Fourteen minutes condensed into eight photos to be precise. These are behavioral images and none of them are great shots but I think most of us here on Feathered Photography appreciate interesting behaviors at least as much as we do “pretty bird photos”.
- First an (almost obligatory at this point) general update on my health issues. Some of them are apparently unrelated to my bad back. I spent the entire morning yesterday in the ER trying to get a handle on things. So far so good regarding some of the most dire possibilities but I’ll be seeing some more specialists in the near future to rule out a few other less likely causes. Wouldn’t you know I’d be so lucky as to have a difficult diagnosis. During the whole process I’m planning on trying to get out shooting occasionally and if all goes well I hope to post on Feathered Photography, at least sporadically. This is my first attempt so let’s get on with it. I sincerely hope this is the last time I have to mention the subject.
Ten days ago I spent some time with a couple of sibling and recently fledged Red-tailed Hawk youngsters in northern Utah. I was hoping they’d be at this awkward learning stage after leaving the nest but it had been some time since I’d visited the area and they were still in the nest at that time so I was afraid they’d already dispersed to find their own territories. I was really happy to see them.
This is the first of the two I found and by the time I turned my pickup around so I could get my lens on the bird it was gulping down the last furry remnants of a vole. At this stage in their development I’m sure the vole had been delivered by one of the parents so I was disappointed to have missed the delivery and there was no adult in sight.
Some of my readers may not appreciate this but in order to keep the siblings straight in our minds I’m going to call this one “Mutt”.
But soon the lighter-chested youngster flew in and landed next to its slightly older sibling (I make that relative age assessment based on behaviors I observed). Meet “Jeff”, the bird on the left – yup, Mutt and Jeff.
They were obviously “fond” of each other. Jeff kept nibbling on Mutt’s neck who seemed to accommodate and even appreciate the seemingly affectionate gesture.
When Jeff crossed in front of the older bird to find an acceptable place to perch on the other side he slipped and almost fell off the rock in his clumsiness. Mutt’s facial profile looks strange because he’s holding his head upside down in curiosity as young raptors (especially owls) often do in situations that are new to them.
When Jeff started preening and plucked one of his own feathers Mutt once again showed intense interest and curiosity by the tilt of his head (as if he was saying to himself “What is that white thing and where did it come from?”).
After almost 14 minutes together Mutt exited stage right. His departure was unexpected and Jeff was still grooming and not paying attention so when…
Mutt’s left wing apparently clipped the top of Jeff’s head it caught him off guard and produced a…
startle reaction. It may look like Jeff’s about to take off too but he stayed behind and I drove on up the road to see if I could find Mutt on a different perch that didn’t have obstructions in front of it. I did find him again but he wasn’t very well exposed on the new perch either.
I’m sure these two birds have left the area by now in their attempt to carve out their own niche in an increasingly challenging world. I wish them luck. Given the dismal first year survival statistics of young Red-tails their chances aren’t good but at least they have that chance.
Ron
PS – I didn’t have time to add complete image techs but most of these photos were taken in the range of 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500.
Nice series from your archives, Ron. Hope you will be back in the saddle– er, pickup very soon. I wonder if Mutt is a female, looking bulkier and a bit more impulsive than Jeff.
Thanks, Ken. But I don’t think I’d say this series is from my archives since I took the photos only 10 days ago…
Wonderful surprise seeing your post today! I haven’t been a ‘fan’ for that long of a time but I sure have enjoyed all your posts and there was a ‘hole’ in my early morning routine when you were on hiatus! Surprising how quickly one develops habits! Hopefully you are on the path to findings answers…knowing is half the battle. On to the RedTails,,,These two are such a loving pair. The picture with the feather in the mouth and the quizzical look is priceless. I’m sure you have seen many pairs like this…do they all interact this way? The bond between them is precious and evident or perhaps I’m just reading that into it. I sometimes attach ‘human feelings’ to the scene I’m looking at.
Siblings of this age do seem to act similarly to this, Kathy. After spending so much time together confined to the nest I imagine that closeness they have is a lingering one. I’m guessing they get a feeling of security out of it too.
love, Love, LOVE these two Redtails! With one of them so preoccupied with grooming, I might have gone with “Felix and Oscar.” 😉 The third shot reminds me of two of the kittens at the shelter today — the male kept biting onto the female’s E-Collar (aka cone of shame) and pulling it off! We finally had to separate them.
Glad you’re able to be back in the saddle — even if it’s sporadic. Crossing fingers that you get an answer soon.
I never thought of Felix and Oscar, Marty. Would’a been good ones.
Beautiful series of these adorable juveniles. Will say a prayer for you and your health issues.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett.
So glad to see you back this morning, and the bonus of baby redtails, too! What a guy!
