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

Francois' Friday Catch, Plus Guess What Was in the Tulsa 2007 Nest Besides Eggs?

Photograph by Francois Portmann www.fotoportmann.com
Here she is again! The Thompkins-Square-Park-winter-resident-juvenile-female or Valkyrie for short.

You have to admit the full identifier is a lot of typing or talking every time you want to specify which bird she is. Particularly when the name Valkyrie, and her style truly typifies her take-no-prisoners-personality. Look at the flight shots and tell me you can't hear Wagner in the background.

Photograph by Francois Portmann

There is no question in my mind at least, that this bird has a sweet spot for Francois as she always puts on a show for him.

Mr. Portmann said, "She is a curious bird as you'll see." Indeed she is, as this photograph shows. Her eyes are in mid-flash, as she latches onto a twig in a squirrel's drey. Obviously the squirrel isn't home, but just as a house cat will imagine prey, the chase, and the catch, so she appears to do as well.

Photograph by Francois Portmann
Off she goes again. Look at that focus and energy. And while you're
looking, note the dark patagial mark. (In eastern Red-tails the dark patch on the top edge of the underwing between the bottom of the neck/beginning of wing and the carpals is a species field mark.)


Photograph by Francois Portmann
Here she goes for a skulk across the roof. Eventually most Red-tails learn that sitting patiently in just the right spot works the best in real hunting, but I suspect the younger ones have to get in some dry practice/play before they're able to execute the proper moves. She rather looks like she is sneaking up on that arched inanimate object.

Now how might you know that this bird is a juvenile if you didn't see the color of her tail?

Juveniles have shorter wings and longer tails than adults, therefore their wing tips fall short of their tail tip.

Photograph by Francois Portmann
Valkyrie banks into a turn and cocks her tail for brakes.

We all know what the tail feathers look like, but what about the little feathers that together create light and dark stripes just above the tail feathers?

Those are the upper tail coverts.

And the dark area above the upper tail coverts?

The rump.

Photograph by Francois Portmann

The always interesting urban hawk position when one wonders if they are watching something in particular through the windows?

HBO?

The soaps?

Or using their peripheral vision and not looking forward at all?

Photograph by Francois Portmann
Wow. I believe this wing position is often used by sculptors for Archangels and Valkyries.

Photograph by Francois Portmann
And what have we here?

Francois reports that while Valkyrie was hunting one corner of the park, this red tailed male was hunting another. Though considered a mature Red-tailed Hawk, he looks just over the line as his eyes are still quite light. A two year old perhaps, like Norman of the Morningside Park Hawks was last season?

(Also note the patagial mark on this hawk. He's lighter so it's perhaps clearer.)

Photograph by Francois Portmann
Here he is again.

Look, the wingtips are down there with the tail tips

Photograph by Francois Portmann
And here comes the flight of a Valkyrie...

Baa, pah, pah, baaa, pah
Baa, pah, pah, baaa, pah

Baaa, pah, pah, baaaaa

Photograph by Francois Portmann

And she still looks to have enough energy to do it all over again.

Screen Capture March 27, 2007, Video courtesy of KJRH TV Tulsa

Photographer and Tulsa Hawkwatcher Cheryl Cavert was browsing and guess what she discovered laying with last season's pre-hatched eggs?

One and a half Sycamore fruits.

It's a repeated action in that particular Tulsa nest and it's been observed at least once in a NYC nest.

The Sycamore Fruit Plot thickens.

Donegal Browne

P.S. More on the Tennessee sludge spill from R. of Illinois and Karen of Rhode Island--

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html