Pale Male and Octavia's Fledglings Meals, the Fordham Hawks, Isolde and Norman's Fledgling Gets Mobbed, Francois Portmann and the Thompkins Square Red-tails

Photo http://www.palemale.com/

As usual Pale Male, the Monarch of Central Park, keeps a calm eye on the Central Park fledgling situation. 

Andy Andrews reports that all is going well with the youngsters and Pale Male was seen delivering a rat and two pigeons to his progeny today.

Photo by Robert Schmunk

 One of Isolde and Norman's fledglings checks out the Robins that has been mobbing her today.

For more news on the Morningside Park Hawks of the Cathedral nest go to http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/

For those who missed the June 19th Fordham Redtailed Hawk Update from Chris Lyons, plus a follow up of today's update,

I'm sure all of them have left the nest by this point, but I had been unable to find out where any of them were, or if they'd survived the dangerous leap from that apartment building on Webster.  
This morning, coming in to work, I heard begging calls from a tree alongside the path coming in from Fordham Road, by the library.   I looked up and saw a young Red-tail being fed by an adult.   Just one. 

I don't think this youngster could fly across the tracks, but my guess is that he or she followed the treeline in that little strip park on the other side of the tracks, until he or she reached the north side of Fordham Rd., at which point the crossing would be much easier.   And still pretty perilous, but obviously successful. 

Possible the others are still on the far side of the tracks.   We'll see.

I won't have any time to look for them today, but I'll try tomorrow.

Today's, June 27th, Fordham Red-tailed Hawk Update from Chris Lyons--
Sightings have been scarce this week, but there are at least two fledglings on the campus now.   I'd give a lot to know how they got here.   Rich Fleisher says he's seen two adults together since one was found dead on the Metro North tracks, so it's unclear whether Blanche lost her mate and got a new one, or if this was a completely different adult Red-tail who was killed.

At some point, hopefully, I can at least figure out how big the family is now.  

Chris

As many of you will know, the second Fledgling has come off the Thompkins Square Park Nest.  

And a note from chief watcher of the Thompkins Square Hawks for many years, Francois Portman in response to some questions of mine...

2nd fledge yesterday, the 24th,
both fledges are around the nest area and getting food delivered,
so far all good,
greetings,
francois

 And a link with more photos and details about Shaft's rescue-

http://evgrieve.com/2014/06/baby-hawk-down.html


Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

Quicksilver the African Grey Parrot, the Seasonally Hormonal Dive Bombing Maniac Part 3, Who Ate the Cipcakes and Chris Lyons Reports on the Fordham Hawk Corpse Mystery

April 30th, 9:09 AM  The perch stick and zip ties held on the top shelf doors  but....Quicksilver is smart, driven, and set on getting his way.  Just look at that expression!

 The top shelf doors remain unopened but Silver got up this morning, went under the blanket barricade, opened the door on the left and climbed into yet another "cavity".

And we know how he feels about cavities.  

9:11:12 AM  And he's starting to come out.  And here he comes!

 I duck.  Silver curves over me to the dryer and lands.

 9:11:26    He lands on the towels, depositing a few fluff feathers on the clean laundry.  Note his expression looks a little dazed. 

 Speaking of his expressions.

 9:11:36  He once again focuses on me. 

9:11:49  Thirteen seconds later Silver is readying for his next step.  Note the sliver of his nictitating membrane, up left.  There is nothing flying around that might get his eye to activate it.  It has been activated by his own thoughts about going into action.

Looks pretty baleful doesn't he?

9:12:14 In the meantime...

...the audience has arrived-
                    Squirrel the Cat and Tig the Basenji
Not to disappoint them but that nictitating eyelid has told me it is time for me to leave the laundry room.

9:32:05  I am in the second parlor right outside the laundry room unpacking more of the interminable boxes from the move when I hear a tremendous skittering rustle.  Rather like some one doing something strange and active with a plastic bag.

9:32:31 Definitely strange and active.  It appears Silver has lost his purchase on the plastic bag that holds among other things,  the extra vacuum accessories and is scuffling and flapping madly trying to stay inside the cavity.

