I Saw a Hawk!

Happy Monday!

Wow, what I whirlwind I've been through the past couple weeks. It's calmed down now so I can finally get back to blogging. If you want to see what I've been up to, go check out Love Garden Design (my modest fashion blog), I've posted pictures of the Runway Show I helped out with. Very exciting stuff!

As for today, I just wanted to share some pictures of Pale Male's new Mate, Ginger. Don't know Pale Male? That's ok, he's New York City's resident celebrity Red-Tailed Hawk. Click here and here to catch up with the news.
Hubby and I spotted her (and stalked her for about 30 minutes) on a walk around the Reservoir a couple weeks ago, on the West Side no less (around 90th st). She was a wee whiles from home. Oh how wonderful it was, I only wish I had a better camera. She is beautiful.

 Our first view. 

I looked up because it was just too quiet. Many had walk by unknowingly, but not after we spotted her, oh no. We told everyone who walked by. Where you there?

She was pretty high up in the tree. I thought you might like a different perspective. She's a big bird.

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) is one of the largest birds in North America and the female is about 25% bigger than the male. The average length for a female is between 19.7 and 26.7 inches (50-65 cm) with a wingspan between 44.9 and 52.4 inches (114-133cm). Considering I measure 65 inches, this bird is impressive.

 

She was ever so kind as to display her tell-tale tail. The reddish colouration visible when in flight is what gave this bird it's name. 

The Red-tailed Hawk is a common sight outside large cities, having a nest on 5th avenue is what makes this bird something to talk about. I wonder if it could become a threat to Chihuahuas, they certainly are the right size for a good meal.

She flew back and forth between two trees 3 times, trying to shake us. Eventually she got sick of our starring and picture taking so with one last cry, she took flight and headed North East. Who knows where she went next. 

Fun fact, Hollywood loves the cry of the Red-tail Hawk, I don't blame them it sounds exactly like what a aerial predator should sound like, however, they use it for all raptor species. The Red-tailed hawk is the most underpaid Voice Over Actor in North America. Intrigued? Click on over to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Take Care!

___________________________________________________
Sources:
Powell, Hugh. "Red-Tailed Hawk." All About Birds. . Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 20 Feb. 2011 <http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id>.

Better Birding in 2011

I wish I was a better birder, don't you? Here are 4 videos made by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology explaining 4 key things to notice when you are trying to identify a bird.

1- Size and shape

Compare it to something you know well like a crow or a ring-billed gull or a sparrow. When it comes to shape, trust your instincts. Does it look like a bird of prey or a duck? Birds, like cars, have shapes that suit their life style. Each bird family has recognizable characteristics. If my husband can tell the difference between a Ford and a Toyota, I can tell whether I'm looking at a song bird, a raptor or a woodpecker. 

If you have time for a better look, try and notice the shape of the head, beak and tail.

2- Color Pattern

Color is one of the most frustrating characteristics to look for since it varies depending on the season, sex, age, health and even sunlight. The key is to identify the patterns of color on different parts of the birds body.  I felt learning the Topography of a bird as described in most bird guides really helped.

Here's a link to the video (because it's being difficult)
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1267

3- Behavior

Behavior is a constant just like size and shape which makes it, in some cases, more useful than color patterns. Focus mainly on posture, foraging and flight style. Mating rituals are only present during certain times of the years and its differs between females and males.
I strongly recommend the video and also taking a walk with an experiences birder but here are some of my favorites and you can read more in your field guide.
 - Nuthatches walk down trees.
- Woodpeckers perch on large vertical branches or the trunk. Their flight reminds me of the Butterfly stroke - an undulating flight pattern punctuated by rapid wing beats and bounds.
- Vultures soar with wings in a V-shape and it looks like it has fingers 

Here's a link to the video
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1268

4- Habitat
This clue is frequently overlooked but it can be very useful. Birds and most things live in habitats they are adapted to. The video divides habitat into four broad categories :forested or woodland (coniferous or deciduous), aquatic habitats, scrub shrub habitat, and open habitat (field and tundra). Identifying the habitat should be the first thing you do when you arrive at a birding site because it will give you a good idea of what birds you might see.
Warning! Bird migrate so depending on the time of year you might find birds in odd places.

