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.....
Heading off on a hunting run.
F1 is on the left with one of twins flying.
This juvie was watching a tree full of little birds...
... and this one was engrossed in trying to pick off the supports that keep the bird netting attached to the buildings.
Perched on an electric cable - probably F1 by the darker feathers on the end of his tail.
I think this may be F2 as she had a distinctive white band at the bottom of her tail, and those large formel ankles.
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
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So sad. :( I know that when we watch the webcam and delve into the hawks' daily lives, we are watching nature, sans sugarcoating, and that there is always the risk of misfortune happening.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's impossible NOT to get attached to these magnificent creatures and want them all to thrive. And therefore, we feel grief over F2's loss now. Fly free at the Rainbow Bridge, F2. We will miss you.
Thank you, Della. So sad. Ann
ReplyDeleteDella, thank you so much for writing this so soon after that shock. You are a wonderful person and deserve kudos.
ReplyDeleteOh, Della! Such a loss! I am devastated by this and wish comfort to all who followed her so faithfully. Rena
ReplyDeleteThis highlights the problem of bird vision and window crashes. One of the major experts on this is Daniel Clem, Ph.D., from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Why are architects and city planners not addressing such an environmentally-viable issue and designing buildings and fixing existing buildings to help birds? The amount of bird life that we lose to window crashes is staggering. Please research Klem's articles and work and spread the word:http://www.savingbirds.org/windows.html
ReplyDeleteThank you Della for such a quick report. This is a beautiful tribute for F2 or " twin sister" as some affectionately have called her. This is my first year watching these hawks and I am very sorry for this loss, but feel very blessed to have experienced all of the joys and excitement of this season.
ReplyDeleteI believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe this will lead to some much needed changes in architectural design. There are already, prior to this, some places that have inaugurated changes. Last season it was the poison issue that was raised because of Pale Male's children, and since then there have been articles written criticizing the rampant use of anticoagulants. Change comes slowly but we must keep people aware of the consequences of human thoughtlessness.. Our precious girl has done her part. Let us honor her memory by keeping up the pressure.
ReplyDeleteAnn Feldman
I am so sorry to learn of this heart-breaking news, Della. I guess the great sorrow we feel is the price we pay for knowing and loving these very special creatures. Your tribute is lovely. ~CW
ReplyDeleteBeen away from the computer, so I only just learned of this. Though hard to read, thank you again Sunny (Della) for your blog, as I'm not on Facebook. So sad, but, as noted above, we human stewards of the planet need to ensure that we can build our future while protecting the wildlife around us. So sad for F2. But hopeful that the other two will soar for many years.
ReplyDeleteDella--I just read about our tragic loss. What gorgeous Hawk she was. Fly across that Rainbow Bridge Baby! We will miss you!♥♥♥
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