Pale Male, Ginger Lima, Piebald Grackle, Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel, and 888 Peregrine on Eggs!

Pale Male flies by with prey.

Still copulating! And still with Ginger Lima...

I looked out the patio door today and WHOA!

No, he hasn't been in wet paint.

Wisconsin, capitol of leucistic and albino fauna, has come through again. This is a piebald leucistic Grackle. In other words, the bird has true species colors in the areas that are not completely devoid of pigment. Somehow the streaks and speckles make him look less fierce than your typical Grackle.

This bird happened to be under the feeder alone so I don't know how he gets along with other Grackles. In the past when there have been leucistic birds in the yard they've been treated, at least to the human eye, by other members of their species as if they were true colored. Though I've not watched a leucistic Grackle before. Stay tuned.

I'd noticed that the entrance to Chewy's burrow was open and lo and behold today, Chewy, or a relative was out in the feeding area stuffing those Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel cheeks.

In regards to a question about a possible nest in Tompkins Square Park, which would mean two urban hawk nests only a mile apart with the addition of the Washington Square nest. A response from Francois Portmann, pro photographer and worldly bird watcher-

There is no RTH nest in Tompkins Square Park. Bird photographer Dennis Edge who visits the park daily confirms: "I saw a squirrel building the nest mentioned, RTHs sometimes sit on squirrel's nest" Hope that helps,
Francois
http://www.fotoportmann.com


Photo by Brett Odom

And from our watcher of the 888 nest site, Brett Odom--

Hello Donna.

Yesterday (April 2^nd. I missed it in my box for a week. Sorry. D.B.) I managed to take a very blurry photo of one of the falcons on the 888 nest ledge. I haven't brought in my tripod to work yet which is why the photo is not in focus. I will bring it in with me on Monday. As you can see, the falcon is not perched, but laying down which is what it was doing on the 29th. I'm not the expert, but I would imagine this is how a bird would lay when brooding (is that the correct term) eggs. This was late in the day and the falcon was still like this when I left for home so I do not know if she, I will use the female pronouns for now, actually had any eggs she was covering. The sun was also on the opposite side of the building so she wasn't attempting to warm up by sunbathing. I would be interested in knowing your thoughts.

I have attached the original size photo so you can zoom in without loosing too much sharpness. Once I have my tripod in, I will attempt to take some better photos. You might not be able to tell, but this is the exact spot where Charlotte and Jr.'s nest is located. It is behind the glass immediately to the left of the falcon. As you can see, the plastic shopping bag I wrote you about last year is still on the nest.

Regards,
Brett

Brett, you are using brooding correctly. I used to think that brooding was only used in regard to hatchlings, as opposed to eggs, but I looked it up and it's both sitting on eggs and/or sitting on eyasses. :-)

It looks to me that she is sitting on eggs. As Peregrines don't really have much in the way of nesting materials usually, the nest is called a scrape, I'd suggest that her rather mantling stance is her way of sitting eggs in chilly weather.

I love the fact that the plastic bag is still there.

Wish I knew where Charlotte and Junior have gotten to.

Keep it up Brett, I can't wait to see what happens with the Peregrines next!

Best, D

And last but not least, the link for the now famous Iowa Eagle Cam

http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-eagle-nest-cam-watch-040111,0,1096929.story

Pale Male Courts the New Girl with Gusto, Red-tail on Red-tail Intrusions of Nests, and the Norfolk Eagle Cam

Pale Male and Lola in 2007

Pale Male has made his choice of a new mate as Lola has not reappeared. At this time of year the biological reproductive imperative takes over and he is courting the new formel he has chosen with great gusto and acrobatic flying. Check out the latest photographs at Lincoln Karim's--
www.palemale.com/

The new girl is a very dark headed and backed hawk with a very dense dark belly band. There will likely not be much problem telling them apart.

I do hope those are not words I live to regret. Sometimes it isn't as easy as it may seem initially to tell two Red-tails apart but here the differences are almost spectacular.

As Lincoln had mentioned that he thought that Pale Male's new choice looked similar to Charlotte, Pale Male Junior's mate, I wondered if their eyass of 2007, Ziggy, might actually be dark enough and the right age to be Pale Male's new mate.

