Pale Male and Beauty, Crow Strangers, Jane's Screech Owls, Milton Red-tailed Hawks, NYBG Great Horned Owls,

Photograph courtesy of palemale.com
Pale Male checks to make sure every twig is in the particular place he wants it and whether any new additions would add to the accommodations.

Bernard Atkins of New Jersey asked if since there were no eggs yet, might there never be eggs this year.

Well, Bernard, the Pales continue to copulate prolifically, with Pale Male bringing many gifts of food to Pale Beauty, but as they started to copulate later than has been the norm at 927 Fifth Avenue for some years, it wouldn't be unusual for egg laying to be later in the season as well. Also keep in mind that as Pale Beauty is a three year old, she may not take to the nest until the last minute. (I find a pigeon egg in my terrace water bowl once or twice a year, left my a young female who wasn't aware she was about to lay it. I've not heard of hawks doing that by the way.) There is a very very slight chance that Pale Beauty isn't completely mature yet, and she may not lay eggs or the eggs might not be fertile this year due to immaturity. (Ever crack open a chicken egg and find virtually no yolk? That egg was laid by a not quite mature hen.) Though I doubt there will be issues as Pale Beauty has her red tail after all. Immature eggs is more common in two-year-old females, though two year-old males seem to have less maturity issues. Fewer things in the system to be immature perhaps?

There is a flurry outside the patio door. It seems that it being Spring that the squirrels are being frisky. And beyond their first favorite Spring thing of chasing each other round and round, their second favorite thing is startling Crows.

Wait! I don't know that crow. In fact I'm not sure that I recognize any of these crows. Besides the resident C Group Crows very rarely visit the feeding area and the second they notice me they're gone. These Crows are more human habituated.

After checking for speeding squirrels this crow leaps off the glider.

And checks out the food situation. Notice he has a bit of a lump under his "chin".


Suddenly the scenerio begins to look a little like the movie High Noon.

Lump Throat gives me the eye and then circles round. Just in time...

...for their "skirts" to be lifted as a squirrel blasts by.

They both look at me. Hey, I didn't do it.

Back to the Gunfight At The OK Corral.

They stare.

Whoa! There goes another squirrel who screeches to a stop by the pole of the sunflower seed feeder.

Just in time for the second to startle the crows yet again. The squirrels may be chasing each other but they do make a jump at the crows along the way if they're close enough.

Squirrel duo chases around the pole and the crows give it up and head for a squirrel-less area.

The day was very overcast when I was driving down the street to the library when what should I see but two Red-tails courting above the car. I pulled over.




This one is particularly contrasting but can anyone tell what position this hawk is in? A backwards roll? The two Red-tails circled out of sight into a copse of pines.

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

Flushing Meadow Park Update 2-14-11

(Also known as the Unisphere nest.)

After Monday's hawk release I paid a quick visit to the Flushing Meadow Park nest in the evening to find that Bobby and Cathy are in full swing, and have decided to use their nesting spot from 3 years ago above Indonesia on the Unisphere. I also managed to get a picture of Cathy sleeping on the inside of the Unisphere, a common occurrence for her.

Hawks, Bobby and Cathy, were named by Peter for wonderful wildlife rehabbers Bobby and Cathy Horvath.

Photo by Peter Richter

A note on the Unisphere hawks from Jeff Kollbrunner of jknaturegallery

Donna,

We were at Flushing Meadow Park on Sunday 3/13 and decided to swing by the Unisphere Red-tailed hawk nest. It appears that they are also sitting in their nest now as well, maybe Peter has a more accurate time when they started to overnight. The entire time we were present one of the pair was sitting in the nest during late afternoon to early evening. At one point repositioning itself before settling back down in the nest bowl. I will send you an image.

Best, Jeff

Soon all our urban hawks will be sitting those nests and hatching will be here in no time!