 Here's a link the the video
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1269

With these notions in mind, head outside and start observing. You will gain more knowledge by experimenting than by trying to memorize everything in your bird guide. The best introduction you can have is to follow a seasonned birder along on a walk, not only are they overflowing with fascinating knowledge but they will also transmit their passion for birds. Beware, it's contagious.

If you're in the New York area, look up the Birdwatchers of Central Park called the Early Birders, they offer morning walks around the park. There is also the New York City Audubon Society
and the New York Companion Bird Club. If that doesn't work for you,  walking around Central Park with Binoculars, you will undoubtedly bump into another birdwatcher willing to point out great things. You can pick up a checklist of the birds you are most likely to encounter in Central Park, for free, at the Castle, the Dairy, and the Dana Center - just ask around.

Similar organizations exist all over the world, most of them have websites or you can find pamphlets at information kiosks.

Have a great weekend!
Take care!

Pale Male - NYC's Red-Tailed Hawk

Pale Male soaring over 5th Ave via Palemale.com

I moved to New York City in August of 2010. As soon as I got here, I wanted to see Central Park and the Natural History Museum. Soon after, I learnt of the existence of Pale Male, the our resident Red-tailed Hawk, and fell in love.
In November, I wrote a review for probably one of the best books I have read in my life, Red-Tails in Love; A Wildlife Drama in Central Park by Marie Winn (find it here). A large part of the book is about Pale Male, his mates, his offspring and the incredible following this bird has. She also mentioned a documentary, no name, so release date, just that Pale Male was being filmed by an aspiring Wildlife Filmmaker. Well, I've found it.

It's called "The Legend of Pale Male", it was filmed by Frederic Lilien and it opened at the Angelika Film Center at the beginning of December. An article written by Leslie Stonebraker and published in Our Town on December 2nd, 2010. Somehow I managed to pick up this issue and not read it, which is why I'm posting about one month later.

Here's the scanned article if you wish to read it, I couldn't find the link to it online.

This is very exciting news. I can't wait to see the documentary. It's going to be so much fun to watch this incredible hunter navigate the skies of Manhattan. You can learn more about the documentary by visiting the website The Legend of Pale Male; A hawk, a city, a love story.

Be sure to watch the trailer, it's stunning. I can't wait to see it.


The Legend of Pale Male (Documentary) trailer HD
Uploaded by myfilm-gr. - Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

Unfortunately we've missed the showings in NYC but being that he lives here (I believe) maybe, just maybe, if I can get enough people together, we can have another showing.

Would you be interested? Email me at emiliedwolf{at}gmail{dot}com.



However, if you live in Chicago, it's playing at the The Gene Siskel Film Center on January 9th and 12th. Lucky you.

If your in Central Park, walk down to the Model Boat Pond and look up towards the 5th avenue buildings. You're sure to spot the nest above the ornate window on the Central Building.

Take care!

The Book of Saturnus

Via

Saturnus vulgaris, The European Starling.

Originally from Europe, this species was introduced to North America in a very special way. Their introduction can be pinpointed not only to a year but also to a person, Eugene Schieffelin. Mr. Schieffelin, a 5th Ave Resident in the late 19th century, reportedly thought "it would be nice to have all the birds mentioned by Shakespeare available for viewing in the park outside his window". So between 1890 and 1891, he had a total of 100 starlings shipped over from Europe. This small population exploded and within half a century, it went from 100 to to than 200 million in the United States. From New York, they have spread all across North-America. Thank you Mr. Schieffelin, now everyone can see the Shakespearean pests from their window whether they like it or not.

