Cheryl Cavert on Tulsa's Art Deco Red-tailed Hawks

Photo by Cheryl Cavert
From Tulsa hawkwatcher and photographer Cheryl Cavert--
A few days ago I spotted a hawk again at Boston Avenue UMC on the glass panels at the very top of the tower.

Photo by Cheryl Cavert
I went back the next morning and again spotted a hawk perched high, near the top right below the glass panels.


Photo by Cheryl Cavert
The coloring looked a little different than the one I had seen a week earlier-lighter eyes and paler belly band.



Photo by Cheryl Cavert
I looked around and a block away on a cell tower, was the other adult!

Hopefully over the next few months I can track down their nesting site and will send on any updates of Tulsa's RT hawks.
-Cheryl

Hurrah! Go Cheryl. I can't wait for any news. If they choose the church it is a beautiful place for a nest to be photographed. Though as we've found with the taller buildings in NYC, the angles and sightlines can sometimes be tough for observation but well worth the effort.

Not to jump too far ahead but I was wondering that if the hawks did nest successfully on the church, what is the area on ground level like for fledglings coming off the nest? Is there a green space?

What about walk by traffic of pedestrians who might turn into guardians or new budding hawkwatchers?

Have you had a chance to note what prey are in the area?

And lastly, Edward of Dallas very much liked your photographs and asked what kind of camera and set up you use to get them.

Donegal Browne

Tulsa Red-tails-Cavert's 2009 Juvenile Roundup, Langenheim Park

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
Another installment from Tulsa's Cheryl Cavert about Tulsa's 2009 Red-tailed juveniles with some wonderful photographs--

One Sunday morning in July, I spotted one of the Langenheim Park juvies across the street from the park, calling out hungrily. When I had parked and gotten out, the juvie was on a building on one side of the street and a parent was across the street on another building. As I was looking into the sun, I decided to walk around one of the buildings to get the sun behind me but did not want to walk between the hawks. As I rounded the building, I could hear lots of juvie calls, ending with a loud screech. When I first came around the corner, the sight of the juvie in the street alarmed me - until I saw the rat peeking out.

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
The parent watched from an overhead power line while the juvie tried to get control of the rat and figure out what to do with it next.


Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
I stood guard at the corner to slow any cars turning onto the street.


Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
(This stance so reminds me of a domestic cat, another predator. D. B.)


Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
After about ten minutes, one did turn in slowly hugging the opposite side of the road but the juvie flew off to the park. I followed the juivie over to the park and started walking amongst the trees, wondering how far it had flown off. Then the juvie started calling out again in some trees to my left, a loud screech-and the rat fell out of the tree!!!!! Of course shortly followed by the juvie who once again tried to figure out what to do with it before flying off with the now limp rat towards the creek and more trees.

NEXT- Introducing another RT Hawk neighbor to the north of Kay and Jay!!!
Cheryl

The Piggley Wiggley Red-tails and Jane and Rock Bald Eagle

It all started in the Piggley Wiggley parking lot.

For those not familiar with Piggley Wiggleys, they're a chain of grocery stores. I'd gone in, gotten some groceries, including some frozen items, when my cell rang as I was crawling into the car and I began having a heated discussion.

Suddenly a Red-tail winged through the parking lot heading west. I thought, "Hmmm, where is he going?", while massaging my neck from the whiplash of jerking around to see whether that really was a Red-tailed Hawk. My discussion had degraded by then into the fact I should be heading west on Park View Drive for some shots of the foliage.

West? Hmmm, that's the direction the Red-tail went. It's quite cool outside-- the groceries can live through a few minutes before being put away, right?

I head west.

Scanning the treeline far, far across a very large field, I spy them. And it's a pair! Why are they here in particular?

Then I realize there is a combine clearing the corn field on my side. RODENTS! As a field gets cleared eventually the rodents get spooked and make a break for it and that is where the Red-tails come in.

The male takes off.

Landing in a nearly naked tree a couple of trees over from his mate, north, and looks fixedly into the far field.

About then a station wagon pulls up beside me. A voice says, "What are you looking at?" I turn around and there is a very large friendly man sitting in said station wagon. It turns out that he's a painter. The kind that does bridges, and all sorts of outdoorsy kinds of things that raptors hang out on. He begins to tell me about the falcons in Milwaukee and that leads to the pair of Eagles that nest in Janesville, the next town to the south.

"WHAT?", I squeak, there was an eagle's nest just a few miles away and I missed the whole thing? "Where?"

Then, John and I, we're on a first name basis by then, begin the dance of---"Well just go down to such and such Lumber Yard..."