Photo by Pat Gonzalez

It looks like the Great Horned Owls in the NYBG have done it again! From Pat Gonzalez--

Friends:

I’m not 100 percent on this, but I believe that there is at least one great-horned chick in the owl tree. I had mentioned before that the forest edge trail, which gave the best view of the inside of the tree is closed. There are issues with the amount of damage done to the area near the tree by folks stomping all over the plantings and soil. So I began to look for gaps in the trees along Azalea Way, the road in front of the tree as well as waaaaaaaaaaaay on the other side, inside the Native Forest from the Sweetgum trail. It was from this trail earlier today, that I shot the attached photo. I noticed that the female owl inside the tree kept bending over, looking at something in the tree. Notice in the image how she is bent? Now, look further down from her head. Notice something white? And do you see the eye open? I don’t want to give out cigars just yet, so if anyone wants to give their opinion. I’ve uploaded a short video that I made from the spot where I saw the tree. I used landmarks to make it easier to find. Look at the NYBG map for the Sweet gum Trail which you can enter from Azalea Way right before you get to the Stone Mill Road. If anyone has any more questions please e-mail me.

http://youtu.be/wWScMGPVKb8

For the wildlife photographers on this list, you’ll need your telephoto lenses/teleconverters/digiscope equipment, etc. to get that clear shot because it is quite far away.

Pat Gonzalez

A lovely photo of Olivia the female Screech Owl from Jane of Georgia, plus an update below.
Hi Donna –

Like mad dogs and Englishmen, here’s Olivia out in the mid-day sun today!

Lots of nesting going on here in my back yard – a chickadee and a titmouse have each decided on a seasonal rental and a bluebird is checking out a nice studio apartment, as well.

Tulip magnolia and both cherry trees are in full blossom. Dogwoods and azaleas will open this week.

All is right with the world!

Jane

Jane, not only do I envy having your owls but the understory in the Southern states in Spring is downright breathtaking.
And more from Pat Gonzalez,

Friends:

I passed on my owl photo to Robert DeCandido who confirmed that yes, threre are at least TWO great-horned owl chicks in that tree. He spotted them there this past Saturday the 19th. I'm so happy right now because the nest last year failed. The last time there was an extended family was back in 2009.

I've attached a box of cigars, please share them with anyone who loves owls. : )

Pat Gonzalez

I haven't forgotten about Part 1a of Eagles Nest. It will go up along with some great pix from pro photographer Francois Portmann!

Donegal Browne

Red-tailed Hawks-Pale Male and Pale Beauty, Screech Owls-Oscar and Olivia

Photo courtesy of palemale.com
Checking out the view and the accommodations.


Photo courtesy of palemale.com
And then back to the important activity of the moment-making eggs.

Next an update from Jane of Georgia about the residents of her Owl House, Oscar, the red phase Screech and Olivia, the gray Screech.

Monday, March 14, 2011 6:31 PM

I just returned home from five days in Florida. It’s well into the time of day that Oscar would be visible, but he is nowhere to be seen. I have, however, seen Olivia poke her eyes and “ears” just up to doorway level for a quick peek outside. Once she notices me on the deck, she darts back down. I’m wondering if there are eggs/hatchlings and if Oscar has flown the coop for the time being, only to return to bring food. I’ll keep an “eagle eye” out for him and let you know as things progress further/

Jane

Nevermind -- Oscar just poked his head out of the box!

Monday, March 14, 2011 7:32 PM

He must have been taking a late afternoon nap!

Jane

More on Ginger's presence in Pale Male's territory, and reader's responses coming soon.

Happy Hawking!

Donegal Browne

Pale Male Sleeps, Mama (and Papa) and Raven Mom Sit Nests, See America's Oldest Bird Mom, Hear a Screech Owl Trill

Photo courtesy of palemale.com
Pale Male, premier urban hawk, readies himself for sleep. He, as we know, is not in the least bothered by observing humans.

On the other hand, though I'm quite far away from the above power line, which only a moment ago had a beautiful rural Red-tailed Hawk, the Tall Grass Prairie female to be specific, perched on said wire, upon sighting me she was off like a rocket. This pair is good when it comes to diversions and obscuring themselves, hence why you've not seen them before. I try; they win.

Typically off she goes INTO the light which dazzles my eyes.

I saw her curve this direction but was so dazzled I couldn't catch where she went and had to wait until I got home to see what she was up to.

Can you see her?

Now? See her tail below the second cross bar. She's hunting late in the day and I don't want to bother her so I don't try again. Perhaps one of these days she'll get used to me. Maybe. But she has an entire territory to retreat to if she must and I'm only able to look from 1 or 2% of it. She doesn't have to get used to me to make her living.

FROM JEFF KOLLBRUNNER, www.jknaturegallery.com/ A CHIEF WATCHER OF MAMA AND PAPA

Donna,

Mama has overnighted and once again she has started early in the nesting season as in past years. She may have overnighted as early as Saturday March 5th unfortunately we were not able to check on Saturday, however, Mama definitely overnighted on Sunday March 6th. Papa stays nearby and keeps a close eye on his territory near their nest.

