Poison is also arguably a possible vector in the disappearance of Pale Male's mate of many years, Lola.

Today I am at a loss as to what more we can do soon enough to help the now living survive.  For assuredly what we have done has not been enough to save those who are gone and my feeling is that only luck has allowed those who still live to continue their lives.

Education is slow.  Poison is fast.

If mature, city-savvy hawks such as Intrepid, and before her, Builder,  Athena, Hawkeye, Ginger Lima, and Lola to name a very few, have not found any clues to warn them away from the rats that killed them, there likely aren't any clues and the death toll will only continue. 

Can we find a strategy that works with the rapidity that poison does?   

Hawkeye of Fordham, mate of Rose and the father of many, many well fledged young died of poison.  Photo Donegal Browne

Photo Donegal Browne

Athena of the Triborough Bridge nest,  a mother for many seasons, died of  rodenticide secondary poisoning leaving a clutch of eggs.  Her mate Atlas attempted to hatch the eggs on his own, but with no one to hunt for him or spell him on the nest so he could leave to hunt and eat,  the eggs were sometimes unattended.  They never hatched.

 FROM NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Yet Another Red-Tailed Hawk Found Dead

• By Noreen Malone

It hasn’t been a good late winter for New York’s red-tailed hawk population. The first big news came when the first lady of New York’s hawks — Pale Male’s latest love interest — was found dead. Shortly thereafter, the body of another unidentified red-tailed hawk was found in Central Park. There was also a young hawk found dead in the park, which was mostly ignored outside of hawk watching circles.  But now, yet another  bird, this one a Riverside Park resident, has bitten the dust, bringing the recent death toll up to four.

 READ MORE

 Intrepid, Riverside Mom hunts.  Before she died, she had outlived a mate and three eyasses who had all died of poison.                                                      Photo Donegal Browne

EDUCATE AND ORGANIZE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ABOUT SANITATION, RATS,  SECONDARY POISONING AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR THE RAPTORS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.

Thanks to Rachel Shriff for posting flyers about secondary poisoning and the dangers of second generation poisons in her Queens neighborhood.

In memory also of all the hawks unnamed, who have died of secondary poisoning and human negligence. 

Donegal Browne

Pale Male's Swollen Foot, Eldest Takes First Position, and Pip Swallows It Whole

Pale Male's photograph courtesy of palemale.com

I admit it. Since the episode of Violet of Washington Square Park's hugely swollen foot and leg, I find myself automatically scrutinizing Red-tail feet and tarsi.

I was looking at photos of gorgeous angelic Pale Male and eeeeeek! The tarsus and foot of his left appendage are swollen. Not as bad as Violet's thank goodness but certainly bigger than the other side.

Double click the photo above for a larger version and look for yourself. It's his left leg but on the right as you look at the photograph.

My mind immediately flashed on the fact that this is the leg that when sometimes perched on the Linda building he stretches out in front of him with the toes curled in a "fist" and just sits that way for awhile.

Now I'd wondered about that foot before and its strange positioning. I mean he did look very relaxed while doing it. Now I wonder if it eased it somehow? Had I missed a chronic perhaps intermittent condition all this time? He wasn't just relaxing that leg in an odd position for most of the years I've watched him?

I don't know yet but I'm going to try and find out.

Photograph courtesy of Rob Schmunk, Bloomingdale Village blog.
But in the meantime, Rob Schmunk reports that the newest "Eldest" has taken up the Divine nest pre-fledge position for hopping and flapping.

Because of the configuration of the Divine nest site, the eyasses tend to find the best locations within the limited space up there for particular stages of development and as they've chosen well, those locations tend to be the same year after year. As Rob points out the youngest eyass in the group of three is still relegated to the rear area most of the time.

Middle Child will tend to be up near Eldest who is in the pre-fledge position on St. Andrew's hand watching him hop and flap. And may on occasion actually get a chance to use the spot herself when Eldest isn't using it, depending on how long Eldest remains on the nest.

