Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The sad news just keeps coming...

This is not the post I planned to write on my return from a summer trip to Saratoga Springs. I have started this four times, and you will see why.

When I left, the two remaining juvies, F1 and F3, were making excellent progress in learning to hunt and catch their own food, supervised by the ever-attendant Mom and T2 who still made food drops as needed. I was having trouble sorting through and downloading so many marvelous images of the juvies' hunting runs and successful captures. They looked set for a great summer of honing their hunting skills to be ready for their migration south in late August/early September.

I'll cut to the chase...

On Sunday, 7/21, the staff at Moore College of Art saw a hawk fall to the sidewalk in front of their windows facing Logan Square. It was alive but stunned, and was taken to the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center. It was the male twin - F3.  (F2, the female twin, had died in early July after hitting Moore's windows in the atrium courtyard - an interior open space with trees: see post of July 3, We have lost a hawk.)

Rick Schubert and his staff at SWRC assessed F3 and concluded that he appeared to be concussed but had no other obvious injuries - legs, wings, and feet all looked fine. He was in superb condition in terms of weight, feathers, no parasites, etc, and by Tuesday, 7/23, some concussion symptoms looked better - pupils starting to dilate normally - but he was still lethargic and not eating on his own. On Wednesday, 7/24, they started hand feeding him.

On Thursday, 7/25, they took him to Dr. James Boutette, their avian go-to vet at the Animal & Bird Health Care Center & Hospital in Cherry Hill. Dr. Boutette gave him a full work up including X-rays and blood tests, which the clinic cannot do. The clinic then put out this info:

"A few things were ruled out, and he had some slightly high levels of various things, but nothing definitively wrong that can be seen. There were no fractures visible on X-ray (but that doesn't mean he didn't break one of those small, hard to see bones like the coracoid). He no longer shows physical signs of concussion (pupil reaction is normal, for example) but is still quite lethargic. What all this boils down to is Dr. Boutette's recommendation: keep doing what we are doing which is called "supportive care" - rest, quiet, painkillers, fluid injections and hand feedings. Give his body time and space to heal from the trauma it went through."  

On Saturday morning, 7/27,  Rick Schubert, Schuylkill Wildlife Clinic Director posted this update:

"The RTH from the Franklin Institute died last night. We are unsure exactly why this happened, although it is not surprising when an animal has severe blunt impact trauma from flying into a window and then falls a long distance to the ground. There is often internal damage and organ rupturing that cannot be seen, felt, or detected. The majority of red-tailed hawks do not make it to adulthood.  Both the Clinic staff and Dr. Boutette did everything possible for the bird. 

This is the reality of wildlife in the city. For four years with the Hawkcam we had fairy-tale endings, which is far from typical. Typically, the world of humans and the world of animals collide and life is brutal, ugly, and short. That’s why wildlife rehabilitators are here, to undo what little damage we can and to alleviate what suffering we can. Now we have to move on and focus on the other four hawks we are currently caring for [not FI hawks], as well as the thousands of other animals. Hopefully the last fledgling will survive and fly off and life will go on for these hawks and all the other wildlife."

Now, we had one juvie left, F1 - the last to hatch and first to fledge. He was doing fine until he was found  yesterday morning, 7/30, at 21st Street and the Parkway lying in the grass at the side of the road.  It looked as if he were mantling, but he couldn't stand up. Carolyn Sutton took him to the clinic and sent this report:

"He [F1] was lying flat in the grass, sometimes with wings spread out like he was mantling, sometimes with wings drawn in. When I approached he was alert with head feathers out and beak open. He wanted to get away, but did not seem to be able to coordinate his escape. I was able to grasp him with gloves and get him into a box [and take him to the SWRC]. Rick examined him and found nothing obviously wrong. He appeared not to have broken wings or legs; he had feeling in his toes; eyes and pupils focused/dilated normally, but he seemed disoriented. Rick thinks he may have been "rolled by a car." He's had fluids and meds and is resting comfortably in a dark environment.  Please don't call the clinic. Let Rick watch him and report when he has more definitive information."