As for the Queens Ravens they appear to be in their nest as well. It appears they started mid-week Wednesday March 9th. I have not had as much time to spend observing the Ravens but I am reasonably certain they are nesting. I will get to observe them more this weekend to confirm they are staying in the nest.

I did not get a chance to send you new images of Mama and the Ravens in their respective nests but I will send you some images soon.

Best, Jeff

Congratulations to Mama and Papa-The first over night of the season as far as I know, but then again, Mama and Papa often take get the earliest start on a family each year. All the best!

Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
America's oldest wild bird mom (that we know of anyway D.B.) has a new chick.
(And she's looking really good besides. Just check out those fine feathers!)

"She's at least 60 years old, flies some 50,000 miles a year, has had almost three dozen kids – and now she's got another one."
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/09/americas-oldest-wild-bird-is-a-new-mom/

To see video of an urban Screech Owl just before fly out, and hear its trill go to James O'Brien's blog http://yojimbot.blogspot.com/

Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

Jane of Georgia's Screech Owls and Urban Raptor Explosion in New Orleans

This is red-phase Screech Owl Oscar having a bit of a nap with his head sticking out of the nesting box. As this is a house made out of sawn wood, as opposed to a cavity that might just have some irregularities to place his feet, just what is holding Oscar up?

Obviously Oscar's feet aren't touching the floor. Take into account there might be some nesting materials in the bottom of the box, then eggs, and then Olivia his mate. Could he be standing on Olivia's head or has he got his talons hooked in the flat wood side of the box?

Oscar has flown out for the night and this is Olivia poking her head out just a little. Note her "ears" aren't even showing and somehow she looks more disheveled than Oscar, and maybe a little, well, grumpy.

From Jane of Georgia--

Here's my first attempt at a picture of Olivia. We just had a bad
thunderstorm here, complete with tornado warnings. As the skies darkened, I saw Oscar fly out a smidgen earlier than has been his norm and this little face appear at the owl box door. A very poor picture with very poor lighting, but you can see her very light cheeks. Through the binoculars, and in the pictures on my screen here, she looks a lot redder than I initially thought she was.

But later--

I dragged a 6’ ladder down to the yard area closer to the owl house, just so they could get used to seeing it around. Oscar seems very comfortable with me being close by and sunned himself in my obvious presence for a long while. As dusk settled in, he dropped down into the box and Olivia peered out, saw me and dropped immediately out of sight. Seeing her a bit more close up, even for just a few seconds, reveals she is indeed much grayer in color than her man, with a very round scruffy face that reminded me right away of the Muppet, Animal, albeit not as red and without the raucous open mouth!

(The description of Olivia, makes me think of the always seemingly rumpled female Screech Owl in Central Park who we called, Unmade Bed.)

And from an earlier email---

Olivia is very very shy, so I have decided to keep my distance and observe the two owls only from my deck for a while. Again this evening, Oscar flew away right around 645pm, and Olivia immediately appeared at the doorway. She appears somehow smaller than Oscar, probably because I’m only allowed to see her head. So far, she hasn’t jumped up to the lip of the box’s door, so I can’t get a real handle on her relative size.

Actually Jane, you're right Olivia only appears smaller as you haven't ever seen all of her. In fact all raptors have what is called reverse sexual dimorphism. The females are to a greater or smaller degree, larger than the males. Olivia appears smaller because we aren't even seeing her whole head as she doesn't poke her head out all the way in your presence. So far all you have really seen is her face. We've not even gotten to see her "ears" yet.

Often in owls the female is a third larger than the male. Though in raptor pairs if you have a largish male for the species and a smallish female for that species, the size can look quite close.

Why are females larger than males in raptors? There lies one of the long standing questions in avian biology and the hypotheses have been studied and heatedly argued repeatedly. The hypotheses tend to come in three categories- ecological hypotheses, sex-role differentiation hypotheses, and behavioral hypotheses. So far no one has nailed it down to everyone's satisfaction.

But as everyone knows who has read the blog for any amount of time, we will eventually get to it as it is one of my favorite topics and I have a pet theory, which I think we saw a bit of an example of during Pale Male's latest courtship of first one female and then a second. But that's for later...

