Palemale, County M Red-tails, Sheepskin Pond Eagle Nest, Squirrel the Kitten, Doorstep Dove, Ravens, and Richard the III

 Pale Male observes his domain from a railing on the Linda Building photo

 courtesy of www.palemale.com/

Central Park observers report as is typical in February, Pale Male is twigging the nest and working on renovations to the nest for the coming season.  If this year is typical, copulation will begin soon.

 As there had been a massive wind storm and then repeated snow storms within the last few weeks,  I took the opportunity on Friday to check on the Sheepskin Pond Eagle nest.  Rimed with snow but still intact, if the eagle pair chooses their former nest,which they often will, it is waiting for them to return to with the thaw for another season.

And yet another good sign for Spring nest watching, many of you will remember the pair of Red-tailed Hawks who nested in the oak tree surrounded by a field not far off County M, I saw a pair circling above the former nesting area on Sunday. Fingers crossed.

Finally, my camera was at hand when Squirrel the Kitten climbed the patio door.

He gets his claws well dug in.

Then bats at something invisible to non-feline eyes or non-feline imagination.

Ah oh, he begins to slide. 

 Toenails screeching along the wood, he watches as he slides.

His ears flatten out but he doesn't give up the descending view.

His downward momentum increases...

Then he braces his feet, leaps off, and zips away.

On Sunday, Doorstep Dove, as she so often has done in the past, perched watching the sun disappear.  She saw me come to the window and we bobbed heads back and forth.  Then she went back to her watch and as usual flew off last of all the yard birds to roost for the night.  
 

Fascinating article on ravens making language gestures.

by way of Jackie of Oklahoma

http://magblog.audubon.org/ravens-know-how-make-point

Scientists have found that wild ravens make gestures, a feat even most primates can’t manage. What the birds are
 Saying, however, is anyone’s guess.

 Pointing is one of the simplest ways to communicate. In humans, hand gestures are seen as baby-steps in learning language. To some extent, science has long ignored the possibility that the handless members of the animal kingdom could be gesturing, too.

 But after two years observing ravens in the field, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology have spotted ravens doing exactly that. They’ve reported their discovery in Nature Communications.

 Raven gestures are targeted to members of the opposite sex and, like a well-timed wink, seem to be an effective way of getting attention. Specifically, the ravens use their beaks to point to or display nearby objects, including rocks, moss, or twigs.

 In an odd twist on more common bird behavior like gift giving, these objects are inedible and once a raven’s caught his partner’s attention, the birds don’t actually do anything with the materials.

 Scientists aren’t really sure what’s going on here. It could be a totally instinctive process, like a mating display, or it could be sophisticated symbolic signaling. Something like, “Did you remember to leave twigs on the nest today?”

 Regardless, the attention to objects is one more clue into the world view of crows and ravens, and—given their impressive tool use abilities—it suggests that like humans, theirs is a material world.

 For more on brainy birds, take a look at our Perch post pitting crows and parrots head to head.

AND They've finally found the remains of Richard the III under the pavement of a parking lot and yes he actually was a "hunchback".  At least Shakespeare is vindicated on that one if not on his personality.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/world/europe/richard-the-third-bones.html?_r=0

My apologies for the lag in blogs of late, I'm having an erratic internet  connection.  Supposedly it is now fixed.  Fingers crossed on that as well.

Donegal Browne 

Quicksilver Bathes in the Cat Water Bowl Part III Enter Dog and Crows

When last we left Squirrel the Kitten and Quicksilver the African Grey Parrot, they were looking at me with "busted" expressions.  I then heard Crows cawing and went to quick check the back yard.  No action there so I returned and these two were back at it.

Enter Tig the Basenji, whom I've been dog sitting. He heads for the cat food bowl.  Squirrel races him for it and gets there first. Tig then tries to nose the kitten out.

Silver yells "NO!" while hopping back to the far edge of the water bowl and I add my "NO!" as well.  

Tig, used to be a 20lb. dog.  He's now a 24lb. dog from swilling cat and kitten chow every chance he gets.  Besides Tig heading for very overweight, cat food isn't terrific for Tig's or any dog's kidneys. 

Tig exits.

 Squirrel who technically is supposed to be eating kitten chow, which is stashed in the half bathroom, gobbles cat chow as fast as possible, as I usually pick him up and take him to the kitten chow.  I suspect that while I'm distracted Pyewackit has probably slipped by into the half bathroom and is gobbling kitten chow as fast as she can chew.  She really needs the calories at 16lbs. Right!

Silver gets back into the cat water bowl.

  They eye each other.  

Squirrel goes back to eating and Silver quietly climbs onto the bowl edge closest the kitten.  Note the water dripping off his beak.  His front feathers are completely saturated. 

 Silver gives his feathers a good shake, sprinkling the kitten who jerks back and licks water off his face.

 Silver jumps back into the water bowl and peers at Squirrel who is eyeing Silver but  is also considering the chance of more cat chow.

Silver perches on the side of the bowl.  Squirrel waits, and appears to watch Silver's feet drip.  

 Whether Squirrel decides Silver has dripped off enough not to be able to do much damage or the siren call of cat chow is too much, I don't know, but he sticks his head back in the bowl and starts eating again.

Silver on the other hand, gives me the eye, I assume, trying to decide if he's going to get yelled at if he splashes the kitten again. 

Likely knowing that this is his last shot at it before I tell him to knock it off, Silver gyrates at full force and slings water everywhere.

