The featured image is by Japanese printmaker, Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) (courtesy of the British Museum and WikiCommons). His image captures the tradition of fireworks over the Ryogoku in Tokyo made famous by Utagawa Hiroshige in his One Hundred Views of Edo of 1858, seen below. The Ryogoku Bridge was one of the most famous bridgesContinue reading “Wishing Everyone the Happiest New Year”
New Year’s Resolutions, Sustainability, and the Birds
There was an article, “It’s Not That Hard to Buy Nothing” in the New York Times today about Elizabeth Chai who, at the end of 2019, before the pandemic, made a resolution “she would not buy anything in 2020, with the exception of food, coffee, toiletries (if she ran out of something essential) and theContinue reading “New Year’s Resolutions, Sustainability, and the Birds”
The hampers all began with Tricki Woo…
It all began with Tricki Woo and the pandemic this year. Do you know who Tricki Woo is? Have you watched All Creatures Great and Small? James Herriott was a vet in a rural area of North Yorkshire from the late 1930s through the 1950s. Those books formed the basis of the television series thatContinue reading “The hampers all began with Tricki Woo…”
Protecting birds by simple changes in our lives can make a huge difference.
For the past week I have been posting information on how we can all join in and make our environment friendlier to birds. The tips and the ongoing discussion with my chatters on the Cornell RTH FB page have been enriching. Those posts were a way of remembering J1, the eldest chick of Big RedContinue reading “Protecting birds by simple changes in our lives can make a huge difference.”
Feathers and Preening
You have probably never thought much about feathers unless you raise chickens and wind up plucking them yourself. Or your duvet is full of down and feathers and you find them all over the place if there is a small hole. But, maybe, like many of us, you wish you had wings and could flyContinue reading “Feathers and Preening”
Why are female Red-tail Hawks almost always 30% larger than the males?
It is called Reverse Sex-size diamorphism. There are several theories as to why this happens with Red-Tail Hawks. The first is that the females had to be larger to protect themselves from the feisty males. The second is that the females selected smaller males to be their mates because the size difference allows each ofContinue reading “Why are female Red-tail Hawks almost always 30% larger than the males?”
Everything is fine in the world of the Js
Little J3 spent the night of June 14 on Rice, apparently alone. He flew back to the nest hoping to have breakfast at 7:46 am on June 15. Arthur quickly awarded him with a squirrel which he mantled with both feet. The little guy was really hungry and no one was there to steal hisContinue reading “Everything is fine in the world of the Js”
June 14. Double Fledge. J3 goes first at 8:46, 46 days old. J1 goes two hours later, 50 days old.
Wow. What a busy morning. The oak leaf and thorn plus withholding food certainly motivated the last two chicks out of the nest. J2 came over for a visit expecting to get some food but Big Red and Arthur must have had a confab last evening and decided it was thorns and oak leaves, noContinue reading “June 14. Double Fledge. J3 goes first at 8:46, 46 days old. J1 goes two hours later, 50 days old.”
June 13 Fledge Watch continues
There are several ways used to determine the age of a red tail hawk chick. Using the Cornell method both J1 and J2 were born in the same 24 hour period; they are both 49 days old today and Little J3 is 45 days old. The average age that a chick has fledged in theContinue reading “June 13 Fledge Watch continues”
7:46, June 12. J2 fledges.
It is the day that everyone has been waiting for – the first fledge off the Fernow light tower at the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York. The winner of the honour was J2. J is the designation for the year, 2020. The camera began recording the activities at the nest in 2012. Knowing thatContinue reading “7:46, June 12. J2 fledges.”