9:32:32  Silver has managed to hook his feet on the edge of the bottom shelf and his beak behind the lip of the top edge.  But what now?

9:32:34  His hold lasts two seconds but he can't hold the position nor pull himself inside so he falls out.  But he has his wings curved in to catch the air and keep him from plummeting to the floor and makes it to  the dryer.

Okay this is when I do something completely oblivious and dumb.  Actually this part isn't dumb,  I take a few steps across the room and check on Silver.  He's fine. but on my little walk I notice that something  has fallen from the shelf into the sink.  This is when I do the really dumb thing.  I lean into the sink, pick up the product and kind of give it a little toss into the bottom shelf.  Just as I started to give it a little flip... I knew the action was very very bad but it was too late and I knew I had done an exquisitely dumb thing I was going to be very sorry for, as I could hear Silver's wings go into action behind me.  


WHAM!  I have parrot toe nails digging into the top of my scalp.  OWWWW!

 9:33:27 I whip the camera up turned back towards Silver and shoot.  I look at it quickly parrot still on my head.  Not a good photo. Actually it is very good documentation as the important part isn't fuzzy.. See the tension in Silver's foot grasping my hair and scalp. It's quite clear. But I don't see that in the heat of the moment and I have a bright idea. Yes! There is a mirror on the opposite wall.  I could take the picture in the mirror.  

Yes, dear readers, I'm  about to do the really dumb second thing.

I turn the camera away from us and toward the mirror.  Drat!  I can't get the shot with the camera to my eye and can't see the live action with it at the proper height.  I'll wing it.

 9:34:19   GOOD GRIEF!!!!  The flash went off.  Pull it down change settings.  Irate parrot still on my head.  

Can you believe this?  What was I thinking????

9:34:26  Almost!  But Silver is fuzzy.  Another try.

9:34:52  Super.  Too far over.  But lovely shot of where Silver clipped the loose wallpaper off with his beak.  I decide to just shoot some rapid fire without looking at them and hope something works when I bring them up later.

 9:35:00  Keep in mind that Silver has probably had nearly as many photos taken of him than Pale Male so the camera ordinarily doesn't bother him.  And this shot of him would have been fine but I don't know that because  I wasn't looking at the individual shots.

Please note that Quicksilver has cocked his head for a better view of my thumb holding the camera.  He is considering launching himself at my thumb.  I do not know this until he has launched himself at my thumb,  clamped onto it, and is biting it with increasing excruciating pressure as his beak breaks the skin and keeps on going.

Reflexes come into play.   My right hand whips down with the parrot hanging on it and he is inadvertently flung and flies into the kitty litter box below.  He lands, kitty litter rockets everywhere. Somehow, the camera ends up sitting safely on the washer, and Silver jumps up on the side of the kitty litter box ready for more action.

 9:35:42  Silver is giving me the eye and leaning forward to possibly take to his wings.  I leap for the exit to examine my bleeding thumb.  

9:36:09  On the other side of the curtain, the previous audience waits next to the boxes I was unpacking to see who will be vanquished from the laundry room.  Thanks guys.

I peek in to check on Silver.   He's having some more of his breakfast. All is right with the world.   Beating up humans is hungry work. 

9:42:44  I wash my thumb in the kitchen and come back.  Silver appears to have been investigating the box of miscellaneous parrot stuff and a rusty dust pan.

Then I make the mistake of taking another picture of the "cavity". 

9:43 Silver wastes no time in flying to the top of the washer and measuring the distance to the top of my head.

Notice the laundry is really building up.  

Would you do laundry in here? 

I exit. 

10:33:07  I return and Silver is sitting on the damp throw rugs on the sink beneath his newest "cavity".

I head for the bathroom.  Did  I mention that the other bathroom is being worked on?  So the little bathroom off the laundry room is the only one available.  Excellent timing. 

When  I come out, I glance up at the cavity.  

This is a mistake.  Silver sees me look.

He starts... 

 ...coming...

 ...for me!