Once Eldest fledges, Middle Child will have first dibs on The Hand, with Youngest looking on.

Eventually Youngest will be up there all by herself and she will not like it.

Why?

Because the main action of the parent's attention will have moved to the trees and to Morningside Park. Oh, Youngest will still be fed well and nurtured, but Isolde will be off the nest much more often than she has been previously, helping Norman with the two that have fledged already.

The last eyass on the nest often but not always makes a decision to fledge, not an accidental swept-off-by-the-wind-exit that may happen to the first eyass. After two have gone Youngest gets the picture that it can be done and if she wants to hang with the family again full time, making the leap is the way to get there fastest.

Oh, and why is the oldest eyass called the newest Eldest? Because when we started out watching the St. John the Divine Cathedral nest, one of the first nestings we watched had two eyasses and they were called Eldest and Youngest. It is interesting how hawk watching traditions concerning a certain nest start, work, and then just--continue.

The best hawk names often say something important about how to identify the holder of the name. With eyasses the names tend toward information about age or size. Unless, of course, like Pip of Washington Square there isn't an issue of telling one from another.

For more about this Divine threesome, click on Rob's link under the photograph above.

Eldest could go off any day now, or last another week and a half. One never does know.


Next up from Robin of Illinois-Pip is now at the stage where she will swallow things whole which rather surprised some watchers of the cam. And I mean a great portion of a whole squirrel for instance.

On occasion this may backfire and the item will be too large and lodge in her throat. Often with the eyass's beak pointed straight up with a portion of the prey sticking out of it.

I remember one instance in which Little of the Trump Parc nest, stood for the longest time after swallowing a complete and fully feathered pigeon wing, with his beak straight up with about 4 inches of a long primary feather jutting up. He was breathing fine, he just couldn't get it down.

It was the first time I'd observed the phenomena and I was horrified that Little would suffacater ore strangle or have so life threatening food mishap. But Charlotte just stood and watched him for what seemed like an eternity before grapping the primary and tugging the whole wing back out for him so he could put his head back into a normal position. Undaunted he immediately did it again.

If this happens to Pip, Violet will allow the stuck prey to stay stuck for some minutes before dragging it out of her throat. There is a lesson to be learned here after all. Some eyasses will just swallow whatever it was whole immediately a second time, upon its removal like Little did. If Pip does this, Violet will then let it stay stuck for a longer period. Eventually pulling it back out, but also eventually the eyass will learn what "too big" to swallow is-- before leaving the nest. Off the nest she won't have the aid of a parent immediately to hand, so it is an important lesson to be learned before taking the big leap.

Watch a feeding in which Pip swallows "it" whole.
http://hawkcam.blogspot.com/


John Blakeman answers many questions about Red-tailed Hawks, in case you missed a chapter here and there. Well worth the read for the new watcher and a refresher for those who may be a bit rusty...

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/121290-hawk-faqs-by-john-blakeman.html

Donegal Browne

Violet's Band Information Plus Vi Makes a Good Save and Doesn't Fall on the Eyass

Violet's band has been read and it turns out that she is 5 years old and was banded in the Delaware Water Gap.

As female Red-tails can conceivably lay fertile eggs at two, though three might be more usual, Violet could well be a 2nd or 3rd time Mom this go round. She likely isn't a new mom after all unless she's never been able to find a mate and a territory in past years.

Personally from watching her, I think she has had previous experience.

Yesterday I was watching Violet feed Solo the eyass, but I came in late so I'm not sure of what the meal consisted of.

After steady feeding, Solo has had enough and faded down into the nest.

She had a few minutes rest. Eating is rather a strenuous business for a little hawk.

Then as often happens after a meal, and a very short rest, it is time to toddle. Time to work on balance and getting up off her haunches. As I'm sure most of you have noticed a bird's "knee joints" bend in the reverse direction to ours. Therefore a young bird is folded forward at first. In order to get upright they have to muscle up, balance, and move their feet.

