To Mob a Killing Bird /  by Kitundu

A Raven mobs an adult Red-tailed Hawk near Ocean Beach. This Redtail seemed to have plenty of experience with aggressive Ravens and it shrugged off the challenges with aplomb. Considering the size and intelligence of Ravens, standing up to them is no small feat.

This juvenile Redtail decided to survey the beach, entering the realm of both Ravens and Gulls.

Almost instantly the chase was on, and the young RT had to take evasive action.

The Redtail flips upside down to defend itself with its talons and reveals a banded leg. Notice that while the body contorts, the head stays relatively level.

Now the Western Gull takes a turn mobbing our young friend. I love this comparison highlighting the different wing shapes and head/tail ratios of these two birds.

Baby Robin Rescue /  by Kitundu

These baby Robins had a rough night. Their nest had fallen and unceremoniously dumped them 10 feet onto the ground. They were cold and the parents couldn't seem to find them. The parents have a history of building poor nests in poor locations. For all they know, the nests magically transform into baskets at some point - this is the second time I've intervened. The last time it was because I found a feral cat standing on the nest.

Here are the two of them as I found them this morning, cold and barely moving.

Here is the fallen nest. The rain had made the muddy grass nest heavy, and it was built into the leafy branches of a tree that fall off when they get old.

I cut the old basket out of the tree that held last year's nest prepared it with some wire.

I placed the nest in the basket...

and wired the nest into the tree right where the fallen one had been.

After warming them in my hands for about 5 minutes, a parent returned and seemed to be searching for them. I placed them in the basket and about three minutes later, the parent arrived at the nest with food but they were so cold and weak they couldn't eat. The parent ate the food it had brought and left the nest carrying some old nest material. I left for work and when I returned the parents were busy feeding the chicks in shifts, and I could hear the little ones chirping. I was so very happy to see that they had made it through the day. I'll keep you posted on their progress. Here is a little video from the time I was trying to warm them up. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/23993998 w=590&h=1041]

Evening Redtails /  by Kitundu

A friend and I went to Stow Lake to see if we could get a glimpse of the normally cooperative owls on Strawberry Hill. The fledglings have grown old enough to disperse and the parents were making themselves scarce so we struck out on Golden Gate Park owls. But much of bird watching is about what you see when you are waiting around for other things to happen, and last night was no exception. We had been tracking a female Redtail who was sitting near what we think is an active nest. The male arrived with a recently caught squirrel and she set off in pursuit to relieve him of his meal. He managed to escape long enough to perch and spend about 10 minutes dining on a nicely exposed branch. Once the female made up her mind, she stopped making her persistent yet quiet begging calls, and launched off her perch, diving toward the male with great intent. He fell over backwards trying to escape his larger and stronger partner and she took over what was left of the squirrel. Above, she relocates with her prize. The squirrel may be hard to recognize because it has been, err... rearranged.

Meanwhile, the male assumed his post overlooking Golden Gate Park as evening set in. We set off to see the Palace of Fine Arts Barn Owls and while parking near Crissy Field, I saw Ravens mobbing a Redtail in the darkness.

The Redtail had caught a pigeon just as night fell. I've seen them hunting into the evening hours before. I think their night vision is better than we might expect.

She kept an eye on the Ravens who never stopped mobbing her while she ate.

Feathers fly as the Redtail shifts position.

With a bulging crop, she relocates to another knoll about 30 feet away. Then after a short and comical run through the grass, the Redtail left the pigeon and departed.

My friend calls this scene a "pillow fight." Any time a Cooper's Hawk, Falcon, or Redtail catches avian prey... a "pillow fight" scene is inevitable.

We finally broke our owl drought when we wandered over to the Palace of Fine Arts. An interesting discovery was the cohabitation of the nest site. Barn Owls and Pigeons roosting together. I had wondered whether this was a smart option for the pigeons but it seems they are just large enough to be out of prey (and pillow fight) range.