 3:28 PM When I come in, Silver is relaxed, standing on one foot and looking reasonably sane.

Still vigilant though.

May 1st. Silver didn't even go into the laundry room today except to take a bath in the cat's water bowl.  He hung out in other parts of the house for the most part, didn't fly at my head,  and didn't look for cavities as far as  I could tell anyway.  

Strangely Silver decided to sit in the kitchen window on the curtain rod and look out at the south side of the yard.  Not a normal perch at all unless I'm in the kitchen.  When I went to leave the kitchen I took him into the living room with me.  He immediately flew back to the kitchen and his previous perch.  OK.  And stayed there for what seemed like ages.

I cooked dinner.  We ate it. And by then he'd decided he wanted to watch TV in the other room.  Fine.

I went into the kitchen to clean up.

Hmmm.

Okay, who took the foil off the cupcakes?

  More than that, who ate the frosting off the top of those  cupcakes?  I'm suspicious that the counter walking Squirrel may be the culprit.

I look more carefully.  No.  Someone flipped the cupcakes over so they could eat the bottom, the cake part, without having to deal with the frosting.

Looks like parrot work to me.

Where's the  foil?

Bingo!  Look at the top left corner.  That hole is from a parrot beak.  Yes indeedie!  Very stealthy removed too.  He didn't just chew through it.  He's getting sneakier.

And just what might tomorrow bring?

From Chris Lyons watcher of Vince and Blanche of Fordham and beyond..
  
I just heard from a co-worker that a Red-tailed Hawk was killed by a Metro-North train, over by the Fordham station.  He saw the body.  He did not remember if it had a red tail.   But I've seen no juvenile birds in that general area for some time now.

I did see the two adults, on top of a nearby building, several weeks back--there was calling and copulation going on.  My concern at the time was that a nest had appeared on the same building they nested on last year--the other side of that building, in an identical iron structure meant to hold a window box.   That is not a safe place for a nest, because of the proximity of Webster Avenue and the Metro-North tracks.

But I was puzzled to note for the past several weeks that there seemed to be no activity around the nest--the nest on Collins Hall that was used for many years is clearly inactive.   I haven't been seeing any hawks on or near the campus since I saw the pair involved in courtship.  My co-worker says he saw the dead hawk about two weeks ago.  I have seen a lone adult Red-tail some blocks west of Webster Ave. since then.  

So nothing's confirmed absolutely, but it sure seems like something's gone awry.   Whether the surviving member of the pair will find a new mate and try to nest again is impossible to say right now.   It may be that the territorial boundaries are shifting for reasons I can only guess at.   They may not be Fordham Hawks anymore.   Perhaps an entirely new pair will nest on the campus or in the Botanical Garden.  Or maybe I will see a bird in that nest on Webster soon.  But so far, it's looking pretty dead there. 
I'll try to get more information, and will certainly keep all of you in the loop--I hope you will also report your observations to me (Pat, you don't need to be reminded to do this, obviously--I always enjoy your reports and videos).

Seems like the Fordham Red-tails are having a real run of bad luck--first Hawkeye was poisoned, then Rose disappeared (I still think she and the vanished male of the Great Horned Owl pair killed each other), and now either Vince or the new female has met with an accident.   Breeding season is a dangerous time for adult Red-tails--distracted by hormones, exhausted by rearing young, and with their territorial instincts ramped up to the extreme, they can make fatal errors in judgement in an urban environment that is extremely unforgiving of mistakes (not that a fully natural habitat would be any less so). 

Hope other urban nesting pairs are having an easier time of it. 

Chris

Update--well, I still don't know the identity of the hawk that was killed, but I can report with full confidence that the Webster Ave. nest is active.  Saw an adult--the female, I'm pretty sure--perched up there, and looking down into the nest.   Also mantling to protect the inhabitants of the nest from the strong early afternoon sunlight.   There are hatched young in there. 

