On Throw Back Thursday:
Eight years ago Chris Colaianni went on a fishing trip in the Canadian Rockies and came back with this amazing story.
Their guide, Captain Ray, used a fish to attract a bird. But why does he have the fish in his mouth? Click here to find out in this vintage article: WHAT Is He Doing?
(photo by Chris Colaianni)
In Pittsburgh we’re lucky to have three bald eagle nests in Allegheny County: Hays on the Monongahela River, Harmar on the Allegheny River, and Crescent Township on the Ohio River.
Last weekend the two youngsters at the Harmar nest made their first flight. Annette and Gerry Devinney were on hand to record their progress on 1 July 2018. Here are some of Annette’s photos and Gerry’s video.
Below, the two young eagles fly near each other. They’re looking good.
Woo hoo! They’re playing in the sky.
Gerry captured their soaring and antics in this video.
Happy Fourth of July!
(photos by Annette Devinney, video from Gerry Devinney on Vimeo)
We often complain when birds of prey eat “our” songbirds, rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels but there’s one prey item that no one quarrels about.
Last weekend Dana Nesiti posted a photo series at Eagles of Hays PA: The mother bald eagle brought food for her fledgling, H8, who quickly crowded her and grabbed for it. The prey was nearly lost in the scuffle. (click here for the photo album)
What did she bring him for dinner? A rat!
Thank goodness birds of prey are eating rats. I’ve seen red-tailed hawks eat them, too.
On Throw Back Thursday, read about a red-tail that’s Performing a Public Service.
p.s. If you see a hawk eating a rat, it’s not a peregrine falcon. Peregrines catch their prey in flight. Rats don’t fly. 😮
(photos by Dana Nesiti)
The airspace over Greenfield was busy with bird traffic on Sunday. One of those birds was in control.
Around noon Anne Marie Bosnyak, Linda Schmidt and I were chatting at a table outside the Staghorn Cafe when Anne Marie pointed out four distant turkey vultures. She’d left her binoculars in the car so she wasn’t sure about the fourth one. With my binoculars I identified it — a peregrine falcon. At that distance I couldn’t tell if it was immature or adult.
Most birds avoid flying near peregrines because of their swift pursuit of avian prey and fierce territoriality. The vultures were no exception. They circled together and moved westward, away from the peregrine heading south.
The peregrine rose in the heated air, then noticed a pair of dark birds rapidly heading west and turned to follow them.
Ravens. As if to acknowledge the peregrine’s presence one of them tumbled three times in the sky but they didn’t slow down. The ravens left without incident.
The peregrine circled lazily in the heat and then something really interesting flew below him — an adult bald eagle heading toward the Monongahela River.
As I watched, the peregrine dove several times at the bald eagle and drove it lower and away. Even through binoculars I could see the eagle flinch as it tried to evade the peregrine. They disappeared over the horizon toward Hays.
In Pennsylvania peregrine falcons control the airspace whenever they want to. Bald eagles don’t stand a chance, as shown in Peter Bell’s photo above.
Here’s what happened during a similar incident in 2012: Peregrine Versus Bald Eagle … Guess Who Won.
(photo by Peter Bell)
If you miss seeing nesting peregrines on camera here’s a raptor family to watch online. As of last night (June 5), there were two chicks and one egg still to go at an osprey nest in Montana.
The nest is in Hellgate Canyon next to the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. It looks like a very public place but the birds are right next to the river. The Hellgate valley is so narrow here that the river, the railroad, some businesses, and Interstate 90 are all close by. We see and hear I-90 traffic in the background. (Click here for a map of the site.)
Louis and Iris are devoted parents whose lives are sometimes complicated by terrible weather and threats from challengers. And yet they persist. In this video clip Louis brings Iris a fish to eat while she was incubating last week. Click here for a 36 minute video of the first chick’s first feeding.
The chicks are tiny. There’s plenty to see. Tune in here to watch their progress at the Hellgate Osprey nest.
p.s. If you watch before 7:15a Pittsburgh time, you’ll see that the sun hasn’t risen yet in Montana!