Silver had gotten back into the water bowl and saturated himself but I tell him that's quite enough.  And note that Squirrel has wised up and shifted himself not only away from the parrot but he is also keeping his eye on him this time as well.

Kitten's head goes deeper in the bowl and I can tell Silver is tempted.   I repeat myself, "Come on, that's enough".  And Silver starts climbing out.

Squirrel watches Silver.  Silver watches the kitten and could say, "Want up." and I'd go pick him up.  But noooo, he likes to live dangerously.  Though not that dangerously as he is currently flighted and has the ability to yell NO! at the kitten in my voice.

 Silver keeps walking and Squirrel looks at me and gauges whether it would be worth it to leave the chow.  Nope.  He goes back to eating.

Having made his point by walking out to the hall while turning his back on the kitten, Silver says, "Want up."

I put Quicksilver on his perch and am about to go get the hair dryer to dry him off when I hear Crows cawing again.  Closer this time.  I head for the patio door.

Forgive the exposure, I got to the door just as a crow in flight nabbed a piece of bread from the crow on the right.  We'll call her One.  She is not in the least bit happy to have her tasty tidbit abscounded with and is giving the perpetrator what for.

 Crow One goes back to foraging but crow Two, on the left is studiously watching something.

 Now both go back to business.  At this point there are at least five crows working the backyard.

I missed this shot also, but suddenly a crow in flight went over One and dropped a piece of bread to her.  The same piece that was stolen?  I have no way of knowing.

Whatever the case she's taking no chances this time.  She has a foot on the bread and is keeping an eye peeled.

 And others of her group are being vigilant as well.

 She's still watching.

She finally takes a bite. Suddenly all the other crows take off.  She holds.

The thief returns.  She has her right foot on the bread and her beak at the ready.  He passes over.

 She waits.  Then I hear crunching near my feet and look down.

 Squirrel is back eating holly leaves.  Good grief!  He's already been to the vet once for bloody diarrhea.  

A regression:  I got this great deal on dying holly bushes after Christmas.  I got them for a couple of dollars apiece and have been nursing them back to health. Basically the bushes hadn't been getting enough water. Holly likes wet feet.  Of course, the berries are false but if I managed to get male and female bushes I'll have real berries by next year.  And birds love them...

The best laid plans of mice and men... 

 Squirrel decided that slightly poisonous and very spiky holly leaves should be eaten.  I'm talking brutal if you step on one barefoot and he eats them?

I take the bushes out of the sunny spot, yet again, and put them out of his reach. 

By the time I look out for what's happening to One, she and her group are gone and three extremely large Crows are in charge of the goody stump.  

You miss a few minutes and you're lost.

 What can I say?

 I need to go clean up after the pets anyway. 

I fill a bowl with kitten chow, grab a broom and dustpan and head for the half bathroom.  That's when I run across Pyewacket going into the same place.

 She gives me a look that says,"I'm the good pet, the only well behaved animal you have.  I'm the only  girl and they're all boy jerks.   

GIVE ME THE KITTEN CHOW.
 
It's then that I hear the lapping of water that only comes from a dog.  And the sound isn't coming from the direction of the dog bowl.

Geez, Tig is drinking out of the bowl where Silver just left a bundle of bird dust.  I head down the hall.

 That's Tig drinking bird dust alright. With real relish too.  I lift the bowl to clean and refill it and see that the water has things floating in it and it's...green.  

Green is not the color of bird dust. 

 Bird dust is white. 

 Bird feces is green.  

 I hear the sound of kitten chow being crunched coming from the bedroom where I abandoned the bowl. 

 I know that Pyewacket is definitely smiling, and it isn't just a kitten chow smile either.

Donegal Browne

Quicksilver Bathes in the Cat Bowl Part II, George and Martha at Highbridge, and a History of the Cathedral Hawk Nest

When last we saw Silver in the cat bowl, Squirrel the kitten had appeared and was peering round the Tidy Cat.  Now that Silver is sitting on the edge some action looks like it might be eminent.

Not good. 

 Silver who believes himself invulnerable may be being dumb but he isn't ordinarily completely stupid.  What do you do when the cat looks too interested while you're bathing?

You look directly at the little bugger and splash him with water.

Then you can go back into bath trance or at least appear to do so, you might be able to get the cat again if you play your cards right.

Kitten's head has tipped up.

Dive back into the bowl and wallow a little.

Then hop back out with your back turned no less and give him the eye.  Okay, Silver is tempting Squirrel on purpose. No doubt about it.
  Note that Squirrel isn't "biting".

Silver pops back into the bowl and doesn't splash.  He waits.  He's obviously trying to tempt Squirrel closer.

 And just as kitten is about to make a break for the bowl, Silver pops back out and says, "NO!" firmly in my voice. And Squirrel is suddenly exactly where he was a moment before.  

Then Silver calmly turns his back...

Hops back and goes into a full spread eagle, kitten crouches  for the pounce.  I mean what kitten could resist, right?  This is when I say VERY firmly, "Guys, knock it off!!"

 Did you ever see two animals look more busted? 

Coming up next, Quicksilver Bathes in the Cat Bowl Part III, the entrance of Tig the Basinji, whom I'm dog sitting.

But in the meantime, check out Rob Schmunk's visit to George and Martha in NYC's Highbridge Park at http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/ 
Then in case you missed it, scroll down to Rob's  History of  the Cathedral Hawk Nest.  He's done a great job with it.

Happy Hawking!

Donegal Browne