I’m really sorry that you’re not back to 100% yet, but take it from one doing enforced lounging that it’s a bad thing to let your mind mull on all the possibilities, dire or otherwise. Do whatever you can do to occupy your mind with other things to chew on and ponder and then deal with the realities on a must-do basis as they come up–and NOT a second before! Worry is SUCH a waste of time and energy!
Now, back to the redtail plot–what a pair of beauties! And what a delight to see that they’ve both taken after their simply luscious mother! I’m a fool for retails (as y’all know) and I’m really not fussy, but the rufous and dark morphs make my heart go pitter pat. Overall, the complexity/intricacy of colors on a redtail are just splendid, despite that they’re not blatantly obvious to the regular two-legged human as in the more garishly resplendent colors of many of the smaller songbirds. I think I’ve mentioned before that there are violet hues in those (what many people would call drab) browns when they’re bathed in sunlight! Who would have expected THAT? VIOLET? YOWZER! I would so love to see these kiddos and their parents up close and personal in the sunlight (assuming, of course, that there were no dangers involved for any of them). And what an outrageous treat that you brought them to us today so we can celebrate their young lives as they learn and grow into adults. And yes, I’ve going to believe that they will remain safe and alive!! THANK YOU!
I hope they make it long-term, Laura. But as you know well it’s a hazardous existence for them at this vulnerable age..
Yeah, I know the statistics. I HATE those statistics, but if I can provide them any survival energy while they’re maneuvering through this most-difficult learning curve, that’s what I’m going to believe until I’m convinced otherwise. Yes, it’s my Pollyanna self coming out, but I’ll celebrate their lives while I can.
Oh and I found out why I wasn’t getting any of the follow-up posts (or at least I think I have–it’s a computer thing so we’ll have to see if that’s REALLY true). I had subscribed to 798 of yours and Mia’s blogs and wordpress wouldn’t save any more. So I just cleaned all those past blogs out. I’ve been here since the end of 2015. Amazing, huh?
Like everyone else I am THRILLED to have you back. Those difficult diagnosis issues out-suck Dyson (my eldest brother is in hospital at the moment wrestling with one).
And I adore Mutt and Jeff. Long may you (and they) prosper.
The best of luck to your brother, EC. Yes, Mutt and Jeff have a long history with me.
Ron, your unexpected post made my morning! First, that update and your sense of relief…which certainly had to do with possible ‘dire circumstances’ being ruled out :)) Second, those photos of the two RTH kiddos. :)) Thanks, happy for you :))
Yup, I was pretty tense waiting for those CT scan results, Susan. Thanks.
Call them A&B, 1&2, Mutt & Jeff, anything to differentiate them…doesn’t matter. LOVE the series..and sibling behaviours shown…sorry about your medical problems…have been worried about you and had hoped you were going to take time to heal. Have you considered asking Eagle Eyes McPherson to take a picture of you imitating a human pretzel,so as to get a good shot, then sharing it with your doctors???
Patty, I also considered calling them Frick and Frack. I used to use those two names on some of my “bonded” students…
Very interesting to see the difference in chest coloration, especially the dark one. Haven’t seen any RTH’s here lately, several immature Bald Eagles, though. Good to see your post and thanks for the nice series.
I thought that plumage difference was pretty interesting too, Lyle. I wonder what they’ll look like as adults…
Ron, Get well! Your blog is a daily gift to all of us. Thank you. Waiting in the ER vs being out photographing raptors have to be the two extremes of the human experience. John
You’re sure right about that, John!
It’s cool to see them growing up and learning and playing with each other. As always thanks for sharing your wonderful experiences.
Thanks, Janice.
Wonderful series, I love how the sibling watches it’s nest mate. birds are interesting to watch, I could do it all day. The rehab has a lot of redtails this year, but they are the predominate hawk in the area. I need to get out but the few times I have gone up north the birding was so poor it was not worth the trip. Maybe Australia spoiled me.
The ER must be the hot spot lately. I spent 7 hours (until 2am) on Monday into Tuesday with my husband for his Afib. His is resolved for the moment. I hope you can find relief soon too.
I hate time spent in the ER, April but I’m glad it’s there when we need it.
And yes, birding has been slow up there but it has been most everywhere else too.
A wonderful surprise to see FP in my mailbox — and doubly so with my all-time favorites, RT hawks! Terrific photos of sibling behaviors, they look here like they’re enjoying life — which, as you point out, becomes increasingly difficult as they find their way in the world without parents. I’m hopeful they’ll be in that small percentage of juveniles that makes it to full-fledged adulthood … just as I hope the docs can help you quickly find resolution to your health issues. 🙂
Chris, for a while it was doubtful they’d make it this far. Road construction activity near the nest in this fairly remote location could very well have driven the adults away but thankfully they persevered.