Today, 7/31, we heard that F1 "made it through the night and ate several cut-up mice hand fed to him by Rick this morning."

So it seems that the charmed odds the FI hawks enjoyed over recent years have run out, and that the average 80-90% first year mortality rate for red-tail hawks is hitting hard this spring.

People have asked many times this month what caused the hawks to fly into the windows. I think it's really important to realize a couple of things:

• More than any juvies from past years, these youngsters started chasing small birds much sooner. Usually, in their early hunting forays they pursue voles, mice, even bugs, all of which move more slowly than birds and tend to be down in the grass and away from buildings.

• This is the first year that the fledged eyasses have hunted over in the Logan Square area where Moore College is situated. The trees that line the sidewalk in front of Moore are extremely close to the building. Young hawks chasing birds in and out of those trees who still don't have full control of their flying power are perilously close to the building. It's hard to know whether bird strike prevention on those windows would have helped save F2 and F3. Moore College has been most responsive, and plans are underway to put banners across those windows to help birds see them better.


As we cross our talons and hope for the best possible outcome for F1, let's be glad we had the privilege to follow him and his siblings from egg to fledging, and remember that wild animals, no matter how fierce and strong, and no matter how adaptive they may be to an urban setting, are always vulnerable to the dangers created by humans in their environment.

Here are a few pictures that show F1 and F3 at their best.

Though the youngest, F1 has always been precocious and determined.

            Kevin Vaughan


        Dinko Mitic


            Kevin Vaughan


It's rare to see F1 ever looking relaxed.

            Kevin Vaughan


His older brother took time to smell the flowers...

     Christopher Ryan


... and in the short time he had, enjoyed the pleasure of bathing in the Sister Cities park pool just off Logan Square.

     Christopher Ryan


     Christopher Ryan



Hoping for good news for F1..........




Friday, July 5, 2013

The day after ..... hawk life goes on

After Wednesday's sadness, it was a relief yesterday morning to find F3 (left) and F1 sitting together on a lamp pole.

            Dinko Mitic


T2 was nearby on the Franklin Institute where he had spent the night.

            Dinko Mitic


            Dinko Mitic


It was poignant, to say the least, to see that the juveniles spent most of the morning on or around the Moore College of Art building, and the adjoining Academy of Natural Sciences.  In my five years of following these hawks, I have never seen them on these buildings.  Were they somehow aware that there should have been a third hawk with them, and this was where she had last been?

One of them spent a lot of time on this lamp at the ANS building.  

           Della Micah


They also perched on the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel, next to the Academy of Natural Sciences.  One is near the left end of the greenery, and the other is down on the railing.

           Della Micah


Here's F1 coming in to land on one of the hotel's ledges.

             Kevin Vaughan


F3 was calling for food...

                                      Dinko Mitic


... and here's a close-up view.

            Dinko Mitic


We saw at least one food drop from Mom, and T2 did several fly-bys.  

             Kevin Vaughan


F3 moved around quite a bit as the morning progressed.

                           Kevin Vaughan


             Kevin Vaughan

            Dinko Mitic


Today, July 5, it was good to find all four hawks in their usual haunts after the humongous concert and fireworks last night on the Parkway. F1 and F3 were on the ledges of the Free Library; T2 was up high on a nearby construction crane; and Mom was all the way down at 15th Street sitting on the Drexel University College of Medicine building.

T2 brought in a breakfast bird for F3...

            Dinko Mitic


... and dropped it far enough away...

            Dinko Mitic


... that he could get out of the way of his onrushing, hungry son.

            Dinko Mitic


F3 snatched the food up in one talon and headed out.

            Dinko Mitic


F1 sat watching the action, and did not appear to be hungry.

            Dinko Mitic


                                        Dinko Mitic


He then decided to take flight, perhaps to try out his developing hunting skills.

                                      Dinko Mitic


            Dinko Mitic


            Dinko Mitic


So life goes on for these young hawks after the loss of their sister.  We can only hope that they stay safe.  The Franklin Institute youngsters had led a charmed existence amid so many urban dangers - until  July 3rd.