Can you see the nest box? The tree with the nest box is slightly right of center. Now? Okay see the first tree on the right side of the frame? It has a branch that goes to the left across about three quarters of the photograph. Follow that branch, and when you come to the first batch of deciduous leaves, look carefully and you will see the house.

More to come from Jane about the habitat in Oscar and Olivia's territory.

Next up-- why would Hurricane Katrina cause an explosion of urban hawks to New Orleans? From Sally of Kentucky--

Once endangered, the hawk makes an amazing comeback
FOX 8 News WVUE-TV City dwellers have been seeing a variety of urban raptors lately in places where they were not seen before. Since Hurricane Katrina, it seems as if hawks are more of a fixture in the New Orleans area than ever, especially downtown. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/us/02states.html?emc=eta1

Pale Male and Pale Beauty Plus Oscar and Olivia Screech Owl

This is Oscar sunning himself according to Jane of Georgia, who's owl house Oscar and Olivia Screech seem have taken to for the season.

(Okay I cannot help myself. I totally have a thing for Screech Owls particularly the red ones. I mean, could Oscar actually get any cuter?)

We'll hear more about the Screech Owl O's as soon as you get The Pales update for the day, just below.

Photo courtesy of Palemale.com

The two Pales sit atop a light fixture on the Carlyle Building and look at each other. If you look closely Pale Beauty is looking at Pale Male as if he were good enough to eat. Metaphorically of course, I hope.

Reports have come in that the Red-tailed Hawk pair are copulating up and down Fifth Avenue these days so things are going exactly as they should at this time of year.

And great news from Jane of Georgia, she of the Screech Owl house--

Hi Donegal –

I took about 30 minutes tonight to watch for activity around my owl box. Sure as shootin’ and just like clockwork, the rufous owl, Oscar, flew out to round up dinner right around 6:30pm and a little gray face, henceforth to be known as Olivia, appeared at the entrance to get some fresh air. I love it!

Oscar had been sunning himself since about 4pm this afternoon, taking time to intently observe all the squirrel activity around him (I’m swimming in squirrels here!). Just before he left the box, a male cardinal was making what sounded like alarm calls for about 5 minutes – from a branch only about 20 feet from the owl box. I have also watched as a bunch of titmice and chickadees have flown to the owl box doorway several times during the day – making loud calls all the while. The rackets lasts just a few minutes and then it all quiets down. Is this songbird activity the “mobbing” I’m reading about?

What fun! I’m so excited! Can you tell I’m a newbie at all this?

Jane

Hooray you have a pair!!!! And whether you are a newbie or not, we're green with envy and intend to enjoy them vicariously as much as you do.

I'm assuming that what you are describing is mobbing. A group of birds that raises a racket and may even dive at a raptor at times if it is exposed.

Interesting that the racket stops within a few minutes. Perhaps late in the day it is of limited duration because of the short overlap when an owl and diurnal birds are awake at the same time is limited perhaps?

But what about earlier in the day with the Chickadees and Titmouse? Let's see if we can come up with a hypothesis to try and nail down why. When the Titmouses were mobbing in the daytime was the owl visible and they stopped when he disappeared back into the house?

In the meantime, I've sent an email to John Blakeman for his take on the matter.

I've missed being able to follow the Screech Owls that nested in Central Park. And now that we have a pair of possibly less human habituated Screech Owls and a different habitat it could be downright fascinating to see what the differences in behavior toward humans are and also what they eat. The first stage would be trying to see what Oscar brings home for Olivia to eat while she sits the nest. Likely not all that easy as these guys are fast but you never know what you may see if you watch.

By the way, what kind of habitat is near by for the owls to forage in?

Donegal Browne

New York City Ravens, and Orelia, the Screech Owl

www.jknaturegallery.com/

From Jeff Kollbrunner--the Raven's Nest....
Donna,

Here are two more images showing the Queens, NY Raven nest. The photos are two different angles of the same nest. This is now the fourth nest the Ravens have started it looks to be the one they will complete and the best of the four. They are constructing it on the same level as the other three, this one however is on the Southerly side of the water tower and provides great light for photography. The other three attempted nests were all in the shadow of the water tank itself and on the northerly side. It is clear that they were able to find a spot that they can attach their branches to much better than the previous attempts and progress is now being made. This afternoon while I was there with my camera the Ravens were not around, of course when I visited briefly this morning without a camera one of them was present.