Great to see you back and I hope things progress well and quickly for you. Turning the head upside-down makes sense for these raptors. They spend a lot of time soaring so they watch what is below them. Light from below is striking the upper portion of the retina so it makes sense that the largest fovea (1 of two) is located in the upper portion of the retina. The fovea contains the greatest concentration of cones for the maximum sharpness (In this case, over 1,000,000/ square mm compared to our 250,000 per square mm). Watch a perched raptor turn its head upside-down as something flies overhead to see it more clearly. Not sure why young raptors (especially owls) do this more than adults be it’s fun to see. Thanks for sharing.
Fascinating explanation, Dan! It was new info for me but it makes perfect sense.
Hi Ron, was surprised to see a post so soon. Those are such great pictures of the two hawks. Do what you can and be sure to drink lots of liquids while out in the heat. Have a good week and thanks for the update and posting.
Actually I’m supposed to drink less water, Trudy. Might have to turn to whiskey… 🙂
I’m just “sure” the medical establishment would approve of that! 😉 Would be a relief tho…………..
Great shots and interesting comments. I enjoy the pictures and the dialog. Hope you recover soon.
Thanks, Betty.
As you know I love behavior shots and these are wonderful behavior shots of Mutt and Jeff!
Great having you back!
Great to be back, Dick.
Thank you for your post today! Hope your health stops being a mystery and that you get some answers! I love watching behaviors especially in juvenile red-tailed hawks so I love reading the observations of someone else to see what you see and compare it to some of the behaviors I have seen!
Sounds like we share the Red-tail watching addiction, Suzanne. Thanks.
These shots are excellent, Ron. Photographing bird behavior is one of the reasons I appreciate your blog so much….and yes I love the “pretty” photos, but I’ve learned so much from your behavioral pics and explanations…. Thank You! I really hope things work out for whatever you’re having diagnosed…we’re all rooting for you!
I agree, Steve – behaviors have their own appeal, and magic. Thanks.
Thanks again, Ron, for such a beautiful glimpse into the lives of these remarkable birds. And what a joy to see Feathered Photography in my inbox this morning!
Much appreciated, Diane.
Glad you sent out these Beautiful moments between siblings – and glad you were feeling well enough to do so!! Thanks.
Thanks on both counts, Joanne.
Welcome back, Ron. I miss your posts when you are absent.
Thank you, Brett.
SO glad to have you back at least for the moment – of course it has to be something “complicated” 😉 Hope they get it sorted out for you and that, so far, it’s not “the worst”. Gorgeous shots of the hawks and their behavior! 🙂 Love their interaction and the head movements so reminiscent of the owls. 🙂 Mutt and Jeff works for me!
Judy, I have fond memories of that comic strip so the names Mutt and Jeff do pop into my head occasionally. Thanks.
I love this series of photos. They reveal that RTH fledglings are delightful to watch and true comedians. I look forward to your posts for your beautiful photography, technical information and knowledgeable and entertaining comments on your varied subjects. I am praying for you and your return to good health.
Please update us when you are comfortable with sharing.
Melanie, Not everyone appreciates the same things you and I do in a blog post. I think some folks are just allergic to reading and only want to look at pretty pictures… 🙂
I was startled to see you posting today – but also glad. It is wonderful to see the behavior of young hawks since I don’t get to observe it in person. I sympathize with your difficult diagnosis situation, having been there myself. I hope someone figures it out and can take care of it.
Thanks for the good wishes, Susan.
Surprised and glad to see “Feathered Photography” and meet Mutt and Jeff this morning ! I wish you a clear diagnosis tout suite and good relief from symptoms while you search.
I couldn’t resist the “Mutt and Jeff” thing, Kris. I figured many of my readers would remember the comic strip (which BTW was the first comic to appear as a “strip” instead of a single panel). It’s famous for that reason and probably others.
Honestly, these shots are great! I especially like the inferred surprise in the last shot of that perched hawk.
Lionel, I think they’re perfectly good shots to illustrate behaviors. Thanks.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your series, Ron!! Also pleasantly surprised to see a post today!! Will continue the prayers – hoping for a diagnosis & the best treatment ASAP!! It has to be frustrate, not to mention impacting everything you want to do!!
Thank you, Jo Ann.
Great behavior photos, Ron. Thanks for posting. And welcome back, glad to see you are getting a handle on “it”!
Thank you, Art. We’ll see if I’m getting a handle on it or not…
Good morning, Ron! Great to have you back! These are such adorable young hawks. There is a Red-tailed Hawk nest in my favorite birding area here in Brooklyn, NY. Last year, there were 2 young RTHs and this year, there are 3. I was lucky enough to spend some time with two of the siblings earlier this summer over several weekend. It’s always such fun to observe them experiment and learn. Good luck with your health issues.
Thanks, Miriam. This nest has been pretty productive in the last couple of years too. Two Red-tails were fledged from it last year.