Starlings are an aggressive invasive species. They are cavity nesters and will bully their way in. Marie Winn, author of Red-Tails in Love and other great books and articles, tells of one such bullying episodes. The Northern Flicker, a large brownish woodpecker, painstakingly excavates its nest in tree trunks. Mrs. Winn and her fellow Central Park birdwatchers have observed this behavior and also the stalking Starlings, that sit and wait for the nest to be large enough before charging the flickers and laying their eggs in the freshly excavated nesting cavity, leaving the flickers to start again. It's not only the Flickers that suffer from the starlings self entitlement. All native cavity nesting birds must compete with the brutish starlings.

Enough with the accusing, let's get to know them a little better.

Member of the Order of Passeriformes, the European Starling is the type species of its genus Sturnus (meaning its the representative, the species you compare all Sturnus to). During breeding season (spring), its plumage is iridescent black with hints of green and plum, its bill is yellow. In the fall, feathers are tipped with white giving a speckled appearance and the bill is now darker, brownish. The juvenile birds are grey-brown, with a brown bill.

They are ground feeders with a particular technique called open-bill probing in which they prying into the ground by inserting and opening their bill to search for hidden food.

Outside nesting season, they can be seen in large flocks, to say the least. Watch this video (beware of motion sickness).



Take care!

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References:

1. Winn, Marie. Red-tails in Love: a Wildlife Drama in Central Park. New York: Random House, 1998
2. European Starling. Field Guide to the Birds of North America -4th Edition. Washington : National Geographic, 2002
3.  European Starling. Wikipedia. Oct.23rd 2010. [Accessed online] Oct.25th 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Starling

Trivial Tuesday - Avian Query

In last week's episode we talked about our sense of smell (and about the random snow storm that hit Montreal), you can read it by clicking here.

This week we are returning to natural history knowledge with a question about birds.

Q.4.

What's the smallest bird in the world?

...

...

A.2.

The hummingbird

To be more precise, the smallest bird in North America is the Calliope hummingbird  (Stellula calliope) whilst the smallest bird in the world is the Bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) both weighing in under 2g. 

Hummingbirds are delicate little nectar feeding birds known for their incredible wing flapping speed and capability to hover in one spot (essential when feeding from flowers).

You can attract them to your yard by planting  large tubular nectar producing flowers such as Columbine,  bleeding hearts, Impatiens, Petunias, and Larkspurs just to name a few. If gardening is not your style, you can set up a hummingbird bird-feeder instead.

On that note, I'm off to bed. 

Take Care!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Epiphany Reached

Well, it seems that even though I took on this task at the beginning of the month, the holidays caught up with me. Here is the end of this Holiday Favorite.

Seven Swans a-Swimming

The last of the animal/plant based gift.  Do you recall the story of the Ugly Duckling? The little grey cygnet that didn't fit in with the other ducklings in the pond until he turned into a majestic white bird and out shined all the others. I like it. Anyway, moving on. 

The concerned species is probably the European Mute Swan (Cygnus olor). Here are some random facts on swans.

Swans are beautiful birds that mate for life which is why they are often used are a symbole of longlasting love. 

An adult male is called a cob and a female a pen. 

They are one of the largest flying birds alive today. 

Northern hemisphere species are pure white while southern hemisphere species have black feathers contrasting with their overall white. 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and wish you the best for the new year. If you didn't already know, here are the last five days of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Eight Maids a-Milking

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ten Lords a Leaping

Eleven Pippers Pipping

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Take care!

Six Geese a Laying

On the sixth day of Christmas, 
my true love gave to me:
Six Geese a laying,
Five Gold Rings,
Four Colly Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.



For the sake of those paying attention, yes, I skipped over the fifth day of Christmas. Gold rings, although made from a naturally occurring precious metal, I'm no Geologist; I'll just stick to what I know - plants and animals. Day six, showers us with yet another animal based gift. Not only are we receiving six Geese, but they are laying. Geese, as you may know, are also a somewhat domesticated fowl that one would keep for its meat and eggs. Contrarily to the hens, which have a repetitive and short egg cycle, geese only lay eggs once a year and it takes them a while (between 1 and 2 years) to reach a size worthy of the table. However, by giving this cumbersome gift of soon to be overprotective snapping females, this person's true love is yet prooving his worth as a provider but also improving the social status of the receiver - the bigger the gaggle of geese, the wealthier the owner is. As interesting as this may be, I could not identify a specific species, so here is my favorite fun goose fact.

