Pale Male Attempts to Tempt Third (the unfledged eyass) Off the Nest

Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

For the past two days, we decided to try something new.  Longtime hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton, and my daughter also a long time hawkwatcher as she started when she was ten or so and is now in college, Samantha Browne-Walters have been casing Central Park for Pale Male, Octavia, Fledge 1, Fledge 2, and the above hard case, Third who does not want to leave the nest.  When Stella or Sam catch one of the hawks in the act they text me an update and I immediately post it on the blog from my computer.  Therefore readers can get the latest in real time.

We're still ironing out the glitches for update photos in real time so this evening I'm posting the pix which went with the earlier updates today of the on the spot sightings.

Here we go!

2:31 PM Above, still on the nest is, I'm calling him Third, the eyass who just doesn't want to take the leap.  You'll note as usual with a hard case he is spending quite a bit of time alone.  Pale Male and Octavia are out hunting and looking after Fledge 1 and Fledge 2 who need more looking after as they are out in the world.  Third is safe, and he is fed, visited, and checked on but it is likely pretty lonely up there after the previous crowd before everyone left.

2:33PM  Third decides to do a little preening.

But as we will see, Pale Male has decided it is time that Third left the nest....so what does Pale Male do?

Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:39 PM  He soars a giant circle around the Model Boat Pond and above the buildings on Fifth Avenue.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:40PM  Then Octavia gives it a try by soaring by.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:45PM  Then here comes Pale Male again.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

 Third takes some interest.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:49PM  Nope.  Not going to look...

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Full wide display, see its fun.  And isn't  there a little something in Pale Male's beak?

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Wait!  Is that a MOUSE in Dad's beak?

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:50PM  Okay I'll flap.  See I'm making an effort.

    Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters                                       
                                           Still flapping!

Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Where'd he GO!

Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
2:52PM  He better not be eating it.

   Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

Hey, somebody could bring one of those up to me.  I could eat a duck.

    Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Fine.  I'll preen.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
What now? 

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
 3:13PM  What is that? 

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
Hmmm.

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
    I'm eating it.

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
3:22PM Pale Male on another circuit flies between Woody and Shipshape. 

   Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters

 Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
          Third sees Pale Male

  Photo by Samantha Browne-Walters
And Third starts to flap.  There may well be a sympathetic mimicry for wing flapping once eyasses reach a certain maturity.  And Pale Male being an experienced parent is well aware of it.  Part of his reason for making periodic circuits in full view of Third, perhaps?

I'm still working on extracting Stella's photo from my phone so look forward to Fledge 2 with her rat next post.

To see Sam's  original updates from earlier today scroll down and hit older posts to get to the next page.
Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne
 

Pale Male and Octavia, Dr. Pepperberg, Griffin, and Athena Plus Quicksilver the African Grey Parrot Takes a Bath, and a New Red-tailed Hawk in the Neighborhood

                                                                               
Photo courtesy of http://www.palemale.com/
Octavia flies in from the left, North, and Pale Male takes off center like a bullet and then heads uptown, North.  Hawkwatchers surmise that there was some business that Pale Male felt he needed to attend to up there...such as a possible intruder.

Not all "intruders" mean to intrude.  Sometimes they just wander into the territory and can be easily made to feel they should retire to other regions when Pale Male comes their way.

 (left to right) Griffin, Athena, Dr. Irene Pepperberg

A double heads-up concerning an article about Harvard's Parrot Lab from Robin of Illinois, and Samantha of Brandeis--
(Video of Griffin and Athena the African Grey Parrots with Dr. Pepperberg besides.)

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/12/polly-want-a-vocabulary/

 Six month old Athena

Note that Athena's eyes are darker than Griffin's.

African Grey Parrot "babies" have dark eyes which gradually lighten over their first year or so.

 AND QUICKSILVER BATHES IN THE ROASTER...

 

I do wonder why he always has this internally absorbed...somewhat psycho expression when he bathes?

And he plunges back in.

What has he done with his head?

Ecstasy. 

Silver bathing is extreme frenetic movement...

Juxtaposed with stillness and an internalized expression.

A leap back in with flapping....more frenetic movement.

 Stillness.

A leap out!

And he's done!  He hops off and it is time for  the hair dryer.

He never talks during a bath.  Are the tactile sensations just  much too self absorbing?

I was driving along when I looked over and realized that a tree in this grove next to a house had a bright spot that just didn't seem to belong there.  

Sure enough there was a Red-tailed Hawk pretending to be part of the trunk of a tree.  She evidentally was quite intent on whatever she was watching as she didn't seem to notice that the car had stopped.  (No I didn't turn off the engine, just in case.)

 After a few moments she did deign to give me a look.

But then she turned her head and though still likely keeping me in view,  looked off into the distance.  She made my day for not immediately fleeing when she knew I knew she was there.  I'm going to be keeping a look out for her, she's my kind of hawk.

Happy Hawking!

Donegal Browne

The Teneke Bald Eagle Nest which technically isn't in this particular fence row though it looks like it might be.  It is actually located in a marshy area at some short distance from the fence row which borders this field. 

  This is the Eagle nest I found last season and asked for permission of  the land owner to cross part way into said private land through the marsh on the other side.  I suggested that side beyond it would be closer to come from the other side but also so there was absolutely no way I'd damage any crops in case he thought I couldn't recognize a corn stalk.  I was refused. Sigh. 

Therefore I'll do what I can.  There is a creek that runs into the area with access from the road.  In Wisconsin all waterways are public access.  Therefore if I can come up with some kind of  very flat boat that might make it up the shallow creek, I might be able to get a little closer later in the season.

In the meantime, I want to see if the Eagles are actually using the nest and if there is an Eagle sitting on some eggs up there.

 A mid-range crop.  No bird noticeable yet.

And an even closer crop of a long range photo. Yes!  See the top curve of the white head?  It is on the left side of the bowl.  So they are using this nest, they've laid, and are sitting!  

Next up a look at the Gough Red-tail nest which is not far down the fence row.  As raptor expert John Blakeman suggested,  Bald Eagle and Red-tail Hawk territories sometimes overlap.
  

The Gough Red-tailed Hawk Nest, without any trace of a sitting Red-tail.

Then I traveled further down the fence row looking for hawks.

Aha!  See the hawk near the top of the tree?

I'd say this was the female.  Did you notice the chubby look and a kind of heaviness?  As longtime Pale Male watcher Stella Hamilton would say, "That hawk looks eggnant!"

It won't be long now.  Possibly even tomorrow, they'll start sitting if the formel's look is any clue. 

Onward.

I'd followed the tree line down to the corner and turned right.  Their is a grayish spot in the tree that doesn't look quite tree-ish. I stop and scan the trees with the long lens on the camera.

 See him center?  That's the tiercel from the Gough nest.

He appears to be hunting.

Then he turns his head maintaining eye contact with the formel in her tree near the corner of the intersecting treeline.

Back into the car to hit three more spots before sunset. 

I head for the territory of the two pale belly band-less Red-tailed Hawks.  I can't find them.  Running out of time.

Next on the list, Alfred and Emily Sandhill Crane.
Therefore, I'm posting this and check back if you didn't see a Sandhill post before you saw this one.

Got it?

Good!

Happy Hawking!
D.B.