So two possibilities--

1)Vince was killed, and Blanche (my name for the female that replaced Rose as Vince's mate last year after she disappeared) immediately employed the notoriously effective Red-tail Social Media to advertise for a replacement, who presented himself with alacrity.  Whether she had laid eggs at this point, and who the father might be--?????   But I'm guessing that even if it was too late for him to be the genetic father, the prospect of inheriting a territory and a mate would be more than enough to entice an unattached male into raising some other male's chicks.   If Blanche had died, of course, the new female would have needed to gestate eggs, and she might have wanted to build a nest somewhere else, and the scheduling would have been more difficult. 

2)Vince is still alive, and some stranger was killed by the Metro North train--one scenario that comes to mind was that an unattached bird got too close to the nest, and was chased by one or both reigning adults, and in his or her panic to escape, got clobbered by the train. 

Anyway.  The Fordham territory's streak remains unbroken--and I am so ambivalent about that.   Because the nest isn't actually on the campus, or in the Botanical Garden, and it's just not safe.  God damn it, Blanche.  You really want to spend the rest of your life cycle depending on the kindness of strangers? 
Keep your fingers crossed folks!

PALE MALE. What's In a Name? Names Nurture Biophilia. And Biophilia Saves the Earth

 Photo courtesy of  palemale.com/
Beautiful sweet faced Pale Male 

He was hatched in 1990.

And as a Brown-tail in 1991 he took a young mate, there was an attempted nest built on a baseball back stop which didn't hold eggs....they fell out, according to his chronicler the wonderful writer and naturalist Marie Winn, who also gave him his name.  The pair also attempted to nest in a tree where they were mobbed by Crows and both injured... 

Thus begins the saga of one of the first Red-tailed Hawks to give up nesting "in the wild"  and raise a family on a building. 

Yes, nests on buildings are somewhat similar to the nests of  Red-tailed Hawks who nest on cliffs due to the dearth of trees out West....  that I give you... but cliffs don't have people peeking out windows at you.  

 For whatever reason, Pale Male, is remarkably amiable to the presence of people within certain bounds.  And so it began.  And as it did, worldwide love and affection for him grew too. 

It may not have happened if "that hawk" that nested on 927 Fifth Avenue hadn't had a name.

I know, just what is this naming hawks mania I have? 

If you will forgive me a digression, back in the day, when I was training in biology,  I was terrific at it but... I had the bad habit of showing my enthusiasm for birds, or animals or fungi  or plants or insects or you name just about any live thing,  loosing control, laughing out of sheer discovery and possibly saying..."Wow!  Amazing!  and even, "Aww, they're soooo cute!"

I vividly remember on one of these occasions Dr. Gross, in his white lab coat and I in mine, turning to me at my microscope and saying quietly, "Yes they are cute but you can't say it."

"I can't say it?"

"No."

"Why not?"  

"Because scientists don't."

I lost all my air, I shrunk.  I mustn't show joy in the biological.

I loved live things all of them and secretly loved the behavior of individuals even more. Though I knew the anatomy of many creatures, what really fascinated me was their behavior.  What are they doing and WHY?  I liked the whole creature and I liked them alive.  I was a behaviorist but didn't know it yet.
 
And so began the scientist mask, the submersion of why many have a love of  biology in the first place.  

 What  I had been doing was expressing biophilia,  it strictly wasn't allowed back then. 

And still isn't by some aging often male scientists.  

Or in birding circles by others who trained in something else altogether but have turned bird watcher and desperately want to be thought of  as "scientific". 

I trained in science, I've worked on research studies, and my opinion is that all resident urban hawks should be named. 

Why?

The biggest reason to give resident urban hawks names is to nurture biophilia in people, particularly children, who have never or rarely had a chance to intimately know by watching and love an individual of a wild species.  

 Biophilia literally means love of  life.  As in love of living things or systems such as Pale Male not whoopee I'm glad to be alive today.  Though that certainly can enter into it at times and often does when watching him.

The word was coined by Eric Fromm, mid 20th century, for what he believed was a psychological  bent in humans toward living systems, i.e. other life besides one's own.

Then along came E. O. Wilson who grew up in the forests and fields of Arkansas, and at 14 knew enough about ants to categorically discover and recognize that the fire ant had invaded the United States.  

