Tompkins Square hawk chicks branching & exercising

Each day brings the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk chicks closer to fledging the nest. They are now exploring the branches of their nest tree and are getting ready to take that big leap.

To recap the last several days: 

May 29: M2 visits the nest and you can see the chicks still have a lot of white down on their heads.

June 2: The chicks have grown significantly taller and have a peachy color on their chests. Their wing feathers are nearly fully grown.

June 3: At least one of the chicks still has a fuzzy face.

This was the first time I saw one of the chicks branching. This one is perched on a branch just above the nest.

June 6: One of the chicks takes in the view from a higher branch.

June 8: The day was dark and dreary, but the chicks spent some time jumping around the nest, flapping their wings, and getting some exercise.

June 10: This was the first time I saw all three chicks venture out of the nest to explore the tree. Two are pictured here.

This one is looking very serious!

One of the other siblings:

After hopping around the tree for a while, all three chicks returned to the nest for a family dinner. M2 (left) delivered food while Amelia (center) fed the kids. One of the chicks is visible here, while the other two are hidden behind the parents.

Physically, the chicks look ready to go, so it's up to them to decide when they're ready.

 

 

A brief interlude with Burrowing Owls

This last spring, I had a chance to meet some Burrowing Owls, lifer birds for me.

At this time of the season, they were busy digging out their burrows and protecting their territories. This pair below (male on the left, female on the right) took a moment to check me out before going back to their home construction project. 

All of the owls in this post were seen in a suburban subdivision made up of homes, yards, and commercial properties. The owls took advantage of human-made things like fences and sign posts, which made perfect look-out perches.

In areas that were more overgrown with grass and wildflowers, the owls blended in very well. The human residents of the area love and welcome the owls, who hunt rodents, lizards, and insects.

The only bullies of the owls seemed to be curious Fish Crows. The crow in the photo below brought a stick to the perch and [I believe] pretended to play with it while surreptitiously checking out the owl.

The activity drew the attention of a second crow. 

Although dwarfed by the crows, the owl was not perturbed by their presence.

These fierce little owls can take anyone down with their intimidating stare.

After spending the afternoon working on the burrows, the owls chilled out as the sun went down, taking brief naps before an evening spent hunting.

My time with the owls was short, but exhilarating. This visit ranks high on my list of birding experiences, and I plan to do it again soon.

 

 

Tompkins hawk chicks are changing quickly

The photos below show some of the dramatic changes in the Tompkins Square hawk chicks as they suddenly go from little fuzz balls to serious-looking raptors.

May 12: One of the trio peeks over the side of the nest. You can see its ear on the side of its head below its eye. Once the feathers grow in, the ears will be hidden.

At this stage, the pin feathers on the wings and tail are just starting to grow in.

 

May 15: Only three days later, you can see the pin feathers on the wings have grown a couple of inches.

May 17: Amelia is on the nest to the right, but it's getting pretty crowded up there. These photos were all taken with a telephoto from about two blocks away, and are heavily cropped. The nest is pretty well hidden except for this distant view.

All three with mom:

Still looking cute and fuzzy.

Judging by the lack of pin feathers, the chick below with its wings raised is the youngest. That said, I really can't tell who is who.

May 25: All three are looking much different! Their wing feathers have grown in, they have a yellowish color on their chests (this will turn white after a few weeks), and flecks of brown are showing on their heads. All three are alert and look good.

May 27: We've had a lot of dreary weather which has made photos difficult, but I like this one that shows all three siblings facing the same direction. Amelia is perched in a tree out of frame, and they are looking at her. The chick on the right may be the youngest as it still seems to have some white floof on its head. The chick on the left appears to have the most brown on its head, so perhaps it is the oldest. The chicks are just over a month old.

Check out that tail! You can also see quite a lot of downy feathers still on this chick's back.

I love the spotted pantaloons...

I also enjoy seeing the chicks observe each other as they jump and flap. The chick in the center seems to be studying its sibling intently.

Stay tuned...