It was wonderful to see all three reach the fledging days...

              Pamela Dimeler


... and then successfully head out into the world.

             Kevin Vaughan


F2 only had two weeks to enjoy her world, but she left many indelible images.

             Linda Timlin


             Kevin Vaughan


            Dinko Mitic


            Dinko Mitic



Ann Olsen, a hawk fan from Taunton, UK, wrote this poem in honor of F2, and it captures the sadness over her death felt by the hundreds of people from the USA and many other countries who follow this hawk family.


Poem for F2

We sadly mourn the passing
Of a dearly loved young hawk
Who flew around in Philly

Where humans walk and talk

Observed from egg to fledge
We took her to our hearts
Even though we were aware
She would fly to distant parts

It hurts us down deep inside
To see she’ll never grow
And know of soaring high above
Or swooping to down below

We will hold her memory close
And remember her with smiles
For all the joy she brought to us
In Philly and across the miles



          Christopher Ryan


          Christopher Ryan


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

We have lost a hawk

Such a sadness to report....  At 1:20pm today, F2 - the formel twin - flew hard into a window at the Moore College of Art and died from the impact.  A nearby construction worker reported this news on the Hawkaholic facebook page.

                       Kevin Vaughan


She was taken to the nearby Academy of Natural Sciences where they confirmed that it was the female twin, F2.

Though no-one actually saw what happened, judging from the way all three were zipping around early this morning on fast hunting runs, it is likely she was in hot pursuit of a small bird and simply never realized there was a window in front of her.

It is incredibly sad to lose such a lovely young hawk with all her potential unrealized, especially as we have followed all three right from (and before) they were hatched.  Fortunately, Mom and T2 will not have a sense of losing one of their offspring - hawks are not wired to feel those emotions.  Their job of feeding and supervising F1 and F3 will continue, and F1 and F3 will keep moving forward in their work of learning to hunt for themselves.

Here are the pictures from this morning taken by Carolyn Sutton, Pamela Raitt and Kevin Vaughan. Though it's always hard to tell the difference among the three juveniles, I'm certain F2 is pictured in some of these images.  She had a wonderful morning.....


                             Pamela Raitt

                 Pamela Raitt


Heading off on a hunting run.

                           Carolyn Sutton


F1 is on the left with one of twins flying.

          Carolyn Sutton


This juvie was watching a tree full of little birds...

                                Pamela Raitt


... and this one was engrossed in trying to pick off the supports that keep the bird netting attached to the buildings.

           Carolyn Sutton


           Carolyn Sutton


           Carolyn Sutton


Perched on an electric cable - probably F1 by the darker feathers on the end of his tail.

                            Carolyn Sutton


I think this may be F2 as she had a distinctive white band at the bottom of her tail, and those large formel ankles.

                                Pamela Raitt


This lovely young hawk gave us so much pleasure in her short life.  We will continue to follow her brothers and keep you up to date on all their activities.


                                               RIP F2

                                        Dinko Mitic


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Hawks will be just fine on the Fourth of July

Many hawkfans have expressed concern on how the young hawks will handle the sights and sounds of the huge Welcome America celebrations in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July, most of which are based along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, home territory for the hawks.

The short answer is that they will handle it just fine; it is no more than an amped up thunderstorm for them.

The huge fireworks display takes place above the The Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The Parkway will be filled with thousands of concertgoers for the free concert, this year featuring The Roots, John Mayer, Demi Lovato, Ne-Yo, Jill Scott and more!

You can see the white Civil War monuments - favorite breakfast spot for food drops - at the bottom of the Parkway, then the trees in which the eyasses spend much of their time lining the roadway up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.



The large columned building on the right is the Library, and the Franklin Institute is on the left. For the hawks, fireworks are just like a severe thunderstorm with especially powerful lightning, and they ride it out in a safe spot.