Remember Ziggy, who came down into the Ziegfield Plaza and caused such a hullabaloo amongst, rush hour pedestrians, the police, the park service, a homeless guy and eventually renowned rehabber Bobby Horvath thank goodness, as she stood grounded on the sidewalk?

I found a photo of Ziggy, and unless she has darkened appreciably with age, she isn't nearly dark enough. Pale Male Jr., who's coloration takes after his likely father, Pale Male, is...well...pale. And he is her father after all.




Karen Anne Kolling of Rhode Island had a question about whether Red-tails have the same sort of Red-tail on Red-tail Intrusions onto the the nest that Peregrines do--
Karen Anne said...

For awhile I was reading some peregrine websites. There have been some nasty battles, even to the death, when a peregrine is away temporarily from his or her mate, and another "moves in" and then the first returns. Does that happen with redtails?

Karen,

Not that I've seen or heard about.

With Pale Male and Lola or any of the other Red-tailed nests I've watched, I have never seen an intruder actually set a toe on their nest. The pairs are on the job and keeping an eye on the mate’s location in the park plus the territory and the park located mate keeps an eye on the territory and mate on the nest as well.

Before the eggs are laid, some visitors are rather gently herded from the territory, whilst others have both Pale Male and Lola seriously hurtling at them at which time they beat a hasty retreat.

After the eggs are laid, gentle herding becomes a thing of the past.

Once I saw Pale Male signal Lola by flying back and forth in front of the nest as he wanted her to come back to the nest, then he flew off and took care of the problem himself. There are times where Lola will take off like a rocket from the nest after an intruder and PM will hot wing in and stand over the eggs.

Very occasionally when there are eggs they will both go after the intruder or intruders. The eggs are left for very brief amount of time.

I can't confirm their exact criteria for who takes on which intruders but it appears that Pale Male takes on the males and Lola takes on the larger females as she is larger. There have been cases in which the territory was entered by a pair of Red-tails. It appears in that case that they take quick turns fighting them off, with one adult on the nest a straddle the eggs.

On one occasion, Lola was on the eggs and Pale Male was on the nest doing a check in when a Red-tailed Hawk suddenly appeared on the edge of the roof of 927. Pale Male saw the hawk, flew up, landed about 2 feet from the visitor on the roof. Pale then just turned toward the second hawk, puffed himself up in a menacing stance and glared. The visitor then looked completely startled and flew off as fast as his wings could carry him. Pale didn’t even bother to chase him .

From Eaglecam alerting Jackie Dover of Tulsa

Hi, Donegal:

The Norfolk [VA] Botanical Garden eagle pair have built a new nest, about 125 feet from the old one. The eagle cam has been moved to the new site and is currently being tested before going live once again. A summary of this activity can be found at this link (Dec. 30 entry):
http://eaglecam.tumblr.com/

For some gorgeous photos of the eagle pair at the new nest, see the blog by Reese Lukei, of the Center for Conservation Biology:
http://eaglenest.blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/30/photos-from-new-nest-tree-dec-30/
and
http://eaglenest.blogs.wm.edu/2010/12/31/new-nest-photos-12-31-10/

For more information about these eagles and the camera--
http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/e-community/eagle-cam

Best wishes,
Jackie Dover

And from NYC Birdwatcher and astronomy buff Mitch Nusbaum--

A photo stream which has a good example of the notch in a Sharp-shinned Hawk's tail. The notch is often noted by birders as a field mark to tell this hawk from the similar Cooper's Hawk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51058083@N03/?saved=1

Donegal Browne

The Water Street Peregrines, Rock River Bald Eagles, and Brant Geese in Brooklyn, BRANT GEESE???

Photo by James O'Brien
James had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the DEP banding of New York City's 55 Water St. Peregrine Falcons. As you can see Mom is not the least bit amused though all was well in the end, of course.


Photo by James O'Brien
Here is the basket of babies waiting to be examined, measured, and banded. It turned out to be a nice even, 2 females and 2 males.