"Wait, wait, I'm from out of town..." To make a long story short, he volunteers to take me to where the eagles hang out in Janesville by the Rock River, right that minute. (Now there's a real temptation, but I've got all those perishables in the car...)

John turns out to be a very nice man, all 6 feet 9inches of him--he'll wait while I go home and throw the groceries into the fridge and freezer and then he'll show me the way.

I do it and we're off!

And there they are just like he said they'd be. That's Jane on the bottom, named for the town of Janesville and Rock, as it is the Rock River they nest by, on the top.

About then, John, he's the human, remember, gets a call from a friend with car trouble and has to go. But he also says he knows where some Screech Owls roost, I should call him, and then he's gone.

Wow, John is turning into the gold mine of Wisconsin raptor finding help.

By this time Rock has headed out to his usual evening roost tree but I stick with Jane.

Jane is looking down rather fixedly at a group of Geese that are swimming by. I wonder if an Eagle can take on Canada Geese? Most likely as they've been known to go for swans in the air anyway.

Jane then stares at me. Thank goodness, finally some human habituated birds, bless 'em. She at least doesn't mind the scope. Whether Rock minded or not I'm not sure as John says he often goes to the other tree about this time in the evening.

And that's when I realize I can't read an Eagle's face. My face experience with Red-tails doesn't cross over at all, at least not yet, with an Eagle's face. I'd have been able to tell whether it was the scope or just time to move perches were it a Red-tail. Drat.

I then have another thought. To me, an Eagle's face always seems to be expressing fierceness, with a good helping of grumpy thrown in. I'm going to have to work on it.

I realize it is beginning to get dark and this is a rather deserted section of town down here by the lumber yard.

I then see this "thing" at the base of Jane's tree. What it that?

Well? What do you think it is? It's hard to judge the size from across the river, but somehow it seems to be almost human sized. A giant stuffed seal who wears a hat? A bizarro disguise for duck hunting?

Jane is giving me the eye in a way that tells me she's about had enough of me. Or is that just the "grumpy" I see in Eagle faces. At any rate, it is time for me to head out. I'll definitely be making some more visits to the eagles before they take off for the winter. Maybe I'll even be able to see "cheerful" in their faces before they leave.

This is where I had placed the photos for Cheryl Cavert's of Tulsa's update for this evening. Blogger ate them. Not that blogger has eaten he's now become tired... so more from Cheryl in the next post.

Donegal Browne

Kay and Jay Red-tail's Neighbors and Do Ravens Kill Pigeons-A comment

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert

What a beautiful fledgling sitting at his ease, with one foot tucked. Up first today, another installment of Cheryl Cavert's Red-tail Round up from Tulsa--

Donegal,

It seems Kay and Jay's RT hawk neighbors all had more successful nests then they did this spring. Immediately to their east, the 36th&Lewis pair had two fledglings, as well as RanchAcres and Langenheim. The 51st&Peoria pair to the south had one juvie.
I've attached a few photos of one of the RanchAcres juvies.

One evening while trying to eat its share of a rabbit (the back half), a mockingbird harassed it almost nonstop for 20 minutes. One photo shows how close the mockingbird was getting!!!
Next - tales of the Langenheim juvie!
--Cheryl

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert
And here we have it. A juvenile Red-tail looking Cheryl straight in the eye. Or straight into her eye through the camera, likely. I suspect it looks odd to them because they'll look at it for quite some time.

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert

How close is that Mockingbird getting? There is definite contact being made. Enough in fact for the Mocker to scrunch the young hawk's feathers with his feet. Some of the species of the common smaller attack birds, such as Mockingbirds and Catbirds, seem to know a juvenile hawk from a more experienced mature one and take advantage of the information.

Photograph by Cheryl Cavert

The juvenile takes to eating again. On this pass over it looks almost as if the Mockingbird is checking out what the hawk is eating--just in case.

Next--A contribution from Thunder, an Ontario observer, to the discussion surrounding,
Is Samantha Raven Actually Killing Pigeons?
I'm in northern Ontario. Well, last Friday, October 23rd, I witnessed a raven kill a pigeon. I work in a building, and as I was leaving for my lunch, a pigeon was feasting on little bits on the ground. A raven about 2 1/2 feet tall dive bombed directly into that pigeon and drove its beak clean into it. Poor little fellow never saw it coming. The Raven then decided to eat it, freaking out kids passing by.


Hi Thunder,

Thank you for sending in your observation. The plot thickens.

I’ve got some questions I was hoping you could help me with. You very well may not know many of the details I’m asking after as I realize you were attempting to get some lunch yourself, but any details you remember would be great.