During the first season with the Franklin Institute eyasses, John Blakeman sent us these reassuring words about fireworks and hawks that are equally timely for this year:

"Fireworks? For anyone concerned about this, just remember the worst, scariest thunderstorm you encountered as a little kid. I used to curl up scared under my blankets, even on hot summer nights, trying not to see the lightning directly. But the thunder was undiminished. Very scary.

But Red-tail hawks have been enduring powerful thunderstorms for millennia. And they can't crawl under a blanket, rock, or anything else. They are locked with their feet secured around a branch high up in a tree, pretty close to an actual lightning strike.

I think the eyasses will take special delight in watching the fireworks. The colors and movements, even the sounds, should intrigue them, just as the colors, movements, and sounds of their potential prey do. Right now, they are learning about these environmental factors, with an instinctive interest.

If two of the eyasses are perched together, one might be saying to the other, "Did you see that one? Just as I was imagining I could grab it, it faded away. Let's see some more of this! This sure is better than those dead pigeons Mom and Pop brought us before we could fly."

--John Blakeman

Monday, July 1, 2013

And two more successful fledges!

The past week has been incredibly busy at the Franklin Institute nest. All three eyasses have fledged and are flying confidently around the neighborhood, gobbling up their parents' food drops.

Here they are on Saturday, June 29, gathered on the Barnes Museum roof waiting for food.

            Kevin Vaughan


Let's go back to last week's excitement of the fledging. The first one to fledge was the youngest - #3, also known as Peanut. I am not a fan of naming wild creatures. I make an exception for Mom - an honorific - as befits her matriarchal status. So I will give #3 his due recognition for being the most advanced and bravest, and refer to him as F1 - the first fledger. The second to fledge (somewhat disastrously) was the formel twin - F2, and the third to fledge (somewhat reluctantly) was the tiercel twin - F3.

As you may remember, F1 had a magnificent fledge. His escape from the temporary bird netting hang-up literally a minute or two into his first flight underscored his coordination and strength. John Blakeman's comment: "A strong-flighted bird; an indication of superb nutrition."

F1 rested for while on a window ledge near the nest, and Karen Elinich from the Franklin Institute sent us this insider's view.


              Karen Elinich


F1 spent his first night off the nest in a nearby tree, and dawn found him perched across 21st Street on the old Board of Education building, now converted to apartments.


                                Pamela Raitt

As the sun strengthened, he started peeking down from his roof ledge at the hawk photographers gathered below.


                                        Dinko Mitic

Puri Garcia-Serrablo lives in this building and was able to give us a hawk's eye view of F1's antics...


            Puri Garcia-Serrablo

... as he tested out his take-off and landing skills on that gorgeous summer day.


            Puri Garcia-Serrablo



            Puri Garcia-Serrablo



He spent the noon hour on the front of the building, looking down onto Winter Street.

                           Gail McKelvie


That day, June 21, was when F2, the female and larger of the twins, fledged at 9:35am.  This was just a second or so before she took off.

             Linda Timlin


Like her younger brother, she flew beautifully straight and strong into one of the trees down on Winter Street.

                 Linda White


She peered down curiously at the ground...

                             Linda White


... and then started exploring along the branches.

          Linda White


The branches, twigs really, got thinner, and F2 found it harder to keep her balance.

      Dinko Mitic


She climbed higher in her tree...

 
                                        Linda White


...and then disaster!

            Linda White

                   
The thin twig onto which she had ventured could not hold her weight...

          Linda White


... and she tumbled to the ground.

           Linda White


While newly fledged hawks in rural areas rarely come to harm on the ground, for urban hawks it is truly a serious situation.  F2 was clearly confused to find herself in this predicament.

          Mary Duff


She started walking purposefully...

            Mary Duff


... but she had nowhere to go.

           Kevin Vaughan


People were gathering, both to try to keep her safe, and to take pictures. Instinctively, she knew she had to get up off the ground, and the danger was that she would fly up onto those railings, below which are the six murderous lanes of the Vine Street expressway.

           Linda Timlin


Fortunately, she went in the other direction, and flew up onto the roof of that vehicle.  She was clearly becoming more stressed by the moment.

