... despite what seemed to be a large pip that had first appeared on Wednesday evening.
What hawk watchers had thought was a crack around the egg...
Pamela Raitt
... turned out to be a half-shell caught on the end of egg #3. Here it is lying beside the unhatched egg.
T2 brought in a breakfast rat...
... and for a moment it looked like he might be up to his old tricks of taking the rat away again...
... but Mom moved in smartly and put an end to that.
The two oldest eyasses are getting stronger by the minute, and have already engaged in some sibling squabbling.
Sated with rat, they fell into a pile of fluff to sleep it off, and their parents took a break away from the nest. One eyass is still awake, but barely.
The remains of the rat lay beside them ready for the next meal.
You can be sure that Mom had the nest in her sight the whole time she was away. Here she is in "her" tree, just across from the nest on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
As large and powerful as she is, she is lighter than she looks, and can perch in the topmost twigs of this large tree without them bending or giving way, allowing her to be at the same level as the nest
T2 seems to believe one can never have enough sticks on the nest...
... and continues to make frequent deliveries.
T2 is also definitely stepping up to the plate on food delivery.
He has not missed a mark yet...
T2 celebrated the arrival of his third offspring on Saturday morning by taking a bath!
Hawks love to bathe, and the Franklin Institute hawks are fortunate to have a "bathing ledge" right above the nest. The hawk is standing above the nest window on the front of the bathing ledge . .
... which slopes steeply back into the building and collects rainwater. Here's T2 before he began bathing...
... during
... and after, drying in the sun.
T2 is indeed a hawk in his full prime.
He is proving to be a superb mate for the magnificent formel, and a worthy successor to Dad.
Two excellent hawk parents completely in synch!
And now for a real treat. Darryl Moran, the official photographer of the Franklin Institute, has graciously allowed me to post these incredible images he took in the Board Room on Thursday of Mom feeding the two eyasses.
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Thank you again Della for an incredible synopsis of this journey so far,and all of the photos are wonderful! Looking forward to reading and seeing more as the eyasses grow!
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