Flop! Sometimes it just doesn't work.

Notice how she is using her wing to help her become upright.

Now the feet part.

Wing movement for balance will eventually turn into flapping practice.

Violet attempts to lift her swollen foot but the twig wants to come with her foot. It jiggles the nest and Solo looks over.

Violet pulls a few times and eventually her toes release from the twig. Now she can reach the tidbit that Solo dropped. Clean up and lunch at the same time.

After food and exercise Solo will very rapidly fade off into sleep.

Vi steps into the fish line. When she goes to take another step her foot is caught so she is brought up short. And unable to grip very well with the right foot she over balances.

And begins to fall into the bowl of the nest and little sleeping Solo. She whips her wings out for balance and manages to avert the moment.

Startled, Solo's head pops up. The movement also seems to have freed Violet from the fishing line. Enough altitude was gained to slip it off perhaps?

Violet checks Solo and checks for any stray bits of food that need to be cleaned up.

Then she settles down on Solo and broods.

Violet seems to have done everything that a Red-tail should in order for all her eggs to hatch when it comes to attentive nest sitting. How old is Bobby? Was he a little "off" while copulating perhaps ? Or was it the cold Spring? Or a nest that was only a first season nest and by next season will be fuller, more robust and better insulated. Nesting materials are at a premium in the city.

Let's hope that Violet's band is removed soon and that she and Bobby will come back to this window ledge year after year just as Pale Male and his mates have returned to the nest on 927 Fifth Avenue for decades.

Besides, though the view of this nest from the ground isn't nearly as good as the one of the Fifth Avenue nest, the view from the hawk cam of the nest itself is spectacular. Many thanks to NYU and The New York Times. Keep in mind that though we can see the nest very well, half the action of the hawk pair is occurring off the nest. Where is Bobby? What is he hunting? Are there intruders he must chase away? Where are they disposing of the garbage?

And it is those things that can be seen from the ground. So if you are close enough, some day pull yourself away from the Hawk Cam and go see what the other half is doing. Besides you'll meet some of your fellow hawk watchers, glean information about what happened before you got there, and have a grand time.

Trust me.

Next up from the NY Times comments section, a Kindergarten Teacher/Certified Rehabber who has treated restricted circulation problems in raptors, talks about what her class thinks about all this and what her rehab experiences tells her about Violet's foot-- Ms. Keller's Kindergarten Class Socorro, New Mexico May 12th, 2011 2:42 PM We have been viewing Violet and her nest since last Thursday and we are very concerned for Violet and her baby. This morning, after discussing yesterday's news update with the students, they had an opportunity to write about Violet and their wishes for her and her family. The students had many sentiments on the topic. I wish I could include their responses and illustrations. The overall consensus was that Violet have the band removed and be returned to her family in the wild. My personal response - As a certified and permitted wildlife rehabilitator, I have treated a number of cases of restricted circulation in raptors and waterfowl. There does not appear to be an infection in the leg and the tissue color is normal in the foot. Yes, the band needs to be removed before the injury progresses but by the looks of the leg, once the band is removed, normal circulation will be restored and the swelling will subside within a few days. Violet should not have to be treated past the band removal and should be able to return to her nest immediately. As for the eyas, motherly instinct is astounding in wildlife! It is an incorrect assumption to say the mother and chick couldn't be kept together if further treatment were necessary. It is regular practice to use unreleasable adult raptors to foster orphan and injured nestlings in wildlife facilities to avoid human imprinting. These raptors are accepting young that are completely foreign to them. Another point to make about the "lifetime in captivity" judgment- imprinting is a complicated process and occurs in stages as the animal is development ready. For example, a raptor will not imprint on humans as a mate unless they are nearing sexual maturity and their only exposure at this point is humans. If something were to happen to Violet, there are numerous options for raising the eyas free of imprinting and with the skills necessary to return to the wild as a viable member of its species. From the mouths of babes, "Remove the band and let Violet live free in the wild with her family!"

