Pale Male, Lola, and the New Girl, Valkyrie Plays Tennis, and No She Isn't the New Girl

Photo by Francois Portmann
Pale Male's New Girl
A reader had suggested that Valkyrie (also called Dominatrix), might be Pale Male's New Girl (Photo above) as they were both rather dark.

I asked photographer Francois Portman if he might have some photos for us to compare and yet again Francois came through with the goods.

Valkyrie is the next photo down. Compare the belly bands, the amount of white on head and under beak area, "eyebrows", and the dark patagial mark of the two hawks.

What? You came in late and missed the part about the patagial mark?

Time out. We'll recap.

Patagial is the adjective derived from the noun patagium.

Yes, and?

The patagium is the expanse of skin on the fore edge of the wing running from the head to the wrist. In this case, there is a dark patagial mark on the patagium. (Red-tailed hawks have a light under wing with a dark patagial mark which no other hawk species has in North America, making it a dandy field mark when the bird is in flight.)

Photo by Francois Portmann- www.fotoportmann.com/birdblog/
Directly above is a three view merged photo of Valkyrie of Tompkins Square Park.

Okay as long as we're talking about the patagial mark. How do they compare? Hmm.

I think New Girl's might be a bit darker particularly as the photo with Val's is taken from below against a bright sky likely making it appear darker than it might be if she were in the same position that New Girl is.

What about the white patch on the neck under the beak which supposedly all Red-tailed Hawks have. Check out New Girl first.

Looking at New Girl, one questions if the above is true. Do all Red-tailed hawks have that patch?

Whereas Val, check her neck out, comparatively has quite a visible bright white patch.

And the "eyebrow"? New Girl's, when you can see them, does appear more tawny.

And one of the biggest identifying factors to nail a particular hawk's identity--the belly band. And as Francois pointed out, just look how different they are. The difference is not only the saturation of color but also the shape appears completely different on the two birds.

THE CONCLUSION- We've definitely got two different birds here.

Pale Male just charms these floating females out of the sky whenever there is a need.

FROM LONG TIME CONTRIBUTOR ROBIN OF ILLINOIS REFERRING TO THE PIECE THAT'S LINKED BELOW--
"I believe their guestimate of the new mate's age is off by quite a bit, with her light eyes."

Without a doubt Robin, by 4 years old, New Girl's eyes would be getting onto as dark as they are going to get.

Here's the link to the piece, (which includes a quote from John Blakeman about Lola's likely cause of death).

http://gothamist.com/2011/01/18/central_park_hawk_goes_missing_her.php

Whimsy of Valkyrie of Tompkins Square Park Playing "Tennis"
by Francois Portmann
www.fotoportmann.com/birdblog/
Charming and hilarious besides.

And from Sally of Kentucky, another long time contributor, sent in this link of a supposed drunken owl in Germany standing in a stupor by a roadside. She believes the owl was far more likely to have had a head injury after being hit by a car as opposed to drinking schnapps. I have to agree.

German Police Pick up Drunken Owl

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,740157,00.html#ref=nlin

I'd not noticed before, and perhaps as we'd just had a blizzard it may be a somewhat new or irregular behavior, but at 8:30am, with the day still coming on, Doorstep Dove, Friend and another Dove, conceivably one of their youngsters from last summer, were out on the heated bird bath, warming up for the coming day.

Donegal Browne

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND REMEMBER TO LOOK AT THE LITTLE THINGS

Now Carol for all intents and purposes has her back turned toward me but I can still see the gleam of her left eye. Which means she can still see me. It's a little thing but awfully important to a bird to have wonderful peripheral vision.

Look at Carol on the right. Crows tend to have expressions of clever intelligence but Carol's look, I assume due to her fluffed feathers in this photograph, looks quite sweet.

Look at male House Sparrow's extremely sharp little toenails. If he were hawk sized we'd be tempted to call them talons.

In winter, the House Sparrows not infrequently seat themselves in a female section and a male section.

I particularly like this little thing. Look carefully at Junco's mouth. I thought at first that the little point midway between the two sections of his beak was the point on a seed but after scrutinizing it, that's the tip of Junco's little pink tongue.

House Finches always look sleep deprived. See the bags under this guy's eyes? I suspect that the "bags" are more apparent because they've few feathers around their eyes in the bag area.

And here's a little opening in the fence row. Where does it go? Why is it there? If one pays attention there are a million possible adventures waiting to happen.

Donegal Browne


P.S. Lola has yet to be sighted again.

P.P.S. My daughter Sam just called, yes, at 3:30 in the morning and told me I had to see the Transformer Owl on YouTube. Well folks, I think you have to see it too. And no it isn't a little thing, well the owl isn't huge, but the transformation is! Go for it. Here's the link-- (You may have to copy and paste. Lately the links just don't turn into links on the blog for some reason.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJrupqPqKYo

Watching Pale Male and Lola-It Must Be Spring

When I walked into Central Park today on the west side to walk across to the east side of the park to go and visit Pale Male and Lola, I saw that the Wisteria was in bloom on the bower that sits just as you enter Strawberry Fields, and that Central Park was packed to the gills with people. It then occurred to me that on a day like this, with some sun, and Spring in full tilt and people to match, that I often see all sorts of things on my walk across and never mention them.


