June 4 --- It's Back to Mom, the 3 Hawklets, and (occasionally) Dad
As I'm in the area early Saturday morning I stop by to see if there's any action. Things are quiet but one of the hawklets is looking down on things from the roof of the Lakeside building. Here it's looking back at the Big Eye that's been staring at it since April 10 or thereabouts...
I go up to the roof of the building opposite and get a closeup view of the nest for the last time. The window cleaners will be able to get the "whitewash" off in about a month's time (if they can; it's probably about as hard as concrete by now) but the nest should stay untouched. That way it will be ready for next year and only minor repairs should be needed for any damage that may occur. Red-tails use the same nest over and over again, and it has the 2 qualities that are most important --- easy access from above and an unimpeded view of the surrounding area. That roof overhang also acts as a nice rain cover.
Meanwhile, the hawklet is still checking out its surroundings..
I return in the late afternoon to find MIna in the pine tree near the main hospital building ready to make the food drops to the hawklets. She spies one...
who upon stretching I discover to be Jen with the red band prominent on her right leg.
Mom flies over to the ledge and drops off the food. Jen nudges it and judging by its tail it looks to be Squirrel Tartare...again...
"Thanks, Mom!"
Mom responds by cleaning her feathers. Red-tails "preen" 30% or more of their waking hours , and judging from the mess of feathers, there's lots of maintainance involved...
"Hey, what do I have to do to get some attention around here?"
Jen is momentarily distracted by her reflection; she probably thinks it's another hawklet gazing back at her.
She then chows down...
while one of her siblings is in the pine tree eating. Mina seems to be placing some of the food where the hawks will have to work to get it --- in this case, flying to the tree and jumping to the branch.
Back on the ledge, Jen goes towards Mom...
who then jumps off the ledge and onto a nearby tree. Perhaps she's teaching Jen to not be so dependent on her.
MIna jumps from branch....
to branch...
Preparing for the jump...
then finally ends up back on the ledge and indulges in one of her favorite pastimes --- gazing into a window. The hawklet in the pine tree joins her...
and Jen scurries over to join them.
by this time the window blinds have opened and the person inside is greeted by the spectacle of 3 hawks on the ledge with a guy across the way taking photos. I wave, and the guy inside waves back....hesitantly...
Then MIna flies back to the pine tree while the hawklets admire her flying technique ("gee, she makes it look so easy!")
Mom again jumps from branch to branch ending up at the top, then flies over to another tree...
where she has another mouse stashed away
While the 2 hawklets are cleaning themselves...
she flies back to the ledge with the mouse. Seeing that their appetites are satisfied for at least a while...
she flies back to the tree, then..
once again hops to the top branch whereupon she flies off to find to 3rd hawklet.
I leave Jen and her sibling resting on the ledge, secure in the knowledge that the Family is back together again.