Did you happen to see where exactly on the pigeon the predators beak entered for the kill strike?

Was it a clean kill, as in the pigeon died immediately or close to it?

Was the pigeon foraging on a sidewalk?

How busy was the area when the strike was made when it comes to people and or vehicles?

Did you see the Raven leave? Was she finished eating or did she flush off due to a disturbance and if so, did she take the pigeon with her?

Thank you!

Donegal Browne

MORE ON KAY AND THE EGGS IN TULSA

Screen Capture by Bob McCarger courtesy of KJRH TV Hawk Cam
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/3349249150_a844973a55_o.jpg

We think the second egg was laid yesterday evening, Wednesday. We saw tantalizing glimpses of what appeared to be second egg during the night, but we were obviously able to confirm it this morning. By the way, those round, brown, thingies are sycamore pods, from what it is apparently their favorite kind of tree, the site of some romantic trysts.


Screen Capture by Bob McGarger Courtesy of KJRH TV Hawk Cam
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/3349801071_d6b813da94_o.jpg


Egg One in foreground, with Egg Two in the background, I think, and the brown sycamore fruit, mentioned by Bob, in the far back.



Jackie Dover of the Tulsa Forum, had mentioned that it was cold in Tulsa and Kay was putting her head under her wing. Hence the search for temperature, wind direction, wind chill, and wind gust information.

Weather information courtesy of the National Weather Service

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tsa/cur_wx.htm



Temperatures as of Midnight 3/13/09

Windchill

Temperature and wind direction

Wind Gusts
By the way, does anyone know where Jay is perched so he has a sightline on Kay and the eggs, just in case?

Donegal Browne

P.S. Keep scrolling down for the first post on the second egg.

Brett Odom Finds the Date, Pale Male and Lola, NYTimes Nature News, Plus the Tulsa Red-tails: How to tell Kay from Jay from Thunder

Photograph Donegal Browne
4/22/08 Lola waits for Pale Male to rise from the bowl of the nest.

Southern Central Park and Downtown Hawkwatcher Brett Odom, did yeoman's duty and searched though the Spring, 2008 archives of www.palemale.com/ searching for the reference to the unattended nest episode. Here is Brett's report--

I scoured Lincoln's archives and found the exact date. It was March 29th and PM & Lola left the nest unattended for 11 minutes according to the posting (not sure what time of day it was). Lincoln does not state why. Going back over each day of his archives does reveal a lot with regard to their behavior. There are several instances where he says that Lola sits on the nest for hours without a break or food being brought by PM. Perhaps during some of those instances Lola had to leave the nest unattended to feed herself.

Brett B. Odom
brettodom@mac.com




Photograph courtesy of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
January 7, 2009,
After the Holidays, Still on the Lam
By Sewell Chan AND Jennifer 8. Lee


(Sent to the blog by long time reader and contributor Bill Walters.)





FOR MORE FOLLOW THE LINK--


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/a-stray-turkey-on-central-park-south/?emc=eta1
I believe there are several Central Park Turkeys and beyond those mentioned in the article there is also Hedda Gobler up in Morningside Park. (It is north of Central Park.) She is a neighbor of Isolde and Norman, who's Red-tail territory includes Morningside Park.



Photograph courtesy of Peter Kayafas




A Red-Tailed Tableau at Bethesda Fountain




"Oh, my God!”




The tour guide leading two dozen high school-aged visitors through Central Park on Thursday morning stopped dead in mid-narration at Bethesda Fountain. There, on the right hand of “Angel of the Waters,” perched a red-tailed hawk. It looked as if it were naturally part of the sculpture — except for the radiant glow of its plumage against the statue’s muted bronze.


FOR MORE FOLLOW THE LINK--http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/a-red-tailed-tableau-at-bethesda-fountain/?emc=eta1


I particularly like the last line. .

Stage Manager and avid newspaper reader Bill Walters discovered this April 3, 2008, story in the New York Times archive. I'd certainly like to see that hawk's belly band to see if it was Lola for certain. But as it is April, and breeding season with the territorial boundaries harden, it could be Lola. In winter that area and the Ramble across the Lake are destinations for any number of Red-tailed hawks that fly in from their usual residences to partake of Central Park's deep prey base.







HOW TO TELL THE TULSA KJRT TV HAWKS, KAY, JAY, AND THUNDER APART

Many thanks to Tulsa's Cheryl Cavert for the use of her very helpful photographs, and to "Other Donna" of the Tulsa Forum for gleaning the shots that showed the mid-sections of the birds, and sending them on to me.