A large goose can snap your arm with a beat of it's wing.

Take care!

Four Calling Birds

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.



Calling birds is an Americanization of the traditional English Colly birds. "Colly" is a dialect word meaning "black as coal". Colly bird or Black bird most likely refers to the Common Blackbird, Turdus merula.

The Common Blackbird is an old world thrush native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. It was successfully

Image via Wikipedia

introduced to Australia and New Zealand.The male of this species is black with yellow eye rings and bill. The female and juvenile, like most passerine birds, have dark brown mottled plumage.

Both male and female and territorial and will defend their carefully built, mud-lined, cup shaped nest.
It has a pleasant and distinctive song - a medley of chirps and whistles - and various warning calls.


I found this Youtube video by a patient birdwatcher. You can hear and see a Common Blackbird from Szlovákia. 




Take care!

Two Turtle Doves

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Two Turtle Doves and

a partridge in a pear tree.

The Turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur, is a recognized emblem of love since the species is renoun for it's strong pair bond. Contrarily to most illustrations of this second verse, the Turtle dove, strickly speaking, is not white.  However, the name Turtle dove is sometimes mistakenly used for the Ring-neck dove (S. capicola) and the Collard dove (S. decaocto). Such confusion strengthens my resolve about the importance of latin names. S. turtur is native to Europe and North Africa, between which it migrates back and forth.

Image via Wikipedia

The Turtle dove is brownish with dark and white specks across it's wings and the side of it's neck. This pattern that vaguely recalls a turtle's shell may be responsible for this bird's common name. It's latin name, S. turtur, refers to the call it makes during the male's mating display.

It's tail is wedge shaped. The central feathers are dark with white tips and framed with white feathers on either side. The tail feathers are frequently flaired during flight, displaying the stunning colouration for the pleasure of onlookers.


I have never had the pleasure to observe a Turtle dove in the wild, I therefore leave you with this pretty painting Wikipedia so gratiously presented to me. 

Image via Wikipedia

Take care!

P.S. For the sake of my insatiable curiosity, do you have an advent calendar and if so, do you prefer it to hold daily chocolates?

The Twelve Days of Christmas

                                                                                                                                       Thanks for the image

The official Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25th and end January 5th, right before Epiphany. I am beginning on December 1st because this song popped into my head this afternoon as hubster and I were debating whether a Norfolk pine could substitute for our traditional Balsam Fir Christmas Tree (although the latter is not native to Virginia, it's smell is essential for my enjoyment of this festive time, the topic is still up for debate). Each lyric of this text holds mnemonic clues for the basic teachings of Christian faith. This song is reputed to have been created in the 16th century to enable the secret transmission of Christian instruction to the children of England during the reformation. However, there is no hard evidence in this matter. You may read about the hidden Christian Teachings here. Other sources say that this song comes from a translation from the french which in turn came from a translation from the Greek and much of the lyrics are translation errors or linked to Greek mythology. Which ever origin you choose to believe makes little to no difference for the following posts as I shall be looking at today's song from a scientific/biological point-of-view.
Let's begin shall we. 
 

On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me                   
A partridge in a Pear Tree
 



                                                                                                                                                             Thanks
The partridge is a non-migratory, ground-nesting bird native to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle-East. The specific partridge illustrated in most illustrations related to this song is most probably the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) as it is the most common species. It has been successfully introduced to North-America and is a favoured hunting target.

Image via Wikipedia

This bird does fly although not as gracefully as the swallow and generally only for short boubts generally brought on by being scared or flushed from bushes. Although it does not build it's nest in trees, it can find refuge in tree branches if the need be.
 They are related to the bigger and more commonly known and more colourful pheasant.

Partridge annecdote, I travelled by bus from St-Andrew's Scotland to Ullapool - approximately a 4hr trip if I remember correctly - and during this trip, three partridges managed to fly directly into the bus.