As for Mama and Papa, they continue to finalize their nest in the white pine tree. This morning they were on the nest and of course at that time I didn't have my camera with me as with the Ravens. This afternoon they were off in the far distance relaxing on top of some very tall apartment buildings well out of camera range. They have been copulating now for a number of weeks and will soon overnight in the nest. Last year Mama started to overnight on February 28th we will see what she will do this year.

All the best,
Jeff

If memory serves, Mama and Papa tend to have an earlier hatch than some other pairs in the city. Last year they hatched three eggs, one eyass died on the nest, one disappeared possibly due to Great Horned Owl predation and the third fledged successfully and even managed to make it back to the nest after fledging. Last year was very tough on eyasses all over the area.

Red phase Screech Owl

A few days ago, I got an email from Jane of Georgia and she mentioned it appeared that an owl had taken to her box. I immediately asked if we might have a photo of the Screech and I'm hoping she'll keep us updated on Orelia's owl adventures. Her first hurtle is taken care of with the possession of a "cavity".

Hi Donegal –

Thanks for your interest in my new owl. Here is a snapshot of little Orelia, my screech owl. She has apparently (and lucky for me) decided that my owl box is a great “seasonal rental”. I put the owl box up three years ago, and just like that (J), here she is! I’ve seen her at her door like this both at dawn and dusk, I have not seen a male around and have not heard any screeching calls. This is my first real experience with an owl in my back yard, so I have a lot of reading up to do!

(Since she has been here only three days or so, this is as close as I wanted to get to her. As the days go by, I’m hoping she gets more accustomed to me being around her and I’ll be able to get some better pictures.)


Jane
(I live just north of Atlanta)

Hawks, Owls, Parrots, Chickens, Turkeys, and Humans

An Eagle Owl at Queen's Farm hisses at a passer-by.
I admit it, the Eagle Owl doesn't show up until later, but I liked the picture and I wouldn't want you to think there were no raptors involved in all this. In fact there are lots of raptors but they don't show up until later so you'll just have to try and be patient during the set-up.


Saturday and Sunday, my daughter Sam, Quicksilver our parrot, and I, along with many other members of the society went to the Queen's Farm County Fair to do a demonstration for the Society of Creative Anachronisms. We go and demonstrate all sorts of things medieval for the folks that come to the fair. The table on the far left is where Silver and I are supposed to be , but we're taking the photograph. The next table is a demo of the lucette. A wooden U shaped item on which cord of all sizes can be made. The next table is food of the time, and then all sorts of wonderful embroidery, and the list goes on. There are demos of long bow shooting, cross bows, heavy weapons fighting, rapier, dancing, singing...

But to tell the truth, I have a hard time staying put between when I shoot the long bow and when I talk about the keeping of parrots medievally. I keep wanting to go look at what all the animals are up to.

For instance, above is a big black rooster with a personality problem. He's picking on the turkey, in fact he picks on everyone and thinks he's invincible.

Remember Black Turkey, he figures into the story later.

In the meantime, a heavy weapons demonstration has just finished and it's time for the Q and A with the crowd.

But look who's followed me home and is hanging out under our tent. Discussion ensues between two people as to whether these are all grown chickens. As in three little chickens and one big one of different varieties. No question it's a mom and three half grown chicks but the people discussing them haven't truly looked at them. They haven't watched their behavior. They've only paid attention to their physical looks which doesn't necessarily answer the question. The answer lies in what they do.

They are sticking to mom like glue and when she scratches the ground for insects they all scurry over to share in the bounty. If they were grown chickens they'd do their own scratching because the "big chicken" wouldn't put up with that kind of theft of effort.

We've got 30 minutes before the Pig Races are over and our next group of demos start so it's decided that some rides are in order. And just like the hen and chicks on a mission, women and the older kids head for them. I'm staying on the ground to guard the hat pile and photograph them. Besides Silver is completely uninterested in riding anything that makes that kind of noise. Interesting to look at though, or so he pretends.

While I use the camera, he sits in a sapling and pretends to be watching. What he is actually doing is eating next Spring's buds off the branches. I suggest he not eat so many of them. He ignores me.

The what-ever-it-is starts up and the pirates scream from the top.

Then it 's back for medieval dances with the kids. Silver and I go back to our table to talk to the visitors and who should show up?

I look up and there are Anna and Jeff Kollbrunner, www.jknaturegallery.com./ They are the chief watchers of the Red-tailed Hawk pair, Mama and Papa. And they're here to watch the falconry demonstrations.

