Here's the tiercel poking a stick into place. The grid that seems to line the nest is a reflection of the ledge on the inside of the window.
He then settled down into the nest bowl for a couple of minutes.
He looked as if he were about to leave, when who should appear....
...but the formel - mom!
She pushed to the back of the nest to fix an errant stick...
... and dad took off to find more sticks. You can see his legs hanging down as he exits top left!
The formel continued to tweak the sticks...
... and then she too settled in the nest bowl for a few minutes.
The plastic bags have started arriving....
... as well as newspaper.
And then both were rearranged into an origami-like shape.
John Blakeman commented recently that "The haggards have very nicely refurbished the nest, as I expected they would. The sticks are thick and carefully placed, the signs of an experienced pair. I fully expect another trio of eyasses. This pair has its act together, and they are now performing for us."
* * * * * * *
On a cold, gray Sunday morning (February 5), we found the hawks in one of their usual perching trees near the Central Library building.
They then flew down to what has been their favorite morning hangout this winter - the roof ridge on the far end of the Family Court building - accompanied by their attendant flock of pigeons.
Each faced the opposite direction - the tiercel with his paler chest is on the left.
And from the opposite direction, you can see the formel's darker chest and face.
Although Scott shot this from almost two blocks away, you can see how much bigger the formel is than the tiercel, and how she is much broader and rounder in contrast to the tiercel's more rectangular shape.
Because the hawks had been sitting on the end of this building for about an hour, and we had nothing much to watch except the endless wheeling of the pigeons, we missed seeing dad leave.
But he was not gone for long, and when he returned he seemed ready for romance!
And with no further ado...
... the deed was done!
Dad then flew down the front of the building and settled onto the ledge. Did the pigeons know that he wasn't about to move anywhere anytime soon?
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Incredible pictures and colorful descriptions as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your dedication and sharing.
This story never gets old! Thanks, Della, and thanks to all of our generous photographers. With all the good wishes sent your ways, you should never have cloudy days!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering whether - 4th year of nesting - whether it would start to pall, but absolutely not! Such a thrill to see the haggards at work on their nest. SO glad you're all enjoying the blog!
ReplyDeleteNever can it pall! Now if we in NYC could borrow these two to give some "lessons" to our pair in WSP, that would be great!
ReplyDeleteAn