Photo by James O'Brien
Check out the whole sequence of the proceedings on James' Flickr site-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yojimbot/sets/72157623923286901/show/
And for commentary too, his blog--
http://yojimbot.blogspot.com/

Photo by Donna Browne
Rock and Jane the Janesville Area Rock River Eagles, Oct. 2009

This Spring there have been a number of sightings of a Bald Eagle flying along the Rock River in Janesville, WI. Blog contributor Beakerless has seen the Eagle several times and as of a week and a half ago, he saw an Eagle again. The thought is that the other Eagle in the pair is tending a nest which we haven't discovered yet. If we could find the nest, it would be the only verified Bald Eagle nest in the County.

From local watcher, Beakerless-
April 30th saw a mature Bald Eagle fishing the river near the Library and Racine St Bridge in Janesville. On May 1st we were walking the Spring Brook Trail and saw a mature Bald Eagle scoop up a fish and fly into the trees near the bridge at the beginning of the trail. Near Marling Lumber yard. Not sure if it was a male or female but it was awesome.

Marling Lumber yard is on the bank of the Rock River directly across from where the Eagles, pictured above, were fishing and roosting in the evening last fall.

Photo by W. A. Walters
Bill Walters, our usual gleaner of the NYTimes, happened to be doing extra work on a movie in Red Hook, Brooklyn when he noticed these geese in the harbor about 2 miles east of The Statue of Liberty.

Photo by W. A. Walters
At least he thought they were geese though he said there was something duck-like about them, perhaps their way of swimming?

I looked closely, they weren't Canada Geese. The proportion is different and the coloring. They look small to me. Besides where is that big white face patch?


I'd not seen these birds before. Which isn't all that unusual when it comes to waterfowl as we know. I pulled out the field guide and started looking.

Ah ha! Well probably ah ha! Standing there next to the Barnacle Goose in The Peterson's Field Guide, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition, is the Brant Goose, Branta hernicla.

They are smaller than canadensis, check. But the telling field mark, beyond "Where's the white head patch?" as there are other geese besides the Canadian ones with a white head patch, is the fact that the black of their necks goes to the waterline, check, whereas a Canada Goose has that big chunk of buffy breast above the waterline. And if it were a Barnacle Goose, yes the black would go to the waterline but it would also have a white head patch that includes their eyes.

If you look closely the Brant Goose does have just a bit of white on it's upper neck but nothing nearly large enough to cause you confusion.

And yes, check, for habitat they are found "mainly salt bays, estuaries" so the harbor fits fine. Of course these guys are just passing through as they spend their summers nesting in the tundra.

All that fit, check, check, check, but I was still having my waterfowl I.D. paranoia so I emailed a shot to photographer and excellent birder Francois Portmann asking if they were indeed Brant Geese. He concurred.

It is ever so much nicer to get it right---than to get it wrong, isn't it?

Donegal Browne

SWIMMING FALCON AND PALE MALE AND LOLA'S VIEW

Falcon photographs by Mary Malec
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marymalec/532945901/in/set-72157600318000524/
Posted by a Tulsa Hawk Forum member...
"I thought people might enjoy this unusual series of a peregrine falcon that fledged from the Oracle Software Building and landed in the San Francisco Bay. How often do you hear of falcons swimming? "

He stopped a couple of times, seemed to nearly sink but each time swam on strongly.

Thankfully there was a place for this exhausted fledgling to crawl out of the water. Once in water birds can "fly" though it for awhile until they run out of strength but they can't take flight again so there must be a place on the bank that is suitable for scrambling from the water or it's all over.

On occasion birds fall into the Model Boat Pond in Central Park. It has steep concrete sides, unless the birds happen to swim to the steps which is the only place they are capable of helping themselves out, they need human assistance out of the water or they'll drown. D.B.

By the time the falcon recovered, it was dark. Nia, working for SCPBRG (Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group) to assist the fledglings if needed, recovered the swimmer.

Did YOU ever dream of seeing Pale Male and Lola's view of Central Park? Here's your chance! Hustle on down to the CP Greensward Celebration and do it!

Here's a teaser from Central Park photographer Eleanor Tauber who captured some of the fun!

Eleanor said--"The balloon rides are still going on. When I was there at 7am it was fun seeing guys in business suits with brief cases going up before work!"

Bon Voyage!

Donegal Browne

P.S. And while you're at it, go and see The Public Theatre's free production of HAIR at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. From all reports it's marvelous!