"When I arrived at SWRC this morning, Rick asked me if I'd like to feed Peanut, who has been moved outside to one of the large raptor enclosures. I took him five mice and was really excited to see him flying back and forth between perches. As I was dropping the mice, Peanut flew to the ground about three feet away and looked me right in the eye. Maybe he wanted me to convey best wishes to his fan club. 'Hi guys. Every day in every way I'm getting better and better.' "
It is so positive that Peanut is now flying. The next step will be the introduction of live prey into his routine to assess his hunting skills. He will most likely make another move to the 50 ft flight cage so that he can fully regain his flying fitness.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Mom and T2 make tantalizingly unexpected appearances. No longer needing to maintain the parental routines imposed by raising their young, they are gadding about town!
Here's T2 looking a bit more put-together last Friday as more of his feathers grow in from the summer molt.
Carolyn and Kevin observed both hawks last Friday, and gave the following report:
"We met on the Schuylkill River Recreational Trail [near the Art Museum] and followed Mom and T2 as they hunted and preened along the western edge of their territory. I first spotted T2 on the west side of the river. Kevin and I managed to link up and follow T2 back to the southern end of the ball field at 24th St. where he flew from tree to tree, then sat and preened. Kevin spotted Mom as he was heading back to work. She had staked out the north end of the ball field and Eakins Oval."
Mom now has brand spanking new red tail feathers that probably glow in the dark, they are so bright! There is now a much more noticeable dark stripe across the bottom. She is also sporting a new look - white eyebrows - as her head molts out!
Observant readers may wonder why it suddenly looks wintry in Philadelphia - but it's nothing more than her perching choice of a dead tree!
On the same morning, T2 picked pine for his perch..
The sad events earlier this summer leading to the loss of F2 and F3 pre-empted a couple of blog posts, so I want to go back and share the happy day in late June when T2 entertained us with his bathing antics...
... in the beautiful reflecting pool at the Barnes Museum.
No matter what angle you look at this pool...
... the view is sublime.
On that hot June day, T2 seemed more interested in aquatics than aesthetics!
The Barnes Museum is a wonderful addition to the hawks' environment, and one of my favorite images from this spring was the morning when all three of the juveniles - F1, F2 and F3 - perched confidently together on the Barnes roof.
All three had successfully navigated their way over the Vine Street Expressway and the Ben Franklin Parkway, and though they had fledged on different days, and flown to different places, they had reunited on the Barnes roof, and at that point looked as if they had everything in place for a fine summer of hunting and flying and then migrating.
As we know, this was not to be, but hopes are high that Peanut/F1 will continue to thrive. Stay tuned for more progress reports.
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Delia, Thank you so very much for your wonderful blog that I have followed for years. I am grateful for all the time and effort you put in. Your writing is stellar and your dedication is unparalleled. Keep up the amazingly good work and best wishes for the new school year!
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Thank you so much, devoted fan! I really appreciate your lovely comments. It means so much to know that people continue to enjoy the blog through good times and sad.
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