The pear tree is native to coastal areas of western Europe all the way to Asia including the north Africa. They are medium size trees comparable to the apple tree. Most species are cold hardy which allows them to be cultivated in Quebec, Canada where winter temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Celsius. Pears have been cultivated in China for over 3000 years. The Romans also cultivated pears, however, they did not eat them raw. China, Italy and the United States are the present days main pear producers and exporters.

The pear, is botanically referred to as a pome, same for the apple. The five petaled flower of the pear tree is generally white, rarely tinted pink or yellow. It is, at time, impossible to tell a pear tree from an apple tree without tasting it's fruit; the pear has a gritty texture because of the presence of sclerids or stone cells - structural cells with a hardened secondary wall.
Pears are a good source of fiber which helps with the regulation of intestinal absorption of glucose and digested fats in addition to preventing constipation.

Pears ripen from the inside out which explains why you and I have frequently found ourself biting into what we believed to be a wonderfully juicy pear only to find it to be rotten at the core. You can avoid these situations, test for ripeness by gently pressing near the stem with your thumb. If it's soft, the pear is most probably ready to eat. Pears don't ripen on the tree, they are harvested before that happens. To speed up the ripening on a pear (or any fruit), place it in a brown paper bag for a couple days. This closed environment will capture the ripening gas, ethylene, produced by the fruit and it's increased concentration will cause the fruit to ripen faster. The more fruit in the bag together, the faster the ripening process will be (to a certain point). To keep a pear slightly longer, keep in a cool open space. Now, if only pears traveled better, they might compete with the apple as my favored on the go snack. 
Take care!

The New York Blue Jay

Image by Rick Leche Photographer via Flickr

Whilst we, my New York family and I, sat calmly in the lounge, some playing video games, others watching, we heard a loud thud; a bird had crashed head on into the large glass panes of the front window. We raced to see if it was still there, it was; the bird was unconscious and hanging from a branch by one foot. Filled with pity and a little fear, I grabbed a towel and, under the supervision and encouragements of my beautiful stepsisters and husband, gently lowered the bird to the floor, allowing it to recuperate from it's collision. It flew away not too long after, avoiding an enthousiastic photoshoot. I sure hope it's ok.


The stunned bird was a gorgeous Blue Jay (Cianocitta cristata). Blue Jays are common birds that are present throughout the year from Central to Eastern North America. If their flashy blue, black and white colouration didn't give them away,  this large songbird's booming jeer should help you pin point them quite easily (click here to listen). They genereally produce their calls when perched and are silent in flight.

Image by awrose via Flickr

Interestingly enough, the only pigment present on the Blue Jay's feathers is melanin, which make up the dark brown/black patterns on the tail, wings and the collar. The blue is caused by how light scatters or refracts through feather's barbs. This explains why on days when the sun is hidden behind a thick veil of clouds, Blue Jays appear more greyish that on beautiful sunny days.
Speaking of feathers, Blue Jays, perform anting, a practice by which a bird uses ants or subtances created by ants for preening (tidying their feathers) during moutling. Apparently, some individuals have been observed tripping over their owns tails whilst zealously trying to apply the ants to hard to reach feathers. (Now that I would love to see!)

Male and female Blue Jays are practically identical, they can be told apart by keen observers from their behaviour during mating season. The male can be observed feeding the female either in their newly built nest or on a nearby branch, this is refered to as courtship feeding. A practice also observed in humans, if you are lucky.

I have had the utmost pleasure extracting Blue Jays from mist nets, at the McGill's Bird Observatory. There is nothing quite like holding a live wild bird. If I had known at the time, I may have kept a stash of acorns in my pocket as it is their favorite snack. However, I was quite busy trying to untangle their tongue (yes, you read right) and feet from the net without braking anything in the process - they thrash around so vigorously.

Image via Wikipedia

Blue Jays are not known for migrating, actually, we know very little about their wintering habits. Sometimes they migrate south, others they don't. Nevertheless, I very much like seeing them add a touch of colour to the slumbering winter landscape.




For more information on this beautiful bird and others, check out Hinterland's Who's Who.