1/01/09 Kay


Notice her belly band, her "ankles", and a female's slightly larger beak. Because of the angle her belly band appears quite low on her torso. The band appears here as jagged streaks.

The particular head position that shows the length of the beak can be quite helpful as a possible clue to the sex of the bird but not completely definitive except for a very few infallible raptor experts such as Hermione Parry-Jones.

Kay
And the angle here makes her belly band appear further up her breast.
The wind is ruffling her anterior feathers. Note how suddenly they appear more dot like and less streaked.


Kay
We're back to streaks as there is no wind, and here you can see the shoulder wash of color.

12/19/08 Kay
Here the shoulder wash isn't visible, there is a mixed streak and dot pattern, and because of the different light, here here belly band appears paler than before. Even taking into account the varying light, her band is darker than either Thunder's or Jay's.

12/24/08 Kay from the back. Note the eyebrow is visible but nearly as light as Jay's .

Jay has a slightly smaller beak, fluffier feathers on his head, and skinnier ankles if you could see them.

He is in bright sunlight so his already light belly band appears next to nonexistent.

Jay

It's often hard to tell individuals apart by their backs but look at how light Jay's eyebrow is compared to Kay's, one photo up. Yes, Jay's head is lighter, than Kay's and he is slightly smaller but unless they were sitting together it would be difficult to positively ID them from those characteristics without direct comparison.

11/18/08 Thunder

We know that Thunder being a juvenile has lighter eyes than the other two but it is not apparent in the photo. Therefore check the tail. Not rusty red and just discernible--the horizontal stripes of a juvenile.


Thunder's belly band has a tendency to appear more often dotted than streaked even without the ruffling of wind. Her band is darker than her father's and lighter than her mother's.



12/25/08 Thunder


Check out the saturation of color between her head and back. Juveniles have more of a tendency for the head, neck, and back to appear matched. Though by no means a cut and dried field mark for a young bird.






Christmas Eve
Kay and Jay have very similar posterior coloration and pattern.


How sweet is this? Bonded pairs do spend time together in the off season. These two are even touching as they perch.

Which is which?

In this case as we can see both bird's brows and the light is just right, we've got the answer. Jay is top and Kay is bottom.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THROW IN THE POT IN REFERENCE TO POSSIBLE BEHAVIOR OF KAY AND JAY IF A CAMERA ADDITION IS MADE AT THE KJRH NEST
AN UPDATE ON MAMA AND PAPA'S NEST SITE MOVE IN 2008
From Jeff Kollbrunner, www.jknaturegallery.com/ Jeff and his wife Anna have watched this pair for 14 seasons. (I'm betting Mama and Papa do do interviews with Anna and Jeff.)


Donna,

I had read your update today and want to offer some additional information and clarity as to why Mama and Papa selected a new nest site this past nesting season.

Mama and Papa did use the same building as the previous season that was monitored by Hawkcam. They started using a newly constructed nest on the South side of the building on a similar window air conditioner unit on the same floor as the previous years nest which was located on the North side of the building that the hawkcam monitored. This past season Mama had started using that new nest on the South side of the hawkcam building for about a week when a prolonged period of intense media coverage started for a local trial. There were countless media trucks with their satellites fully extended every day, photojournalists and reporters on rooftops and large loud protests all day long with bull horns in constant use and the like in the immediate area of their nest. All of this being in such close proximity to Mama and Papa's new nest they decided to abandon it, luckily, just prior to laying eggs. Mama and Papa had constructed three nests that year, two on this building and one in a cemetery White Pine tree just East of these other two nests. They elected to move to the Pine tree nest, Mama had three eggs shortly after relocating to the Pine tree where they had three very large and very healthy fledglings.

Mama and Papa typically construct a new nest every year for the past 14 plus years we have been observing them. They have re-used a single location once but had to rebuild that nest from scratch as the Coop board had their previous seasons nest removed when that nesting season was completed. Mama and Papa routinely return to favorite vantage points on tall buildings that have been otherwise disturbed by construction activity or maintenance work. They don't seem bothered by this at all except they will stay away from these favorite vantage points if there is constant maintenance work in progress each day. They will return to these sites when the workers leave for the day and activity at the location ends. They are not disturbed by the scaffolds that are left in place as long as the work crew is gone for the day. When all the equipment is removed and the workers are gone for good Mama and Papa resume their typical use of these vantage points.

All the best,
Jeff


It just occurred to me anew, how the network of Hawkwatchers has grown each year, as has all of our knowledge as we share what we know, surmise, test, and see, every season.


Bravo! Brava! To Hawkwatchers every one.