FALCONRY DEMOS! And they are just over the fence.

This falconer's birds are well trained.

And I know why the hawks and falcons wear hoods. It's to keep them from becoming overstimulated and uncomfortable. But I've read books about hunting birds who sit on a perch and look around while driving in a car, or are happy sitting in a carrier on the rack above the seats on a train and being perfectly fine. That's years ago in Britain, of course. Somehow I don't think they'd let you bring a hawk on a train here. Rather boring of them actually.

For whatever reason a hood always makes me feel a little sad. Perhaps it is because the human and the bird are supposed to be hunting partners and somehow putting a hood on one partner makes me think they aren't equal partners and one of them may not be enjoying his life as much as the other one is.

Particularly as the bird he is currently holding is a Harris Hawk, a very social hawk, who hunts in family groups.

Off comes the hood and the Harris flies to the peak of the barn. The human begins to swing the lure. The hawk isn't allowed to catch the lure the first few pass through but eventually he gets to nab it. Just like in a real hunt, one isn't always successful.

The "family" that this Harris hunts with are the human and two dogs. Having caught the "prey" the hawk eats the tidbits on the lure. It really isn't a side of beef.

A employee's cart goes by and the already mantling hawk gives him a pointed glare.

Then it's back to the human and back into the box.

Out comes, I think he said, an Arctic Falcon or perhaps it is a hybrid? At any rate, his name is Dynamite and without a doubt his energy and speed are explosive.

Off he goes to the roof of the barn, then looks left. I wonder if that pigeon knows how close to death he is? In fact earlier in the day there was an entire flock of pigeons sitting in the sun on the barn's roof. They aren't there now and evidently this pigeon didn't get the word about the temporary move.

The lure begins to whirl and Dynamite is off the roof and climbing steeply in preparation for one of those famous falcon dives. He too isn't allowed to get the lure first time through so the crowd primly seated in the bleachers gets to see a number of those 200MPH plus dives and they are spectacular.

Then Dynamite grabs the lure with a snap and has a snack.

Back to the human for more and that ends the demonstration. And there is no doubt in my mind that many of the people watching the falconry learned a good deal about raptors they didn't know and will appreciate their prowess in the future. But will they remember that not all raptors are in human care and the wild ones need places saved to live and breed? I don't know.

Then it's time for me to shoot more arrows into targets, talk about how only the very wealthy could keep parrots in the medieval era, have Silver count if he's willing, and talk about the intelligence of African Greys. Then it's time to pack up the portables. Some members will be camping the night onsite, while others, like Samantha and I will be staying with friends who live closer to the demo as we'll need to be back bright and early in the morning.

And that is where we met Oliver. He's a brand new addition to the family we're spending the night with. The pet store who had him had kept him in a back room for nearly a year. Which is quite awful for an animal of intelligence. And besides who will buy him if they don't even know he's there?

That's Bug, his owner. She was one of the pirates earlier. Bug works at the less than empathetic pet store, no doubt for less wages than she should be getting, but nonetheless she saved up the hefty sum that a parrot costs and bought Oliver out of back room bondage.

For which Oliver seems eternally grateful. He loves Bug and has now joined a family of three humans, two guinea pigs, two mice, one fish, and Neesa the dog who is working very hard on remembering that we don't eat family members. Which isn't easy when you're part retriever and have wiring involved, but she's trying and so far so good.

Then everyone goes to bed, including Silver, who is one tired parrot. It's very wearing dodging strange hands all day. Why is it that some humans aren't polite? He's not sure but he knows you can't trust the uneducated ones. He knows when an educated one appears and he'll lower his head to be scratched on the neck. But if the others keep it up someone is going to get pinched--hard. Well some people don't listen and only learn the hard way.

Then it's back to Queen's Farm for another day educating the public.

There's that black rooster with the personality disorder again. This time he's picking on the hen and her chicks. She leads her young into the underbrush. Now we know where she may have lost all but the one tail feather she has left. Or was the perp a raccoon trying to get her eggs?

Life as a free range chicken can be grand but it can also be dangerous. Freedom isn't easy but it's worth it or she'd go live in the chicken house.

I've done my demos and am heading toward the field next door to check on what Mr. Nasty the rooster is up to in the treeline when...