(photo from tweet of Cornell Lab’s Hellgate Osprey nestcam)
The Pitt peregrines have flown. The young red-tailed hawks in Schenley Park are getting ready to go. Here are photos of their recent activity by Gregory Diskin.
The youngsters are fully feathered now, ledge walking and wing exercising. On June 3, one of them flapped so hard he was nearly airborne.
When they aren’t busy exercising, they gaze at their parents who often perch in a large sycamore tree across the way.
And they watch intensely as their parents fly. “So that’s how it’s done.”
For more photos of the hawk family’s progress, click here to see Gregory Diskin’s album.
(photos by Gregory Diskin)
This spring (2018) I’ve seen two red-tailed hawk nests in Schenley Park and there’s probably a third. Gregory Diskin is documenting one of them with his camera.
Above, the mother hawk watches her two chicks on May 14. Below, the chicks gaze out from their bridge nest on May 17.
On May 18 a chick tests his wings.
On May 21 a chick displays his new, reddish chest feathers.
(Click on any photo to see more of Gregory Diskin’s album.)
These two will fly in the next few weeks. They’re much further along than the tree nest overlooking the Parkway where the mother is still incubating or brooding. She’s hard to see now among the leaves.
If you watch red-tailed hawks in your area you might find a nest. When you see one carrying prey in its talons, it’s taking food to the chicks. Follow the bird and you’ll find the red-tailed hawks at home.
(photos by Gregory M. Diskin)
We’re taking a break from peregrine drama with the cutest owls on the planet.
This video of young burrowing owls was sent as a Thank You from Cornell Lab of Ornithology to its contributors in 2016.
Enjoy! And happy Friday!
(video from Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
p.s. In case you’re not familiar with Cornell Lab … they’re a unit of Cornell University that works to advance the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. We, and the birds, have all benefited from their work.
You’ve probably used at least one of their online tools or participated in their programs: All About Birds website, eBird, the Merlin ID app, online bird ID classes (new class this month on Warbler ID!), nestcams & feeder cams, Great Backyard Bird Count, Project Feeder Watch, … to name a few.
Read more about Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s work. Join them here.
Yesterday morning the first egg hatched at the Harmar bald eagle nest high above the Allegheny River.
In the midst of April snow his parents were very attentive as he made his way out of the egg. Fortunately the snow was gone by afternoon. (video from Audubon Society of Western PA (ASWP))
Meanwhile over by the Monongahela River, the Hays eaglet is now eleven days old and will be an “only child” this season. The last egg is not viable though it’s still in the nest. ASWP posted this snapshot yesterday on their Pittsburgh Eagles Facebook page.
Watch the Harmar eaglecam for the second egg to hatch in the days ahead.
Keep tabs on the Hays eaglet at the Hays live feed.
And for all the latest eagle news, join the eagle watching community at Audubon Society of Western PA’s Pittsburgh Eagles Facebook page.
(photos and videos from the Audubon Society of Western PA’s Pittsburgh Eagles Facebook page)
UPDATE: Second eaglet hatched at Harmar on April 3 at 4:30pm:
While I was out of the country I missed this year’s first hatching event at the Hays bald eagle nest on March 23.
The video below from Pix Controller’s Facebook page shows the eaglet on March 24. The photo above from ASWP shows the entire family on March 25.
Though the mother eagle laid three eggs in February, she’s expecting only two to hatch. Here’s this year’s history:
When will the second egg hatch? If the timing of first hatch works for the second one, the last egg will hatch between March 25 (if the remaining egg is Egg #2) and March 29 (if it’s Egg #3). But my math could be wrong.
For more eagle baby pictures and videos visit the Audubon Society of Western PA’s Pittsburgh Eagles Facebook page. You don’t have to be a Facebook member to see them.
Meanwhile, Hatch Watch continues. Click here to see the live feed at ASWP.
(photo of the Hays bald eagle family from the Audubon Society of Western PA’s Pittsburgh Eagles Facebook page; video from Pix Controller Facebook page)