For instance this nest of unknown species. The rather messy twig construction looks a bit like a Crow's nest but no self respecting crow would guild so obviously and right over the sidewalk besides. Not a chance. House Sparrow? Another messy nest look but too big for them.

Then past the IMAGINE mosaic in Strawberry Fields to the soundtrack of guitarists playing Beatles tunes.

A budding juggler attempts to hide out in a quiet corner no doubt in hopes he can get some practice in and not humiliate himself too much in the meantime. Why doesn't he use his backyard? Likely he doesn't have one. And while I'm standing there, suddenly I'm surrounded by this incredible fragrance. I look up.

I'm standing under a blooming magnolia.

There is a jazz quintet playing.

The Lake restoration must be done as there are once again boaters on it taking their ease.

The Lake may be done, but from the looks of the scaffolding on Bethesda Fountain, work on it is just beginning. This doesn't deter the dancers who often use the mall to do their show. I head down to the hill for the Hawk Bench.

And what do I see? Pale Male heading off towards the south past the buildings, Linda and The Crows.

I check out Lola. What is it lately? I seem destined to spend lots of time looking at the tails of formels on the nest.

I shouldn't have complained. Now I don't even have a tail to look at. I check with Ric Davis, a mainstay of the Hawk Bench, he tells me that there have been two switches today and that earlier Pale Male and Lola had to repulse an intruder.

Speaking of Pale Male, beak to the wind, he's up holding onto the Oreo Antenna with a death grip so he won't be blown off.

Still no sight of Lola.

There she is, keeping an eye peeled just in case.

Pale Male has now switched over to Stovepipe, still holding on tightly and scanning.

Right now is the window for a hatch, not that there is much expectation that that will happen, but you never know. And besides it is just so good to see Pale Male and Lola in good health going about their business of the season after the losses in the adult hawk population of late that whatever happens with the eggs is okay with me as long as PM and L are okay.

Lola looks north towards Pale.

Now towards the Ramble and the Boat House.

Pale Male seems to have decided to do a circuit of the holdings. Keeping a sharp eye on things is something he rather enjoys I think. He looks down at Lola as he passes over.

He circles.

And for those who've not seen it, this is the view from the Hawk Bench. 927 Fifth Avenue is the shorter building in the skyline, center. The nest is above the top floor center window.

Another look northwest.

Now west.

Pale Male has now switched to the railing on the northwest corner of Stovepipe.

Still scanning. It's getting late and the walk lights have come on so I pack up my things to go back across the park and catch the subway. But typically suddenly Pale Male comes roaring from the back of 927, zig zags over the model boat pond (technically the Conservatory Water...they never built the conservatory actually) and then heads back toward 927. He's quite the energetic hawk.

A somewhat closer look of the nest's position on 927 as Pale Male circles overhead.

Now flying over Woody.

Heading north.

Still going.

Going...

And back to the railing of Stovepipe.

Any other place you might think the conjunction of the white, red, and green overlapping each other was a happy accident. Nope, they plan this stuff.

RED-TAILED HAWK UPDATES--

Rob Schmunk reports what looks like feeding behavior by Isolde up at the Cathedral Nest.

FROM WISCONSIN, James W. Blank Jr. reports Red-tail activity off Hwy 26, perhaps a chance of a nest there? Plus a Cooper's Hawk was seen taking prey smack dab in the center of Milton outside the Family Restaurant on main street.

Donegal Browne

John Blakeman, Video of Charlotte and Pale Male Jr., An Eagle's History

Photo by Donna Browne
02-28-2010 Lola stands in the bowl of her nest, the sides of which appear more substantial this season.

John Blakeman, on this season and Pale Male and Lola's nest on Marie Winn's blog-

http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/

And John identifies the mystery hawk in yesterday's NYBG post--
Donna,

The hawk in the photo is almost surely a sharp-shinned hawk. It's size, coloration, sitting posture, and outline are pure sharpie. And hoards of sharpies are now in migration northward.

--John Blakeman

The amazing history that can be tracked from a numbered band on a bird's leg!

From Robin of Illinois--
http://raptoreducationgroup.blogspot.com/2010/02/bald-eagle-caught-in-wolf-cam-is-regi.html
T>From a reference on the Blackwater Eagle Cam Web Log.

I emailed Brett Odom, he of the ringside seat on the 888 nest, asking how things were going with Charlotte and Pale Male Jr. Here is what Brett had to say and he even sent along a video---I just love the way Charlotte walks!

Hi Donna.

Charlotte and Junior have been very busy at the nest. I see them both every day that I am at work. I have attached a video that I took of both Charlotte and Junior back in January when Junior first showed up from his "vacation".

Charlotte is the obvious hawk on the left while Junior is behind the glass. You will notice a twig move on the right side of the nest at about the 4 second mark and you can faintly see him back there rearranging the nest.

According to my records, the 2007 egg showed up on April 1 and the 2009 egg appeared on March 24. So we are getting close to brooding time.


Regards,
Brett