Goodness, there is a woman falconer with a Red-phase Screech Owl on her glove and a row of raptor carriers, complete with a daughter, perhaps 12 or 13 who seems to be a junior falconer.

This is, if I remember correctly, Grumpy Face, who is wide awake, though it's daytime. In some ways she does remind me of Unmade Bed who lives in Central Park. Though U.B. is a Gray-phase Screech.

I'm completely stunned as almost immediately I'm asked if I'd like to hold her. "How did you know that a Red-phase Screech Owl is one of my favorites?", I asked. Lorrie Schumacher, Master Falconer replied, "Your hair of course." And evidentally Grumpy feels the same as she won't turn to the camera but stares fixedly at me.

Boy, that made my day. While I'm standing there, with Grumpy I see another owl poking a face out the window of a box. It's the Barred Owl. "Why isn't she asleep?", I ask. Talon, Lorrie's daughter replies, "Because she might miss something."

This is a very interesting group of raptors with very interesting falconers attached. The Pig Races are ending so I have to scamper back.

After many many folks have passed our way, Silver has decided that he, personally, is not counting for people anymore, nor dodging politely hands attempting to touch his tail, and forget being a living model for the species kept by Romans and later by Romano Celts, that was brought back to Rome by Scipio Africanus after his parrot snatching military forays into Africa.

To put it bluntly Silver had had enough and if he didn't get a break, someone was going to be sorry.

We left the crowds and went strolling towards the gate adjacent to the woods and...WOW!

Okay, I thought...WOW! I don't know what Quicksilver thought but he looked like a deer in headlights. There was a Harris Hawk sitting on the fence, six feet away, checking out the foliage. Thank goodness Silver didn't scream ARRG! and fling himself to the ground. A common parrot reaction to hawks.

The hawk was tethered to the fence in the shade, and no danger . Silver, was saying, "Wanna go on a trip!", which really meant, Wanna go anywhere but here, very agitatedly. What a surprise, poor guy, probably just scared ten years off his life.

A zoned out Silver sits in the Butterfly Garden and stares into space.

But before long he began watching the insects, eating buds off twigs, and eventually began counting to himself , up to six, over and over. (It must have used up all his counting quota because for the rest of the day he firmly refused to count again until he got home. He would only meow and once or twice, said, "Hairbrush".)

Eventually Silver said, "Tired, tired, wanna go sleep." So he went into his carrier for some peace and quiet. Well, peace and quiet punctuated now and again by a very human sounding sigh emanating from the box.

The next time I manage to get away to the gate, there is Lorrie. A young man is holding Mama, the Eagle Owl. Suddenly she bates and Lorrie says "Raise your arm, raise your arm." He does
and Mama is back on the glove as if she'd never left.

And guess who is there yet again? And I do hope he got the shot, but Jeff Kollbrunner and wife Anna.

Mama is hot so the young man runs and gets some water. Lorrie raises up the water bottle, Mama opens her beak, and some goes in. She stops panting. She's cooled off.

Wait a minute that owl just opened her beak so water could be poured into it, didn't she? Isn't that rather unusual? I'm thinking, oh yeah.

Now it's Anna's turn to hold Mama. My, this bird is very habituated to people. Lorrie talks about the fact that Mama who is three, used to splash around in the bathtub with her daughter Talon.

So that's it. Lorrie's raptors aren't imprinted on people. That can cause problems as they'll only imprint usually on one person, the mate substitute. Nor are they completely on the other end, wild and uncomfortable around people and people's things, so they must wear hoods, but rather they are habituated to people. This bird doesn't know me at all but she is allowing me to stroke her feathers. She doesn't enjoy it in particular but she is allowing it.

That's when I see the Black Rooster, and so does Mama, she begins to bate, and she's a big bird. Lorrie, says, "Put your arm up.", and it takes most of my strength but I get it up there, hair flying in all directions, I can't see a thing but Mama is back on the glove.

I get the hair out of my eyes. Well, that was--surprising and exciting. Look at Mama's "ears". Black Rooster came very close to never picking on anyone again.

My daughter Samantha, yes, she's a pirate, asked if she could pet Mama and was told it was fine to pet her feet. Sam who has had it drilled into her head forever that with a Red-tail Hawk you must watch out for the feet ever so much more than the beak, was a little worried about foot petting.

We are talking a serious pair of feet here. When Sam asked about it, Lorrie told her that currently Mama's feet were busy so she needn't worry.