New York city hawk watcher Mitch Nusbaum sent in a heads up. The New York Times Pay Wall has gone up and he suggests watching the hawk cam on the NYU site if necessary. But there might be ways of getting around the Pay Wall if you're on a limited budget.
See the link below.
http://gothamist.com/2011/03/28/nytimescom_paywall_is_up_there_may.php

Donegal Browne

Isolde, Andromeda, Mr. B. Cardinal, and Mama's Eyasses

What does Isolde think about while sitting on the nest for weeks at a time? She isn't telling but now that she is higher in the nest brooding young instead of incubating eggs, she can at least watch the world around her from a slightly better vantage point.

One imperative I think would be to keep some visual track of Norman when possible. Then of course there is the care of the eyasses but there are still long stretches at this point in their development when they are deeply asleep and warming is all they need.

What it appeared that she was looking at at this particular moment was a young squirrel making his way across the parking lot. Prime prey in the exact position for easy capture but she not only will not leave because of the kids but some also believe that there is a no kill zone around all Red-tail Hawk nests. And I must admit I have seen pigeons and other usual prey very near Red-tail nests both here and in rural areas, seemingly oblivious to the hawk, and left completely unmolested by both members of the pair.

The thought is that there is an evolutionary advantage to this. If the nest is in an innate no kill, i.e. non-aggression area in and around the natal area, a hawk's usual lightning supposedly automatic responses would be mitigated and they wouldn't accidentally kill an eyass by mistake in a reflexive unguarded moment.

I've always wondered about that though an instance the other day with Quicksilver the African Grey gave me pause. Silver is eleven, old enough now to become hormonal in the Spring and not altogether in control of himself at those times.

The other day, I'd been gone quite some time doing grocery shopping. Silver isn't left to his own devices on an open play area when no one is home as there are cats in the house and who knows what he might get into that wouldn't be healthy, either to himself or to the object, while unmonitored. Therefore when he's told that I have to go to the store he happily goes into his sleeping cage for a nap while repeating "Gotta go to the store". When I returned, as is usual, by the time I'd put the packages down Silver was letting me know he'd like out by beeping. I went in greeted him, put my hand into the cage to have him step up and he hacked at me with his beak. I withdrew my hand with speed, retreat being the better part of valor in those moments, at which time he attacked the side of his food bowl with a vengeance for a few seconds. He then stopped dead, stood for a beat stock still and then said in his best slightly high pitched truly penitent voice, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." While looking up at me as if he was completely astounded by what he had just done.

He was penitent and stepped onto my hand with impeccable manners.

Perhaps a no kill zone does need to be a part of a hawk's innate make up. Though I have noticed that when a tiercel visits the nest while the formel is there that his manners are impeccable and there is the slightest subservient posture when he brings food. Food being a possible trigger, I suspect, for a leap with talons at the ready.

And come to think of it, the lack of response cannot be iron clad no matter what because there are times when a nest must be defended and therefore when needed the aggression response must be there.

Has anyone seen a kill take place in the immediate area of a nest during breeding season?


Photo by Peter Richter of http://queensraptors.blogspot.com/

The Triborough Bridge Nest with Atlas' new mate Andromeda on board along with a rather large tattered plastic something. I've asked Peter for clarification but I rather got the impression that the ubiquitous plastic may have attached itself without the help of the hawks. I'd certainly prefer it took its leave sooner rather than later.

According to Peter, Andromeda hasn't laid any eggs yet, not for want of copulation you understand, and there is certainly still time for another clutch.

Another shot of Belligerent Cardinal--same spot, same attitude.


(Note the top eyass may just have the tip of her tongue hanging out. If so it isn't just young mammals who do it then but young birds as well. Though one would think that a beak might pinch a bit if she had a startling dream. Yes, according to REM measurements, birds absolutely do dream. D.B.)