Nobody else had noticed yet.  

It was Edward O. Wilson who popularized the biophilia hypothesis, in his book Biophilia (1984), which suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems.

Therefore extrapolate that further and to love/bond with Pale Male and to help others do so as well,  is to help save the Earth in it's infinite variety of creatures.

And Marie Winn giving Pale Male a name and she and all the other original Regulars standing by the Model Boat Pond with instruments of magnification, showing all comers the nest on 927 was a Biophilia Cadre on the hoof.  To say nothing of Marie, writing Red-tails in Love, which spread love for Pale Male all over the world.

Why Pale Male?  Of course he was one of the first urban hawks and he did have a talented connected group of New Yorkers watching him who were not shy about sharing him. They didn't secretly watch him for months and then let others know he existed only after they'd taken a million pictures. 

Not a chance.  They shared their discovery and their biophilia for him.

And lets face it, lest we forget Pale Male, isn't just any Red-tailed Hawk.  He is personable. He is recognizable because of his paleness.  He is human habituated.  He KNOWS people and lets them know it. 

He is WAY cool.

Plus we now know of course, as the research has been done, that most humans  have an affinity for the young of our species but also an affinity for the young of other mammals.  It is thought to have to do with large eyes, small features in proportion to head size and some say roundish heads as well.

As far as I know that research was only done on mammals but I think it crosses over to birds as well.

This is young Athena from Pepperberg's lab.  She also gives me that "Awww" feeling.  I don't know if that is because I'm into African Greys in the first place or because she in particular does it as she is only six months old.

 Photo courtesy of  palemale.com/
Now look at Pale Male, rounded head, big eyes, small features (beak).

There is savvy in those eyes but there is still a definite "Awww" factor.  And with his personality who could resist?  Only those so self absorbed they don't "see".

And we help people "see" if we give an animal a personal name.

Simple as that.

Name the hawks.  Save the Earth.


Happy Hawking! 
       D.B.

P.S. For those who asked what the new nest site at  Fordham looked like in 2013....
 Go to Rich Fleisher's Flickr hawk photos at the following link-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/sets/72157632612233748/

The Fordham Red-tails- An Update from Longtime Watcher Chris Lyons

From Chris Lyons, 

Looks like the whole family is over at The Botanical Gardens. Haven't been seeing them of late, and obviously this is why.

I asked Debbie Becker to keep me posted about sightings over in the Gardens, and she just emailed me this morning.  

I figured they'd end up over there--it's a richer hunting ground than the campus, though the youngsters do have to watch out for the Great Horned Owls there.  


Here's a lovely video of one of the fledglings having the NYC experience of being mobbed by Blue Jays plus other young Red-tail activities-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVYgTGILZlk&feature=youtu.be

And two photos by Botanical Gardens Browser Pat Gonzalez
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/naturecamhd/9498704008/

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/naturecamhd/9498754380/

My sighting of the day was a Red-headed Woodpecker, a species I've not seen in years.  Unfortunately we surprised each other.  He went around the back of a tree and when I looked he took off for the opposite treeline.  He's over there somewhere but I've not been able to find him.

Happy Hawking
Donegal Browne

Tuesday Tidbits: Franklin Institute, Isolde Up at the Cathedral, Plus Vince and His New Girl Have Neighborhood Support!

 Jackie of Tulsa sent this amazing photo from the Franklin FaceBook page:

 

Look at this ultra-close-up of one of the Franklin babies!
Photo courtesy by Darryl W. Moran, The Franklin Institute Facebook page.

 
Isolde and one of the three "kids", courtesy of  Rob Schmunk over at http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/

For those Concerned about the localized flooding in Central Park and possible lack of prey-Pale Male, Octavia, and the eyasses are all still eating very well.

And last but not least, I recieved an update from Chris Lyons concerning the Fordham Hawks- Vince, his New Girl, and the scary fledgling situation.  Chris is still working on contacts for the nest building.  But things are looking up, as various people in the neighborhood know about the nest and are enthusiastic about helping to keep the fledglings safe.

