My First Eastern Phoebe Of Spring
I got to see my first Eastern Phoebe of the season on Thursday in the Wildflower Meadow.
Thursday, 4-2-09
It was a quiet, still night with no owls to be found. There were about five bats, the sound of a Killdeer, and the blur of runners on the roads around the Loch.
Tuesday, 3-31-09
After searching high and low for them, both owls were found just where you would expect them to be — near the damaged rustic bridge. We heard a few calls but mostly we got to enjoy seeing them again. They were hunting by the stream and then they went hunting for insects at the canopy level of the trees in the middle of the Loch.
We’re unfortunately no closer to finding their cavities.
Monday, 3-30-09
Well, the raccoon sure rained on our parade!
No sightings of the owls on Sunday or Monday evenings.
The question is were are they? We never found the male's cavity(ies). Is she with him? Are they out in the open in a willow somewhere? Have they moved away from the Loch area to a tree without raccoons nearby? Who knows?
Owl season may be over or just starting.
Saturday, 3-28-09
It was a surprising night. The female owl was outside her cavity this evening watching a raccoon who has usurped it! She flew away early, and we had a chance to watch her preen. It was good to have a chance to see her in the bright light.
I haven’t been able to spot a band on her this year. This has me puzzled but it could just be hidden by feathers.
Both owls went to the trees they have been harvesting. After about twenty minutes the male went to the other side of the stream. We lost him for a good long while, until she called and he returned. They then both went over to the other side of the stream and we called it a night.
5th Avenue
I watched the nest at dusk on Friday and for about half an hour Saturday afternoon.
On Friday, Pale Male brought prey to Lola. He stopped twice while taking it up to the nest. Once on a balcony on a building a block south of the nest and once on a ledge on a building north of the nest. The prey was a bird. Once he got to the nest, Lola switched off and ate on a terrace a few blocks away. After about half an hour she returned to the nest and Pale Male exchanged places with her on the eggs. He then went off to the terrace to see if their were leftovers.
On Saturday, the “boys on the hawk bench”, were kind enough to point out a new perch for Pale Male, on top of the building just to the north of nest. They’re doing construction by the water tower which has a large scaffold with a tarp around it. He likes to sit on the upper right hand corner on days there are no construction workers.
