Hawks Fledging; Hummers Humming

This has been the week for birds! Every morning I am awakened with a symphony of bird song. The phoebes, nesting beneath my study window, spend their days hunting insects on the wing. And at the beginning of the week I was buzzed by a Ruby-throated hummingbird. It was a male, so bright he shimmered like a jewel. After buzzing my hat he perched on a fence post and eyed me. Determining my lack of nutritional value, he zipped over to the onions in flower (left in garden from fall) - I wonder what onion nectar tastes like?

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great collection of sounds. Here's some of the hummingbird sounds you can listen to: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ruby-throated_hummingbird/sounds

Meanwhile, the baby hawks have quickly grown into that gawky teenage stage where they're ready to go to the mall but not sure they want to sit in the driver's pilot's seat. This week looks like "fledge" week up at Cornell... on Monday one hawklet spent the afternoon standing on the edge of the ledge testing his wings. Like kids everywhere, when mom comes home from her errands, they try to snuggle under her wings! It's a tight fit, as you can see from this video:



By Wednesday two of the young hawks had tried out their wings. Today might be the day hawk chick #3 heads out for a test flight. What's going on in the lives of the birds outside your window?
Check out other STEM Friday posts here. 

The Hawks are back - with a nest full of eggs

Folks who watched Big Red and Ezra raise chicks last year will be thrilled to know they are back and, as of March 20, have three eggs in the nest.
You can catch up on the news - and videos - here:
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/?pid=2422&ac=ac
And if you ever forget how to find them, just click on the nest-cam icon over to the right.

Checking in with the Red Tails

Last month Big Red and Ezra visited their nest to rearrange sticks and, maybe, get it ready for use this spring. The red-tailed hawk pair built a nest up above one of Cornell University's athletic fields, and the bird-cam allows us an up-close-and-personal view into their private lives. Mid-winter visits give the pair a chance to check out the nest and determine whether it's in good enough shape to use for another year.

Red tailed hawk pairs share the work of nest-building or, in this case, refurbishing. They might add new sticks until the next reaches 6 feet high and 3 feet across. Watch for them bringing bark strips, fresh foliage and dry vegetation to line the inner cup.

It's not to early to start keeping an eye on things. Last year Big Red laid her first egg on March 15. So drop by this week and click on the bird-cam button over there on the right and check out the action - or lack of action - over at Big Red's place.

Remember to turn off the computer and head outside to see what birds in your neighborhood are doing. This post is part of STEM Friday. Check out more science, technology, engineering and math resources here.

The Secret Lives of Great Blue Herons

Today the Cornell Lab of Ornithology put another live BirdCam online. This one peeks into the nest of Great Blue Herons. Folks at the Lab can see the nest from their staff lounge – and now, thanks to nest camera technology, we can too.

According to the Lab of O folks, the herons started building this nest in 2009. This year they returned to the nest in mid-March and soon began courting: bringing twigs, standing side by side in the nest, clattering their bills, and nipping at each other.

Last night at around 7:30 p.m., the heron laid her first egg. Great Blue Herons typically lay eggs every two days, sometimes three, until the clutch is complete. After that it will be 25–30 days before the chicks hatch, and they will spend another 7–8 weeks in the nest before they fledge.

To get good views of these large birds, the Lab of O installed two cameras, one from above the nest and the other at nest level. My BirdCam button links to the site where you'll find tabs for each nest. Soon there will be a whole egg carton full of nest cams to view. Have fun.

Peek into a Red Tail Hawk Nest

If you've ever wondered what goes on in a hawk nest, now's your chance to find out. Cornell Lab of Ornithology has posted a live video feed from one of their nest cameras and you can watch a red-tailed hawk nest 24/7 if you want. Find it here [if that doesn't work, paste this link into your browser:http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=2422&ac=ac ]

Apparently you can also watch the hawk nest from mobile devices such as smart phones and iPads. And CLO says they'll have a "full-featured BirdCams site" launching in late April with more species including Osprey, Black Vulture and Great Horned Owl. How cool is that! For more information, or if you have questions, contact Cornell Lab of O at <cornellbirds@cornell.edu>

As soon as I can, I'll post a button on the side so you can check in throughout the spring. And come back Friday for more bird-talk on STEM Friday.