A NEW Francois Portmann Thompkins Nest Video, and THREE at the Cathedral Nest!

Photo by Francois Portmann   http://fotoportmann.com/birds/

The Thompkins Square formel shelters her three eyasses from the sun.  She appears to have the knack for motherhood, or is an experienced Mom.

Dad Red-tails on the other hand, upon seeing the eggs brooded over time are  driven into a hunting frenzy by their hormones and, at least it appears, must learn other fathering skills by watching over time.   And pairs appear to work out their own double parenting system.   Tristan always did the last feeding of the day while Isolde took a break, often  atop a building open to the sky.  

Pale Male on the other hand seldom if ever feeds, but is quite partial to sitting on eggs and eyasses for as long as his mate will let him.  He also fully prepares the prey to be eaten before presenting it. 

On the other hand, the formel of the previous Southern Central Park pair , Charlotte, liked to prepare her own prey.  She also refused stiff prey. Pale Male Jr.  once appeared on the nest with a rather stiff pigeon.  Instead of taking it and flying off to eat it.  Charlotte looked utterly disgusted and flew off to hunt for herself.  Junior stood there with the prey watching her go, shoulders slumped.

 You'll note in Francois Portman's truly delightful new video of the Thompkins Square Park pair coming up further down the page, that stiff prey are perfectly acceptable to everyone on that nest.

Francois said...
 Here is a new video from the nestCam:
First, the tircel (at left) tries his feeding skills, 
then the matriarch takes over and demonstrate how it's done!
enjoy
francois
(Watch the formel's expression and body language as the Tiercel attempts to feed.  DB.)
http://youtu.be/anB_gdsA8AQ

 photo courtesy of Rob Schmunk
And indeed, there are the usual three eyasses for the Divines, Isolde and Norman, after all! 
Check it out.   
Isolde still takes her evening break but it doesn't appear that Norman feeds the eyasses during it. 
 Not surprising actually.
 Norman's full name is Stormin Norman as he still focuses and has from the beginning on firm territorial boundaries and the harrassing of interlopers.
 Go!
http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/

 Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

Isolde Feeds at the Cathedral Nest, Franny the Sandhill Crane Bugs Out, as Have the Black-chinned Hummingbirds

Photo courtesy of Rob Schmunk at
http://morningsidehawks.blogspot.com/

Isolde, of the St. John the Divine Cathedral nest, feeds one of the two eyasses which have been sighted so far.  There is still a possibility that a third eyass, who would be the smallest,  may still be in the depths of the nest.  Time will tell.

 I was under the weather for several days and so did not check on Franny the Sandhill Crane, who was on the nest we've been watching.  Well when I went to look yesterday, Franny and her colts had strode off while I wasn't looking.  

Sandhill Crane colts are ready to leave the nest after only a few days at which time they take off walking after their parents, learning about which foods to eat.

If you take a few steps east and turn round, this is what you see.
 

 A blue sky and fluffy clouds float in a stream...

                   Swallows feast on insects overhead.

Now wouldn't flying be grand fun on a summer's day?

                      Yellow Warblers hunt in the thicket.

And a little further down the road, is the wet meadow where we'd originally seen a second crane nest but the grass became to long to observe it.  But there are some interesting things going on here...let's crop this down a little.

 The pond is in the left half of the photo.  Now look just to the right of pond.  There is a goose who has popped her head up, likely on a nest though a few Geese today had goslings.

Now look at the warm brown spot in the grass on the far right.

I think that might be a crane lying in the grass with colts. There is the larger center brown splotch, and up right and up left are two smaller warm brown splotchs.

And then there is the very odd thing that I cannot identify at all in the photograph.  Perhaps you can?

 What are those white things in the center of the photo...my apologies for the blur.  Whatever it is, it is far away and very odd.  Any suggestions?

I then began the drive back to town and just as I passed the place where I had seen the two Red-tailed Hawks with faint belly bands perched a Red-tail flew above the car.

Not much of a belly band.  She's taunting me.  I never could find their nest.

Even this close, not much of a belly band at all.

Happy Hawking!
Donegal Browne

Thompkins Square Nest Cam Video! Black-chinned Hummingbirds, the Robber Nuthatch and a Miscellany

Photo courtesy of Francois Portmann

Thompkins Square Nest Video Highlights
by Francois Portmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdG578C2FsA

And the Latest Photographs.
http://fotoportmann.com/birds/2014/05/rth-nestcam-tsp-v-nyc/

  5/15/2014
7:05:10 PM  Buster the Black-chinned Hummingbird is in the Magnolia which holds the feeder.

7:05:17 PM  I realize there is a female in the magnolia as well.  Interestingly Buster doesn't seem to care.  It is rather a wonder that hummingbirds ever copulate as they chase each other constantly and the female raises the young on her own.

7:06:18 PM   A second male Black-chin flies towards the feeder and Buster takes off after him.  ZOOM!  I of course miss the photo.  But they went over the fence and into the distance.

By the time I remember to look for the female, she too is gone.  This is very strange.  Three Black-chinned Hummingbirds in a place where there should be none. ???

7:07:50 PM  Buster is back.  Okay, it is possible that it is the other male but as he lands on one of Buster's favorite perches, I'm going with Buster for the moment.

7:08:17PM   And he also did the flit Buster tends to do to the next perch closer to the feeder.

7:10:01 PM  Then Buster nestles down onto his teeny feet.  The weather forecast is for an overnight low of 34F.  I worry for them.  

5/16/2014

1:23:40PM  Buster did not freeze last night, thank goodness. 

 

 7:01:08PM  For the last hour he has been on watch but he is also periodically....

7:02:25PM ...zipping over and having a long drink at the feeder, fueling up to keep warm, then he gets back to guard duty.

And the last few days haven't been just about black-chinned Hummingbirds.

                            The Jack in the Pulpit is up.

I noticed that a Nuthatch was zipping back and forth from a hole in this tree to a branch on another.

That's his tail end going into the hole where he disappeared for a few seconds.

Then he would come bombing back out as fast as he could travel...

...and then hatch the booty from the hole into the bark of an adjacent tree.  I do believe Nuthatch was appropriating someone else's stash.  

                   The Marsh Marigolds are in bloom.

                                As is the Bleeding Heart.

A pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks arrived over a week ago, traveling together and they appear to be staying.

Mr. Grosbeak always allows Mrs. Grosbeak to have the preferable Sunflower seed feeder.  For one thing she is less human habituated than he is, so when the Mrs. spies me she flies to the pine over there. 

(Sorry the pine looks so wiggley, the glass in this house is about 150 years old so it is wavey.)

One of the sparrows has found that if she chases Mrs. Grosbeak at these times, she can make her fly clear across the street. 

Just look at the sparrow's push off and focused  expression.

                       There is also a pair of Catbirds.

                        And a Thrush...Hermit perhaps?

               Goldfinch is showing off his Spring feathers.

The fruit trees are in bloom with their promise of sweetness to come.

And as of this evening, Buster is still showing no sign that he's  heading back to Texas.