Donna,

I have attached some more images of Mama and her nestlings taken on 4/13 and 4/16 as of the 16th the nestlings are about 7-8 days of age. It is fairly clear at this time the order of the hatches. In the close up image of the three nestlings from our left to our right is the third, second and first to hatch. The first to hatch is the strongest, most active in the nest and can keep its head up at all times. The second is getting fairly strong and can keep its head up most of the time. The third to hatch still has some noticeable spotty bare skin and can hardly keep its head up. I have added many more images on my website from this years nest in the Nest Photos 2010 Gallery link and I have also added some new programs available under the Lectures & Field Photography Workshops category links.

All the best,

Jeff

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As it is a great time to be out birding, I thought it might also be a good time to look over the American Birder's Association Code of Birding Ethics.

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PRINCIPLES OF BIRDING ETHICS
Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.

Code of Birding Ethics
1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.

1(a) Support the protection of important bird habitat.

1(b) To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording, or filming.

Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas, or for attracting any species that is Threatened, Endangered, or of Special Concern, or is rare in your local area;

Keep well back from nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display areas, and important feeding sites. In such sensitive areas, if there is a need for extended observation, photography, filming, or recording, try to use a blind or hide, and take advantage of natural cover.

Use artificial light sparingly for filming or photography, especially for close-ups.

1(c) Before advertising the presence of a rare bird, evaluate the potential for disturbance to the bird, its surroundings, and other people in the area, and proceed only if access can be controlled, disturbance minimized, and permission has been obtained from private land-owners.

The sites of rare nesting birds should be divulged only to the proper conservation authorities.

1(d) Stay on roads, trails, and paths where they exist; otherwise keep habitat disturbance to a minimum.

2. Respect the law, and the rights of others.

2(a) Do not enter private property without the owner's explicit permission.

2(b) Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas, both at home and abroad.

2(c) Practice common courtesy in contacts with other people. Your exemplary behavior will generate goodwill with birders and non-birders alike.

3. Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe.

3(a) Keep dispensers, water, and food clean, and free of decay or disease. It is important to feed birds continually during harsh weather.

3(b) Maintain and clean nest structures regularly.

3(c) If you are attracting birds to an area, ensure the birds are not exposed to predation from cats and other domestic animals, or dangers posed by artificial hazards.

4. Group birding, whether organized or impromptu, requires special care.

Each individual in the group, in addition to the obligations spelled out in Items #1 and #2, has responsibilities as a Group Member.

4(a) Respect the interests, rights, and skills of fellow birders, as well as people participating in other legitimate outdoor activities. Freely share your knowledge and experience, except where code 1(c) applies. Be especially helpful to beginning birders.

4(b) If you witness unethical birding behavior, assess the situation, and intervene if you think it prudent. When interceding, inform the person(s) of the inappropriate action, and attempt, within reason, to have it stopped. If the behavior continues, document it, and notify appropriate individuals or organizations.

Group Leader Responsibilities [amateur and professional trips and tours].

4(c) Be an exemplary ethical role model for the group. Teach through word and example.

4(d) Keep groups to a size that limits impact on the environment, and does not interfere with others using the same area.

4(e) Ensure everyone in the group knows of and practices this code.

4(f) Learn and inform the group of any special circumstances applicable to the areas being visited (e.g. no tape recorders allowed).

4(g) Acknowledge that professional tour companies bear a special responsibility to place the welfare of birds and the benefits of public knowledge ahead of the company's commercial interests. Ideally, leaders should keep track of tour sightings, document unusual occurrences, and submit records to appropriate organizations.

Please Follow this Code and Distribute and Teach it to Others
The American Birding Association's Code of Birding Ethics may be freely reproduced for distribution/dissemination. Please acknowledge the role of ABA in developing and promoting this code with a link to the ABA website using the url http://www.aba.org. Thank you.