Happy Hawking

Donegal Browne

Pale Male, A Prairie Burn, County M Hawk, a Grumpy Cardinal, plus a Sandhill Crane, a Great Blue Heron and a Wild Turkey in Flight

             photo courtesy of palemale.com          
     Beautiful Pale Male looks at the camera.             

 Remember the Red-tailed pair who nested in the oak in the middle of a field off County Highway M in Wisconsin?  Well, they've still managed to hide their current nest from me but I did catch Mrs. M hunting from their old nest tree.  She of course recognized my car and took off before I could her picture perched.

  This male Cardinal menaces another in a male Cardinal brawl at Mud Lake. I say brawl but it was mostly about glaring and posturing.

     A Great Blue Heron Heads for His Night Roost

Dale Dean and Edie Baran of Landscape Restoration start the fire for the  burn of an oak savannah, in which the landowner's house complete with their big propane tank are smack in the middle.  All went well and the mistress of the house wasn't even bothered by smoke coming in her windows.  These folks really know what they're doing.

                                                          Photo by Edie Baran
    (How can you tell this is a photo op during my lunch?  I don't have my gloves on.)

 My apologies for the absence of posts the last few days.  For two days I worked very long days on prairie burns then came down with the flu.  


(Obviously I didn't get the flu from the prairie burns but rather from a cast member in the show in which I'm working as a vocal coach.)


My big excitement at the burns occurred when a stand of Common Reed,  Phragmites australis, that nasty tall invasive that often crowds out the native plants in wet areas given half a chance, went up in flash, leaving me looking at a 14 foot wall of fire.  Beyond setting a small patch of a nearby old cornfield on fire, that I with my flapper (the thing I'm holding above) and a guy with big boots stomping, managed to put out before it spread in the wrong direction.


Speaking of flappers, just how does that flap of rubber tool work anyway?  It can be used two ways.  If you've only got a small leader in the fire making it's way in a direction you don't like, you lay the flapper on it and press he rubber down with your booted foot.  If you've a somewhat bigger blaze that is a problem, you raise the flapper up high and bring it down with all your strength whacking the fire, which blows it out in that area.  And you keep doing it until it behaves or needs stronger measures


If the fire is blazing a bit higher yet but in a controllable line though starting in a bad direction a fire broom may be the answer.  This is a special broom that lives when not in use in a bucket of liquid, I assumed water, but upon thought might have had some additive in it, where it saturates.  When it is needed you pull it out and sweep whatever fuel is in front of the flames, such as debris in a cornfield or dead leaves back into the fire where it burns leaving the area in front of the flames less fuel to spread.


And if there is a bigger problem?  Everyone on the burn was told a height on their body, for me as I'm short a place a little above my knees where if a long flame line has taken a bad  turn, it's time to get yourself out of there, pick up the radio and call for the water truck.

I'd seen the resident Red-tails sky dancing earlier on the property then I spied their nest in a typical location of choice.  Rural Red-tailed Hawks like one of the highest trees available with a configuration that will hold a nest.  That way the nest has a view.  Not only can they see what might be coming at them, they can keep an eye on the territory and perhaps best of all while sitting a nest with not much to do but sit, they watch prey patterns for use later on while hunting.

   Photo D.B.                       A Wild Turkey in flight. 

By the way, that puff of smoke left of center is way back where I am with the camera. It isn't anywhere near the turkeys.



 Not to worry about the birds and animals during this burn, great areas of the habitat are saved and not burned by the slow moving fires every year.  Everybody just moved to those areas of the land which weren't affected for a little while and in many cases then moved right back.  Because of the early Spring there were many green spots that didn't really burn at all.  The fire dealt with the invasive woody stuff, such as Asiatic Honeysuckle and Buckthorn.



