Hawkwatch at the Franklin Institute

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

... 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

The eyasses are now old enough for their gender to be differentiated by the size of their tarsal bones. John Blakeman analyzed the structure of the tarsals (ankles in humans) of the two oldest in the image below with #2 in front and #1 behind.

Kay Meng

He believes,
"#2 is clearly a tiercel, and #1 a formel. The photo showing both of the legs together is definitive."

A close-up image of #1's feet shows the thick, dense ankles characteristic of a formel (female) who is always larger than the tiercel (male). The tiercel has thinner ankles.

Kay Meng

Though the two oldest hatched on the same day and thus are known as "the twins," nine hours separates them. The one that now has the most head feathers growing through the fluff...

Kay Meng

... is probably the oldest, thus #1 and a formel.

Here's another view of her large ankles. She also has those broad shoulders we see in Mom.

Kay Meng

Kay took these pictures on June 7 as the torrential downpour from tropical storm Andrea was moving into the Philadelphia area. This eyass was looking skywards hoping a parent would soon arrive with food.

Kay Meng

As always, the eyasses were fascinated by what was going on behind their window.

Kay Meng

The more interested they become, the farther round they twist their heads in curiosity....

Kay Meng

... and then start to move closer.

Kay Meng

The youngest, #3, stayed huddled in its corner, but watched everything with equal curiosity. The three day difference in its age from the other two is noticeable in the lack of feathers on its head, still mostly fluff.

Kay Meng

Over the past week, the tireless hawkstalkers have been out there in sun and rain capturing wonderful images of all the action at the nest.

June 2
T2 is wreaking havoc on the local squirrel population. He brings at least one a day to feed his eyasses.

Carolyn Sutton

June 3
Mom keeps the greenery fresh on the nest with daily deliveries.

Kevin Vaughan

This may be #2, the tiercel. His shoulders are not as pronounced as #1, and he has a narrower build. The chestnut peach coloring is now very prominent on their chests.

Carolyn Sutton

Rat was on the menu today, and this eyass was doing its best to stuff down the final morsel to the astonishment if not concern of its siblings.

Scott Kemper

Is this sibling assistance or sibling greed?

Scott Kemper

The matter was resolved with a huge gulp!

Scott Kemper

June 4
Here are #1 and #2 showing that most of their white chest fluff has been replaced with peach feathers. It's probably #1 on the right with slightly more peach and head feathers showing.

Valerie Russell Hutton

Meanwhile, #3 (left) still has very little peach showing

Kevin Vaughan

June 5
The wing feathers continue to grow in strongly...

Kevin Vaughan

... and though most of the wingercizing is still done facing the window, they are moving closer to the front of the nest.

Kevin Vaughan

June 6
Here is one of the relatively few images of all three eyasses standing up together. When one or more is lying down at the back of the nest they are invisible from the ground. #3 (right) still has markedly more white head fluff than the other two.

Pamela Dimeler

#3 is entering the Baby Dracula stage.

Pamela Dimeler

Its wings are impressive when unfurled.

Pamela Dimeler

This beautiful picture shows amazing detail of the peach feathers replacing the chest fluff, as well as the gold eye color of eyasses, in contrast to the darker eyes of the haggards.

Pamela Dimeler

Though the eyasses are now perfectly capable of feeding themselves, Mom continues to feed them when she is on the nest.

Pamela Dimeler

She is also conscientious about removing leftovers from the nest.

Pamela Dimeler

This meal appeared to be a fledgling - possibly a pigeon.

Pamela Dimeler

The big excitement on Thursday was when the first eyass ledged. This is when an eyass steps down off the nest onto the ledge alongside upon which the nest rests. The ledge runs several feet along the windows of the Board Room.

Much to the hawkwatchers' surprise, this important milestone was reached first by #3! It is debatable whether #3 actually intended to jump off the nest. Observers noted that it appeared more a loss of balance during enthusiastic preening.

Pamela Raitt happened to be down on Winter Street when this occurred, and her quick reaction caught the moment when #3 plopped down onto the ledge, watched in consternation by its older siblings. After a moment or two it hopped right back into the nest.

Pamela Raitt

June 7
This was the day of non-stop rain from tropical storm Andrea. The eyasses battened down their hatches and did their best to stay dry...

Della Micah

... but as the day progressed, they got wetter and wetter. Luckily, there was little wind and the temperature was warm.

Della Micah

#3 proved that Thursday's accidental ledging was perhaps not so accidental. Here it is on Friday confidently exiting stage left...

Pamela Dimeler

... watched in astonishment? consternation? envy? by its siblings.

Pamela Raitt

Then a second eyass made the leap leaving only one on the nest.

Pamela Raitt

Eventually, everyone made it back safely.

Pamela Dimeler

June 8
Saturday was a classic day after the storm with sun and blue skies. The eyasses enjoyed catching some of those morning rays.

Debi Rabin

Utter chaos ensued when Mom arrived with food (rat) ...

Kevin Vaughan

... and then it got REALLY chaotic!

Kevin Vaughan

Eventually, everyone got fed - and fed well - judging by this eyass's enormously stuffed crop.

Kevin Vaughan

Mom appears to be keeping a watchful eye on the situation...

Kevin Vaughan

... and then flew out with the leftovers of the rat (hard to believe that eyass left anything behind!).

Debi Rabin

Debi Rabin

Later in the afternoon, with lunch (squirrel) lying graphically to the side, it was time once again to contemplate the mysteries of ledging.

Della Micah

The food service became even more graphic when dinner arrived before lunch got cleaned up.

Della Micah

To finish, here are some beautiful portraits of the haggards taken this week by five of the talented photographers who generously allow me to use their images.

Mom