"Saw all five of the family this morning between 5:15 and 6:oo AM. The three young hawks first met on the south civil war monument, flying in from the nearby trees. Then one by one they flew to the Franklin Institute window and roof ledges, squawking all the while. Mom was there in a flash, but without food. It seems the family located the breadwinner before I did. Mom flew up to the roof where, lo, there was Dad with breakfast. Two of the youngsters followed Mom's lead, and managed to grab a few leftovers from their parents. #3 flies lower than his older sibs, so he was still on a low window ledge when I left. Dad took off to the west for more hunting, and Mom flew over to perch atop her favorite construction crane on the Barnes Museum site. By the way, the leftover bones Maryitis found yesterday on the base of the birds' monument cafe were still there."
The two civil war monuments have become the central meeting spot for the eyasses when daylight breaks, as Kay Meng's pictures show. As best we can tell, they seem to spending the night in trees alongside the Parkway.
The haggards regularly deliver food which the eyasses gobble down under the watchful eye of the huge carved eagle on the monument.....Big Mother is watching you?
The eyasses spend quite a bit of time on the ground, walking around, exploring their fascinating new world.
They are starting to learn to hunt, albeit mostly bugs and worms at this stage. This eyass is walking around the grassy area immediately under the nest, looking for something to eat.
Ah...got it!
And they are starting to show some hunting behavior - a big pounce for a small bug!
You can't hunt if you can't fly well, and learning to land on all kinds of surfaces is an important part of successful flying. So the eyasses are giving it their all!
Some landing spots are much tougher than expected after the flat surfaces of the ledge and the civil war monument.
But they are learning so fast.
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My wife and I wish to thank you very much for your effort in keeping us all informed on the family.
ReplyDeleteSince we are retired it is hard to get up at 5AM
but like you from the first egg to their learning
thank you and the Franklin for seeing nature at its best
Hope you keep on with your observations until the eyasses depart this fall....those of us who live out of the area are heartsick at the thought that we might lose track of them, after being almost birth-coaches!
ReplyDeleteCOmpliments to all involved with this site. I enjoyed it so much and felt like a proud parent (still do) when the eyeasses took flight. I've kept close with a bald eagle live stream as well but yours is the best, with your updates and pictures!! Can't wait until next year!
ReplyDeleteWe all feel sad that our Hawk family will leave someday , but remember , that is their destiny. They are so happy now , being free to explore all around the grass and trees and high places or grassy plots , seeing the photos posted this morning is wonderful. This has been a gift to all of us . Thank you FI and every one for watching over our little family. Love to all , from Dolly
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures of "our" babies. Thank you all!
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the fascinating blog and the beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the photographers! The adventure since April, observing the activity on the ledge of the FI has been marvelous and we just wanted to say thank you so much. It has been a wonderful experience
ReplyDeleteMabel & Fred