Donegal Browne

CATHY HORVATH'S THEORY OF PAIN MEDS, MISSING KAY OF TULSA, H3 HAD A NAME, AND BARN SWALLOW FAMILY

Astoria Park's Atlas, relaxes while doing sentinel duty.

I received an update about the Tulsa hawks which reported that no one seemed to have seen Kay for possibly a couple of weeks. This concerned the reporter, me, and any number of readers so Tulsa Hawkwatcher Cheryl Cavert headed out to try and track Kay down.

FROM CHERYL, MAJOR OBSERVER AND PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE TULSA RED-TAILS--

Great news Donna -

I spotted Kay this evening. She is back!!!!!! I had checked back over the posts and the last possible spotting had been around July 1st. In fact I saw all 3 of them this evening, at the same time - and it was a thrill. I do not know yet if I got any decent pictures.I just had to share the good news!-Cheryl

Excellent!!! Whew, we've lost enough hawks for one season. (Knock wood.)

WHAT ABOUT PAIN MEDICATION FOR THE REHABBING HAWKS?

After the publishing of the frounce photos. we all saw what a dreadful disease it was, and how painful it must be. Readers asked whether these hawks could have or were getting pain medications. I shot off an email to wildlife rehabilitator Cathy Horvath and she shot one right back.

hey donna ,

pain management is huge for me. i feel that the pain over rides the will to live when they are so very sick. they might not show pain on the outside because then they are vulnerable to become prey, but eating just becomes such a chore and sucks the rest of the life out of them.

they can just linger on for quite some time without eating . it is just too sad. the most important thing to do when i get a patient in is to make sure they are warm. even the older animals , not just babies. they cannot digest their food if they are cold. then comes the pain meds. i use a liquid called metacam . everyone gets pain meds. my method has worked pretty well for me so i won't be changing anything.

i can't say how happy i am that everyone is doing so well. i feel pretty proud right now.

one last note ... i named the youngest houston baby dante . in latin it means everlasting . that is where he will be in my heart. i am so heart broken that i was unable to save him . thanks again to all , i hope to only have good news to tell from now on !!! sorry about all the lower case letters...sadie is sitting on my lap and i can't really shift with one hand . talk to you soon...cathy Horvath

And many thanks to caring Cathy Horvath. Great intuition on her part and analysis of why pain medication is so extremely important in recovery for Man or Beast.

One of my favorite things in Wisconsin is the propensity of Barn Swallows, Hirundo rustica. (By the way they are our only swallow that has a swallow tail.) They're beautiful, eat insects, and are downright cheeky. I like their nests too. And this year with all the rain they've been able to get just the right consistency of mud for lovely nests.

Here is the nest itself. Perched under the aluminum roof of a sideless pavilion. It's a touch dim up there and these guys are fast so not the easiest of subjects.

I think this might be Dad. Hard to tell as both male and female are colored similarly. But whoever it is, the bird is far beyond the next largest Barn Swallow I've seen. He's huge compared to the species norm.

See what I mean? Both parents swoop in every minute or so with another catch of insects. The chicks are young and so not much is ever visible of them beyond a beak and partial head as yet.

The other bird leaves and this bird flies in. Even though the light isn't optimum for it, you're still able to see some of the iridescence of the feathers of this species.

The moment a parent lands on the edge of the nest little tips of beaks appear and gape. Then begins some of the fastest rapid fire feeding in birdland. And look at how far her head goes down the chick's throat.

Then Mom gives me a don't-even-try-it look and takes off for another beakful of mosquitoes, flies, and other tasty human annoyances.

Oh, a bit of Wisconsin folk wisdom which everyone believes to be quite true. Lightning will never strike where Barn Swallows nest.

Do they know something we don't? If they can figure it out, lack of being struck by lightening seems an excellent criteria for the nest placement list.

There is more than enough of rain this season and so the wildflowers are lush this year. Here are what is called in Wisconsin, Brown-eyed Susans.

The wild Black Raspberries are coming on. I picked a gallon bucket full today. But as there is no free lunch, I also have two little bites on my right middle finger which seem particularly poisonous as my finger has swollen up so much I can't bend it and it rather throbs. It wasn't a hornet as I didn't feel a sting, perhaps a spider?

Many of the small roadside slopes which are difficult to mow are covered with the Susan's and Tiger and Day lilies.

There was a gorgeous sunset this evening, but when it was happening I wasn't able to pull off the road for a photograph. So in a fit of whimsy, I took the picture while rolling.

Just think Impressionism.

Donegal Browne
P.S. My apologies, I am once again far behind in the email. I will catch up eventually, promise!