           Linda Timlin


She flew across Winter Street back to the Franklin Institute, and spent some time on a ground floor window ledge, perhaps finding some comfort in its familiar shape.

          Linda Timlin


This young lady checking out the train exhibit had some value added to her visit!

                                  Dinko Mitic


When F2 tried to take off from the ledge, she lost her footing...

           Linda White


... and had to regroup on a nearby bike rack.

           Linda White


In a series of hops and flaps, she made her way from a pediment...

          Pamela Dimeler


... to a granite ledge.

          Dinko Mitic


           Dinko Mitic


Fortunately, for the nerves of all who were watching her misadventures, F2 finally got airborne and safely back into her tree.

                            Gail McKelvie


She picked up where she had left off, observing her new environment...

                                         Gail McKelvie


... and trying to make sense of it all.

                                         Dinko Mitic


Meanwhile, back at the nest, the remaining eyass seemed oblivious to all the excitement down below.  You can see the bystanders on the sidewalk watching F2's adventures.

                           Tess Cook


He spent the day on the nest, and was clearly in no hurry to leave.  We were sure that the next day, Saturday, June 22, would be F3's fledge day.

Early the next morning, F1 sat on a nearby lamp pole as if to encourage his older brother to make that jump.

           Pamela Dimeler


When that had no effect, F1 headed out...

           Scott Kemper


... and put on quite a show

           Scott Kemper


It was hard to believe that just 50 days before, this magnificent young hawk had only been hatched for a few hours!

                               Scott Kemper


But every so often, the fierce raptor is replaced by the vulnerable young hawk that it still is.  It's amazing to think that both these pictures were taken on the same day.

          Kevin Vaughan


The fierce raptor that landed on the window ledge then turned around and was beautifully framed by the orchid filled office window.

             Kay Meng


Meanwhile, after her danger-packed fledge day F2 spent the morning resting on the sun soaked Civil War monument across from the nest on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

         Pamela Dimeler


Every so often she would stand up...

            Kevin Vaughan


... and look over to the nest where F3 remained.

           Pamela Dimeler


Several times, it looked as if he would go...

          Diana Porter Decker


... and T2 made sure he kept his energy up with food drops which F3 fell upon.

         George Christopher


T2 also brought in a rabbit to F1...

            Debi Rabin


... who was waiting expectantly on the roof ledge right above the nest.

            Debi Rabin


As evening fell, T2 checked in with F3 on the nest, and up above...

            Tess Cook


... F2 flew in to join her brother, and there they roosted with nestbound F3 below.

             Pamela Dimeler


The next morning, Sunday, June 23, they were still there.  F1 screamed for a food drop, and F2 peered down at the nest.

      Katy Mae


F1 so far is the noisiest of the three, and has learned well how to call his parents in with food.

 
           Kathe Rowan


F1 and F2 hung out on the roof of the Franklin Institute, perhaps anticipating the imminent fledge.

      Katy Mae


Finally, finally, F3 did it!  He launched up into a cloudless blue sky...

           Kevin Vaughan


... and headed straight and true to the fledge trees...

            Kevin Vaughan


... where he made a spot-on landing.

            Kevin Vaughan


Pamela Dimeler did a great job to capture the fledge in this video.  Be sure to have the sound turned up for the reaction of the crowd who had waited so patiently for this reluctant flier!





Once F3 reached his tree, he looked for  a safe spot to perch...

           Pamela Dimeler


... and when he found it...

           Kathe Rowan


... settled in to observe his surroundings.

      Katy Mae


He seemed very relaxed about it all.

                                   Kathe Rowan


So the three 2013 Franklin Institute eyasses are airborne, and flourishing.  Congratulations to Mom on now sending 15 young hawks off the nest and into the skies, and congratulations to T2 for raising his first offspring.  What an amazing hawk family they are.

As always, I must express such gratitude to the many photographers whose lovely images grace this blog.  Stay tuned for the next summer adventures with the hawks as the hawkstalkers get into high gear.