I'd always wondered why a species of Owl would be named Eagle Owl. Finally the answer, it's because of the those big strong taloned feet reminiscent of those of Eagles.

Hooray, for Eagle Owls and their feet!

Then Sam's turn is over and Lorrie answers someone's question. I didn't realize it at the time but she's got her arm around Mama so she doesn't bate. See Mama's ears and facial expression, I now recognize what it means. It means--I want that black rooster dead. I want him DEAD.

Sam and I head back to the medieval world and Lorrie and Talon get ready for their second falconry show of the day.

I arrive back at the falconry field, see the medieval tent just through the gate, just as Mama finishes up. The young Harris comes out and Mama goes back to her carrier. No lag, good theatrical timing.

And guess what? Nobody is wearing a hood. And Lorrie has told all the people to get off those silly bleachers and come on down so they can see what is going on close up.

The spectators line up on both sides and the bird flies between them. They square up four men and the bird adjusts. People are thrilled and boggled. They're so close they can feel the wind from the wings.

I watch and I think.

Living with one's hawk family as well as living with humans, is similar to the circumstances that create urban hawks. Particularly those who come from nests perched on buildings and who fledge into well peopled areas. Mom and Dad don't mind people all that much so why should they?

And this is even more the case with Harris Hawks than with Red-tails conceivably as they hunt in family groups and supposedly have a more social system in the first place. The juveniles don't leave the family group until they are three years old and are ready to start a family unit of their own.

Though the Red-tail pairs in NYC tend to hang out with one another year round and young are seen well into the following year so they may be far more social than scientists have cracked them up to being.

Though Harris Hawks are the one's who use each other to get the best view of the terrain possible. Say, one hawk stands on top of a cactus, then the second stands on her, and the third on him, until they run out of family members. The top hawk scopes the area. One hawk may flush prey and the others double team the results.

Speaking of which, did you ever wonder how you recognize a raptor who hasn't been flying very long? He's the one who is, sideways in a tree holding on for dear life, or upside down, or spread winged without a perch swaying in the breeze.

This young Harris Hawk is newly hatched this season. His parents raised him, and he isn't falsely imprinted on humans. But his parents are habituated to humans and therefore so is he. They are all in the family group with seems to include the falconers. It's fascinating. They don't come across as partners of the falconers, they come across as family of the falconers. As do the owls. That is ever so much nicer for everyone, don't you think?

The puppet that fooled the Red-tail into making a grab for it. (Saturday Mailbag...September 21, 2008) Photo courtesy of Jeff Domke

And last but not least, even the simple act of watching the wildlife pass through your yard can be a behavioral bonanza. Here's an example--
From Lana W from East Peoria, Illinois.

My husband, who is disabled and is at home all the time, said we have a flock/herd/covey - I don't know what you call a bunch of turkeys, but they always seem to follow the same path early
every morning, right past our giant dog Bo's kennel, and off into the woods. Bo doesn't even bark at them.

My dad (in Macomb, Illinois) sees as many as 16 walking through his yard some days, one male and the rest are his "ladies". He also has a mama deer who brings her twins up into his yard every day, sometimes several times a day, to run and play. They probably can't do much running and playing in the woods.

Dad says they run and chase each other, jump straight up in the air, etc. He gets more enjoyment out of watching them. The other day one of the twins (they still have th spots, so must have been born late this season) went right up to a rabbit in the yard, and they touched noses and just stared at each other for a few seconds. Then the deer jumped straight up in the air and ran off lickety split. I look for them every time I'm there, but so far no luck. A few years ago there were triplets that did the same thing.

Lana how did you know I love the group words for birds and look for any excuse to point them out? In this case, a group of turkeys is called a rafter or a militia of turkeys...though flock is just fine too.

First question, why do you think that Bo doesn't bark at the turkeys? Being I don't know Bo, I don't know if he just isn't much of a barker. Or perhaps he used to bark but now he's so used to them he doesn't anymore. Or is their another possibility I haven't thought of?

Your Dad makes a good point, it probably isn't exactly easy to get your fawn running and jumping done in the woods with an understory and brush. And thanks for the detail about the spots. Yet another example of those late fawns we've been talking about.

And now we have the second example of the White-tailed Deer's fascination with different smells to the point it overcomes their natural wariness. The fawn just goes right up and snuffs the bunny. Come to think of it, isn't that how Bambi meets Thumper, by sniffing him? Or is that my imagination?

Donegal Browne