Next up from Richard Fleisher, a prof over in the Political Science Department at Fordham in the Bronx and a chief watcher of Rose and Vince--
Writing to let you know that one of my recent photos of the Hawks was selected by Popular Photography magazine as their photo of the day.  It is posted on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ popularphotography) and on their website (http://www.popphoto.com/ photo-of-the-day/04-02-2012).  This shot as well as other recent photos of Rose and Vince can be seen on my flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/)

Rich


Congratulations Rich!  Great work and super publicity for urban hawks.  The more people who get to know Rose and Vice and love them, the safer all hawks are!

 The Sandhill Cranes have returned to Wisconsin and are busily finding mates if they need one plus nailing down their nest-sites.


 PROTECTING RAPTORS BROCHURE --For those who haven't had much luck convincing folks that immaculate  sanitation is the only real answer to rats, New York City Audubon has produced a brochure which names the kill-everything-including-your-hawk-child-or-dog poisons in hopes they may be avoided and those with less chance of secondary poisoning for those who just can't live without using rat poison.


Along with tips on sanitation, blocking rat entry to buildings, plus the recommendation that no poison at all be used from March through August when the parents become hunting maniacs to feed their young and inexperienced fledglings are doing their initial hunting.


The brochure may be ordered from NYC Audubon or you may download it online.


 http://www.nycaudubon.org/images/protecting%20raptors.pdf


Donegal Browne

Three Eyasses at Fordham! Pale Male and Ginger Lima Present the Top of a White Head, Plus Violet and Pip Admire the View

Photograph by Richard Fleisher

Rose does it again! With the help of her latest mate, Vince, of course. Hawkeye her mate of many years was killed by secondary poisoning from eating a rat that had ingested rat poison.

U P D A T E-a main watcher of the Fordham nest, Rich Fleisher sends in the latest-

Hi,

Three eyases on the Fordham nest. When I saw them on Tuesday they were moving around, quite active. I am attaching one photo. Others on my flickr site.

Rich

http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/

Photo courtesy of palemale.com

Pale Male is back to wearing his proud-alert-always-hunting-father-hawk-expression, as opposed to having the concerned-worried expression he has worn for the last six years as he and Lola waited day after day, the season wearing on, waiting for a hatch that never happened. (In case you missed the FLASH and photo of the top of the eyasse's head earlier, remember to scroll down to the next post down after this one.)

Loyal hawk watcher and long time activist against rat poison Katherine Herzog reports from her view at The Bench.-

Pale seems to be bringing everything and anything to the nest....pigeons, rats, mice, squirrels....also smaller birds, starlings and such.

Photograph courtesy of palemale.com
Ginger Lima puts herself between the full hot sun and her eyasses so they do not over heat. Though she, with her very dark heat collecting plumage, has to pant to disperse the heat collected by her body while she is doing it. For a better view, double click the photo.

Also from Katherine concerning the new Mom--

The female, at least during my vigils, has not gotten off the nest once since the hatching/s....she stretches her legs, her wings, stands over them...mantling them and feeds them.

When they're sleeping...she likes to catch flies and other insects on the fly. A bit of protein and some diversion.

When Pale makes a visit with food or to check in with her.....she practically shoves him off the nest! She doesn't need any help from him!
A very different personality from Lola....who I remember liked to take a short break.

This female is eating very little from what I've observed. She'll pick a small amount for herself but only after she's feed the kid/s.

According to report, often late in the day, Pale Male is stashing food for Ginger in off nest locations. He knows she needs a break even if she doesn't. Pale Male is also a Dad that very much enjoys tending his offspring. So much so that Lola would, on occasions have to bump him a bit to get him to vacate the bowl so she could get back to "her job".

And what are Violet and Pip doing this night? Pip is attempting to sit up and sleep like a big bird. And Violet is letting him use her for a prop.


Still photo taken from the NYU Hawk Cam
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/answers-about-pip-and-violet/

Pip leans against Violet while she does a little preening on his head.

And a little more.

He keels but then struggles his way back up.

Every young creature has the urge to be more like the adults and Pip sits up, leans next to mom, and looks at the park view.

But as sleep sets in he begins to slide down.

And eventually that heavy over sized head begins to flop forward. When last I looked he was sleeping face down, flat as a pancake. These growing up things take time.

Donegal Browne