Happy Father's Day to T2

Happy Father's Day to T2!

           Pamela Dimeler


What a privilege it is to share these gorgeous images of T2 and his eyasses from Joe Debold, Pamela Dimeler, and Scott Kemper.

                     Pamela Dimeler

                           Scott Kemper


T2 is the proud parent of this year's beautiful eyasses at the Franklin Institute.

           Pamela Dimeler

Not only was he a miracle last year, helping raise Dad's eyasses, but he has met every challenge of fatherhood this year.

           Pamela Dimeler


Who can forget that amazing moment last spring when T2 arrived at the nest for the first time on May 7, bearing a small furry gift, and with Mom right behind him.  This image was captured by the Franklin Institutes's outside camera that looks down onto the ledge and nest.

           Franklin Institute


Here is T2 making his first ever landing on the nest.  This was an historic moment in hawkdom, as no-one had ever recorded a "floating" tiercel being allowed by a nesting formel anywhere near a nest with hatched eyasses, let alone being allowed to land on the nest.

           Franklin Institute


Here is the same view of T2's first landing as recorded by the more familiar nest cam inside the Board Room window.

           Franklin Institute


Mom grabbed T2's vole (so what's new?) but allowed him to remain on the nest.  This is the first time he saw Dad's eyasses, but from this moment on, he cared for them as if they were his own.

           Franklin Institute

           Franklin Institute


T2 has his own offspring this year, and he has done a superb job of providing for their every need.  All three of his eyasses are healthy and meeting their developmental milestones.

           Joe Debold


They now flap and jump from the nest to the ledge...

           Joe Debold

           Joe Debold

... and back to the nest.

           Joe Debold

           Scott Kemper


The youngest eyass, #3, identifiable by the fluff still on its head, is as strong and active as its siblings...

           Joe Debold


... even though it sometimes has to put up with being "messed with" by an older sib.

           Joe Debold


Though most of the jumping is still facing inwards to the window, each day they jump higher...

           Pamela Dimeler


... and higher.

           Pamela Dimeler


#3 shows some precocity by starting to jump sideways to the window...

           Joe Debold


... as well as facing forwards.  But #3 will have to wait quite a few more days until all the feathers are out of the feather sheaths before those wings will work properly in flight.

           Scott Kemper


The sheathed feathers are clearly visible at the top of these eyasses' wings.

           Joe Debold

           Scott Kemper

           Scott Kemper


Their plumage and coloring changes almost daily, it seems, but #3 has a much darker tail than the other two...

           Della Micah

... who have the more usual brown/black horizontal barring typical of eyasses.

           Della Micah


#3 has barely any barring on its tail.

           Della Micah


So let's salute T2 who flew right into our hearts last spring.

           Scott Kemper


He continues to work tirelessly for his family.

           Scott Kemper


What a magnificent hawk..

            Scott Kemper