Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hawks, storms, rain and water

August in Philadelphia means high heat, humidity and vicious thunderstorms.  This month is now close to being the wettest EVER in Philadelphia, a dramatic change from the near-drought conditions of June and early July. 

Our hawk family seems quite unperturbed by the severe rain and thunderstorms of this past week.  I worried about them in the midst of the high winds and lightning, and hoped that they had found shelter and could sleep.  John Blakeman shared some information about this in the first season of the Franklin nest:

"Where do the hawks sleep on windy, rainy nights?
When they sleep, they turn their heads around and tuck them into the fluffed-up feathers of the back.  A sleeping hawk looks morbidly headless.
On rainy, windy, or otherwise unfavorable nights red-tails typically fly into a large hardwood tree, perch on a horizontal limb that allows the toes to wrap around the branch and grip it. But on a cold, windy, rainy, winter’s night, it would seem hard to be able to sleep in such a position. 
Here’s how it’s done. Red-tails, like most other birds, have an interesting and useful foot locking mechanism used when sleeping. As the bird begins to nod off, there is a ratchet-like band of tissue that can be tightened around the inside of the leg. Once tightened, it sticks together somewhat like velcro, locking the bird’s grip on the branch. The hawk doesn't have to pay any attention to holding on during the night. The bird’s toes are physically locked around the branch, and normal winds cause no problems.
I’ve never encountered a sleeping red-tail in a gale. I think in those situations the bird must both lock its toes around the branch, and also stay awake and lean over into the wind. I don't know this, either, but I presume that the birds in these situations will attempt to park themselves in a somewhat protected position in the tree or woodlot.
What about heavy rains? This is exactly why red-tails spend so much of their time diligently preening their feathers. As with all birds, they have the
Kay Meng

oil gland on their rump. The lean over and strop their bill on this gland, pick up some feather oil, and then preen it into all the feathers on the body. When well-preened, water runs off a hawk’s back almost as well as water off a duck’s back. Still, in the heaviest down pour, the outer feathers can get soaked. But the fluffy, inner down feathers remain oiled and water repellent. After a summer rainstorm we often seen a sodden red-tail. Underneath, though, she’s warm and dry. Red-tails, like all birds, are like turtles. They carry their houses of feathers with them wherever they go."

Above is the formel (mom) drying off on one of the many spotlights that illuminate landmark Philadelphia buildings.

The rain also fills up the spots where the hawks like to bathe.  One of their favorites is the ledge that runs above the nest at the Franklin Institute.  Here's mom after a quick dip.

                             Kay Meng

                   Kay Meng


On Sunday, the tiercel (dad) decided to make good use of the morning sun and one of the fountains in front of the Art Museum.  You can just make him out under the falling water on the bottom ledge of the two-tiered fountain slightly to the right.

        Scott Kemper

Here's a closer view....

        Scott Kemper

He then hopped up into the higher bowl of the fountain...

        Scott Kemper

... and seemed to be enjoying the flow of water

        Joe Debold


         Joe Debold

The eyasses are always curious to explore whatever catches their eye whether on land or....in a puddle! Earlier this month after a rainstorm, one of the eyasses waded into this puddle at the ball field, and started to drag out an old t-shirt.

        Joe Debold

When he landed it, he seemed a bit at a loss of what to do next!

        Joe Debold

We thought he was going to go at it again...

        Joe Debold


... but perhaps sensing we were in silent hysterics at the antics - an OMG moment, to be sure! - he reclaimed his dignity with a quick drink....

        Joe Debold
... and then stomped off through the puddle, an eyass on a mission...

        Joe Debold

... to inspect the next curiosity.

                Joe Debold

It reached down with its beak to grab at something in the water...

        Kay Meng

...  a sycamore leaf!

        Kay Meng

By this time, we were laughing out loud, and far from being scared, the eyass merely gazed at us in apparent disdain!

        Kay Meng

It is a continuing miracle how unconcerned these hawks are at our proximity.  They go about their business as if we are a familiar part of their landscape.  Earlier this month in the grounds of the Rodin Museum we had a ringside seat for another puddle episode.

The eyass headed toward the water, and seemed attracted by the sun-dried leaves.

        Joe Debold

It messed around with the leaves...

        Kay Meng

... then took several sips of the rainwater.

        Joe Debold


                 Joe Debold

        Joe Debold

                 Joe Debold

Next, a bath seemed in order...

        Kay Meng

        Joe Debold

... then off to inspect something interesting...

        Kay Meng

... which turned out to be a plastic cup.

        Joe Debold

We then enjoyed the pretty reflection.
        Joe Debold


And now a shameless request for your vote for the Hawkwatch blog in the Most Valuable Blogger contest!  The blog has been named a finalist, and fans can vote EVERY DAY until the contest closes on September 9.

http://philadelphia.blogger.cbslocal.com/most-valuable-blogger/blog/64-hawkwatch-at-the-franklin-institute

If we can win an award - $50 Amazon gift certificate - I plan to donate it to the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center which is taking such good care of our injured eyass, #3.

Thanks for voting early and OFTEN!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Hawkwatch at the Franklin Institute a finalist in « Most Valuable Blogger « CBS Philly

This blog has been chosen as a finalist in the Most Valuable Blogger Awards.  Fans can vote every day until the contest closes on September 9th.  It is listed in the "Everything Else" category!

