Scoping out the hawk baby situation
So yesterday I went over to visit the hawks and see how the situation is.
The babies (if you're watching them on the webcam) are growing long legs and large wings, and they have visible wingfeathers forming at the tips, and they like to stand up and bounce on their legs and stretch their wings in the air. I wanted to see how visible they'll be, once they start taking their first airborne voyages.
At first I was surprised I didn't see more "action" over the rim of the nest. I know from the cam that they like to sit up, now, and peer down on the city from their window seat. But at first I saw nothing.
Then I noticed Mama Hawk was watching from a point higher up on the building. Here, I will show you:
The nest is not on the side with the main entrance, where the public comes and goes. It's on the side facing the Parkway, and you can tell here how far away I was from the building, and my back was against the fence by the underpass, so there's quite a distance between the building and the actual heavy traffic. It's noisy, there, but they're not going to leap out of the nest and onto a highway or anything.
I even took a picture to show you the green grassy area directly under the nest box. If the babies jump and fall (which they will NOT, but you know how I fret, so I'm checking out these things), this is where they'll land:
But mostly, I just watched the box.
Mommy left after a while, and then soon Daddy (smaller, greyer) came swooping in and spent some time chilling on the windowsill.
Here he checks everybody out. "Hey, are you guys okay?" "Yeah, Dad. We're fine. What'ja bring us?" "Nothing, just hanging out this time". "Oh, okay, then."
The first time a face came peeping over, I just laughed, and couldn't take a picture. Another time, I saw two full faces, peering around, but I was holding my camera against my chest and all I got were pictures of the top of the window.
I did not get to see a feeding.
I did get one picture of one of the little guys stretching his wings:
Mostly they were just humping, bumping grey activity along the edge line of the box. Only now and then did I see actual little heads popping up. They look darker, from below, with little solemn black faces.
One of the main things I noticed was the enormous amount of general bird activity in the vicinity. Traffic was roaring behind me, and I know the nest is always filled with the bloody remains of smaller birds and mammals that the parents have killed, and yet the whole area is filled with chirping, and sparrows flutter right by under Mama's nose, unconcerned, and even squirrels are dashing this way and that, totally unconcerned that predators loom overhead, looking for the next meal to bring home to the babies. From watching the webcam above, I feel like these hawks must surely have that whole area contained, wreaking havoc amongst the wildlife...but from the ground, you see that they take what they need, and they really don't care about any of the other birds. Right around the corner, there's probably another nest of robins or sparrows or doves, raising their own meek little family. And all our traffic? That's their own background noise. They don't give the slightest care about us, either.
This is Daddy, watching me watching him.
I feel like a giddy fan, approaching a celebrity. "Heh heh, I watch your show EVERY day! Can I get an autograph?"
ETA: an updated portrait of the chicklings, especially one little guy sitting up and looking around:
The babies (if you're watching them on the webcam) are growing long legs and large wings, and they have visible wingfeathers forming at the tips, and they like to stand up and bounce on their legs and stretch their wings in the air. I wanted to see how visible they'll be, once they start taking their first airborne voyages.
At first I was surprised I didn't see more "action" over the rim of the nest. I know from the cam that they like to sit up, now, and peer down on the city from their window seat. But at first I saw nothing.
Then I noticed Mama Hawk was watching from a point higher up on the building. Here, I will show you:
The nest is not on the side with the main entrance, where the public comes and goes. It's on the side facing the Parkway, and you can tell here how far away I was from the building, and my back was against the fence by the underpass, so there's quite a distance between the building and the actual heavy traffic. It's noisy, there, but they're not going to leap out of the nest and onto a highway or anything.
I even took a picture to show you the green grassy area directly under the nest box. If the babies jump and fall (which they will NOT, but you know how I fret, so I'm checking out these things), this is where they'll land:
But mostly, I just watched the box.
Mommy left after a while, and then soon Daddy (smaller, greyer) came swooping in and spent some time chilling on the windowsill.
Here he checks everybody out. "Hey, are you guys okay?" "Yeah, Dad. We're fine. What'ja bring us?" "Nothing, just hanging out this time". "Oh, okay, then."
The first time a face came peeping over, I just laughed, and couldn't take a picture. Another time, I saw two full faces, peering around, but I was holding my camera against my chest and all I got were pictures of the top of the window.
I did not get to see a feeding.
I did get one picture of one of the little guys stretching his wings:
Mostly they were just humping, bumping grey activity along the edge line of the box. Only now and then did I see actual little heads popping up. They look darker, from below, with little solemn black faces.
One of the main things I noticed was the enormous amount of general bird activity in the vicinity. Traffic was roaring behind me, and I know the nest is always filled with the bloody remains of smaller birds and mammals that the parents have killed, and yet the whole area is filled with chirping, and sparrows flutter right by under Mama's nose, unconcerned, and even squirrels are dashing this way and that, totally unconcerned that predators loom overhead, looking for the next meal to bring home to the babies. From watching the webcam above, I feel like these hawks must surely have that whole area contained, wreaking havoc amongst the wildlife...but from the ground, you see that they take what they need, and they really don't care about any of the other birds. Right around the corner, there's probably another nest of robins or sparrows or doves, raising their own meek little family. And all our traffic? That's their own background noise. They don't give the slightest care about us, either.
This is Daddy, watching me watching him.
I feel like a giddy fan, approaching a celebrity. "Heh heh, I watch your show EVERY day! Can I get an autograph?"
ETA: an updated portrait of the chicklings, especially one little guy sitting up and looking around: