Blakeman on the Unusual Tail Markings of Pale Male's Mate Zena and It Must Be Spring as Everyone Is Back For at Least a Cameo Apperance

                                                               Crop of original photo (see next post down) courtesy of palemale.com

 Ohio Red-tailed Hawk maven John Blakeman on the possible reasons that the tail of Pale Male's mate Zena has unusual markings and is missing some of the "normal" ones--

 

Donna,

 

The horizontal stripe on Zena's tail feather is known as a "hunger trace." It can occur for two reasons. Most often, especially in eyasses (seen in immature hawks, before they have molted to adult plumage in their second summers), hunger traces are from actual hunger, periods of time when the eyass failed to eat enough food to fully grow emerging feathers while on the nest.

 

Feathers are pure protein. An eyass going a day or longer without food will have hunger traces in all developing feathers. Most eyasses have minor, insignificant hunger traces in just the smaller parts of the feathers, not the quills. These are insignificant.

 

But a strong hunger trace that creates a weakness in the shaft of the feather is ominous. The feather is weak and can later break off. The hawk cannot recover from this and will not be able to fly. It will starve.

 

The second cause---perhaps---is a fright response to lightning in thunderstorms. You can imagine, perhaps, the sounds, heat, and light when a lightning bolt strikes a nearby tree. Hunger traces are clearly caused by hunger, but perhaps also by lightning-induced fright.

 

Zena's hunger trace has not caused any problems, as the entire tail feather remains intact and fully functional.

 

In haggards (adults), hunger traces occur only on the feathers developing at the time the trace occurs, which, then, is only in a few flight feathers. A two-day strong rain and storm period could keep the bird from eating. Or, a lightning strike in a roost-tree in August might cause the trace.

 

The lack of a dark band near the end of some of the feathers is a not uncommon plumage variance. The band, across all the tail feathers, is called the sub-terminal band. But a small percentage of red-tail simply have only portions of it, or it's absent altogether. It's absence creates no problems.

 

--John Blakeman

 

Many thanks John, I had no idea what might have caused the aberrations in Zena's tail!

It's that time of year again when the feeding area becomes quite crowded with returning residents and visitors on their way through-and everyone is keeping an eye on everyone else.  Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel fresh from her burrow meets the beady eyed gaze of a male Dark-eyed Junco. 

Doorstep accompanied by friend both keep an eye on the newly returned female Dark-eyed Junco.  Three female Juncos held out for most of the winter until fed up with the rude behavior of the males of their species during the few bouts of snow, took off for an all girl trip further south.

Note that the feathers on Doorstep Dove's back still remain half raised and have ever since her interaction with the Cooper's Hawk.  Possible nerve damage?  Whatever the case it doesn't seem to have diminished her capabilities one whit.

 Pyewacket the cat, alert at the door, meets the stare of a male House Finch.  Neither gave an inch.

 The Grackle, accompanied by the ground feeding and ever vigilant House Sparrows, having been thwarted by the weight bar on the mixed seed feeder avails herself of the hordes of seed she spilled on the ground as she pumped the bar up and down with her repeated attempts to fool it.

 I looked out the the door and who should be staring back while perpendicular to the goodie stump with the use of her handy rigid woodpecker tail feathers but a Northern Yellow Shafted Flicker.

Here's a look at the splash of red on her head.

 

Note the glimpse of yellow on the rear edge of her feathers.

And when it comes to staring the Common Grackle's yellow, and I admit even at human size, scary eyes take the top prize for potent looks.

Donegal Browne

Red-tailed Hawks, Bluebirds, and a Northern Flicker, plus Mama and Papa Have a Hatch

See the Red-tailed Hawk? That white breast does stand out. Likely the hawk is one of the Steams.

This tree is across the street from Threshermen's Park.

We stare at each other.

And we stare some more. She's waiting for me to look away before she'll fly out. I'm stopped in the road and her chance comes when I see a car bearing down on me from behind and have to look away to make a quick car adjustment to the verge before I get smacked.

When I catch sight of her again she's swooped down and is flapping for the next area of trees and brush beside the field.

She curves over and I know she's heading for the cover to the right.

Still flapping.

Then her wings go into a glide position. She glides deftly behind the brush and magically she's gone.

Finally the first day since the last storm when there is no haze or rain and I have enough light to get a definitive photo of the Ms nest from last season. It appears derelict.

Compare it with a photograph taken last May in the full swing of a hatch. The Ms have moved and we don't know to where. Yet. They have been absent from hunting the Oak Tree's field and the power poles by the tracks. Several times previously I'd caught them heading for Mud Lake or the ravine in the subdivision. If all else fails by the time I get back from NYC there may be begging going on that might just give them away, unless they are so far onto private property that we aren't able to hear them.

The Bluebirds have returned again.

And my surprise of the day--a female Northern Flicker. The first I'd seen here in several years. They used to be far more common but the Starlings have co-opted their nesting cavities so have become rarer.

She would pause, stock still whether sun-bathing or waiting for the insects to settle I don't know.

Then her head would go down and go after insects--the greater part of which would be beetles and ants--Flicker favorites. I wonder if they eat Japanese Beetles if so we could certainly use thousands more of her kind and they all would have plenty to eat.

She hears the camera and gives me a look but doesn't flush off.

But rather goes back to her job and her dinner.

Another look...

And more foraging. She stayed all day perhaps she'll remain this year and find a mate. Ten years ago there were always Flickers for the summer.

A fascinating find from Robin of Illinois--

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An acrobatic display of passion proved too much for a pair of eagles engaged in a mating dance over Alaska's Prince William Sound.
The female bird is recovering from an injured wing and other injuries sustained when the couple slammed beak-first into a hard snowbank in what her rescuers believe was an aerial courting ritual gone awry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/12/alaska-eagle-survives-dea_n_533637.html


BIG NEWS ABOUT BRIARWOOD’S MAMA AND PAPA FROM JEFF KOLLBRUNNER OF www.jknaturegallery.com/

All,

I've been able to confirm my thoughts of this past Saturday that our Briarwood hawk pair Mama and Papa had a hatch. I was able to confirm today that there are two healthy youngsters in the nest. I will be posting images Tuesday of the little ones that are now approximately 3-4 days old, most likely they hatched between 4/8 and 4/9. As far as I know, it appears once again this year that Mama and Papa may have the first hatch of the known Red-tailed Hawk nests in NYC.

Can't wait to hear about good news to be reported from the rest of our Red-tailed hawk nest watchers from around the city.

Best to all,

Jeff


GOOD BIRD NEWS FROM THE NYTIMES FROM NEW YORK CITY’S BILL WALTERS

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/13obbird.html?emc=eta1


And a little something I ran across also from the NYTimes,
THE POWER OF MUSHROOMS-Psilocybin the depression fighter?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/science/12psychedelics.html?src=me&ref=generaL

Donegal Browne