Many thanks for all the support - this blog is truly a collaborative effort with so many phenomenal photographers, hawk fans out there in all weathers and times of day sending observations, expert knowledge from John Blakeman and Rick Schubert.  It is a joy to write and share it!

Vote early and often!!

Hawkwatch at the Franklin Institute « Most Valuable Blogger « CBS Philly

Monday, August 8, 2011

Pictures and update of #3

There is very positive news about #3, the young hawk who sustained a leg fracture on her first flight out of the nest back in June, probably from landing awkwardly on a concrete sidewalk.  She had her cast removed a couple of weeks ago and after spending several more days in the small recovery cage, was placed into a much larger outdoor flying cage.

         Steve Aldrich

         Steve Aldrich

 The cage is about 30 feet long, and contains both fixed and swinging perches.  She is now flying back and forth between the stationary and swinging perches.

         Steve Aldrich

Michele Wellard, assistant rehabilitator at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, reports that #3 is flying strongly, and landing confidently on the various perches.  This indicates that her fractured leg has healed really well.

         Steve Aldrich


          Steve Aldrich

She is pouncing on and catching the food put into her cage, and is starting to develop the hunting skills which she will need when she is eventually released.

         Steve Aldrich

#3 has been at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic for about seven weeks now.  Rick Schubert and his staff, along with Dr. Boutette and Dr. Dazen at the Animal and Bird Healthcare Center and Hospital in Cherry Hill, NJ, have done a superb job of rehabbing this hawk and bringing her to this point where she is ready to start longer flying and hunting sessions.

          Steve Aldrich

          Steve Aldrich

Even though #3 does not look at all thrilled about being in rehab, she is a very lucky hawk to have received such excellent care.

         Steve Aldrich

Many thanks to Steve Aldrich, IT manager at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. for these lovely photographs, and to Michele Wellard for keeping us up to date on #3.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Evening hawk stalk

As regular readers of this blog know, most of the observations of the Franklin Institute eyasses since they fledged have been done early in the morning, just after sunrise.  We thought it would be interesting to check on the hawks one evening to see what happens at the end of the day.

Carolyn Sutton, Kay Meng and I met last Thursday at 8:00 PM down on Winter Street right under the nest.  The day was heading into twilight with streetlamps lit.  Almost immediately we spotted one of the eyasses sitting on a lamp-pole overhanging the busy six-lane Vine Street expressway that races straight through Center City.

          Kay Meng

The trees in the background are the ones to which the eyasses flew on their fledging flights from the nest.

          Kay Meng


The eyass peered intently into the dense undergrowth down below along the side of the highway looking for the telltale movement of a rodent.

          Kay Meng


Something moved down there, and he was on full alert...

          Kay Meng


... and then launched.

          Kay Meng


The eyass dropped like stone straight down, and was just about buried in the grass.  We couldn't tell if it had caught anything.

          Kay Meng


The evening rush hour traffic was roaring past about three feet to the left of the eyass, and with the light dwindling every minute, we worried how it was going to fly up and out of the traffic canyon about twenty feet below where we stood on the 21st Street overpass.

The eyass looked up and around, gauging its next move..

          Kay Meng


... and then to our horror, it took off and flew UNDER the overpass, about three feet above the speeding cars.  This is the overpass (no hawk in the picture).

          Kay Meng


We could only desperately look for the hawk to emerge on the other side of the bridge. Heart attack moment doesn't begin to describe what it felt like to see the eyass fly with the traffic under the bridge.

I guess we needn't have worried, because it popped up on the far side, landing nonchalantly on a lamp pole.  In the picture below, this fearless, silly hawk is sitting immediately above the white light furthest to the right.  If you double click on the image it should enlarge.

          Kay Meng

After all that, we could see that it had not caught any prey, and it immediately began peering down into the undergrowth below its new pole.  Fortunately, its next pounce was over in the direction of the Parkway and not down into the traffic.

This may be the same eyass that Carolyn saw a couple of weeks ago flying through an underpass near the railroad at the end of the ball field.  Let's hope it doesn't feel a need to continue practicing this particular flying skill....

                         Carolyn Sutton

By this time, it was too dark to follow where it flew.  We walked back towards the Franklin Institute, and as we looked over towards the Free Library and Barnes construction site, we saw a hawk fly into the trees at the corner of 20th and the Parkway.  Almost immediately, it was followed by another hawk.  Were they the haggards or the eyasses? 

We hustled across the Parkway, and there was just enough light for my binoculars to pick out the brown striped tails of the eyasses.  They next flew to the ledges below the roof of the Library, roused their feathers, and looked to be settling in for the night.  Had we discovered where the eyasses spent the night?  Do they stay together during the night?

The next morning, Carolyn Sutton - who deserves a medal of valor for early rising - got to the Parkway before sunrise, and found the two eyasses exactly where we had left them the night before.  This was pretty exciting as it is the first time we have known for sure where they spend the night - at least, one night.

It was also interesting to see how late in the day, well into dusk, that the eyass was still hunting.

Here are a couple of pictures of that eyass before it got too dark.



          Kay Meng


          Kay Meng