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Steve Wolfe  > The Red-Tail Hawks of Kaiser Hospital, Harbor City, California > June 15-19 --- Waiting and Feeding
In the week after the whirlwind events of June 11 the activities of the Kaiser Red-tail family seemed to settle down to the hawklets being brought food about 3 times a day or spending time perched on favorite spots, usually on the main hospital building or at a nearby tree. The 3 siblings seem to be venturing outside the Vermont/Normandie/Pacific Coast Highway triangle of the main hospital campus; they've been spotted on the Normandie buildings across the street and I've seen one fly over to Harbor Park, a rich source of food. They still don't appear to be able to hunt on their own yet and Mom is looking, well, increasingly frazzled...There hasn't been a definite sighting of Dad for about 2 weeks; he seems to be like a ghost on the periphery. Friends are jokingly calling him a "deadbeat" or "just another typical guy"...
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Steve Wolfe > At 9am on Wednesday June 15 I notice the 3 hawklets in the area between Pathology and the main hospital building. Considering the dynamics between them on June 11, it's nice to see they can still  "hang out" with one another. Here's what appears to be the oldest female hawklet flying to join its younger brother on a tree.
Steve Wolfe > I believe this is the oldest hawklet roosting in the tree.  She seems to be quite interested in me, cocking her head quizzically...
Steve Wolfe > She then preens, fluffing up her feathers to give herself a disheveled look. You can see a loose piece of fluff in her beak.  I've noticed only one foot is usually visible when the Red-tails are perched; Charles Preston in "Red-tailed Hawk" writes, " Significant heat may be lost through the bare legs and feet.  To reduce this loss, a red-tail usually perches on only one leg at at time, drawing the other up under the plumage covering the lower abdomen and upper leg.  The position of the two legs may be alternated frequently."
Steve Wolfe > On Saturday June 18 I find a dead pigeon in the same spot where 2 of the hawklets tussled for a pigeon on June 11.  As it's in plain view yet it remains untouched I suspect it was left there by someone.  It seems like the hawks don't take offerings, though, as it's still there the following day.
Steve Wolfe > Here's Mom flying off the roof of the main building.  The dead pigeon is on the ground right below her yet she takes no notice.
Steve Wolfe > One of the ways to distinguish a flying Red-tail from a distance is the wing-tips are often curved up.  Here's Charles Preston --- "With its broad, slotted wings providing substantial surface area in relation to body mass, a red-tail is said to possess low wing loading.  Such a bird is able to remain buoyant in the atmosphere with relatively little energy expenditure."  In other words, they're aerodynamic marvels...
Steve Wolfe > On the following day, June 19, I spot Mom perched at one of her favorite spots.  Here she's meticulously cleaning her feathers and displaying her classic "red tail".  You can see what's called the "subterminal band" near the tips of her tail, an almost-always present feature of the R/Ts...
Steve Wolfe > Here you can see the different feather levels to her tail...
Steve Wolfe > She looks in the window  to make sure she's "presentable"....
At 9am on Wednesday June 15 I notice the 3 hawklets in the area between Pathology and the main hospital building. Considering the dynamics between them on June 11, it's nice to see they can still "hang out" with one another. Here's what appears to be the oldest female hawklet flying to join its younger brother on a tree.
 > At 9am on Wednesday June 15 I notice the 3 hawklets in the area between Pathology and the main hospital building. Considering the dynamics between them on June 11, it's nice to see they can still  "hang out" with one another. Here's what appears to be the oldest female hawklet flying to join its younger brother on a tree.
At 9am on Wednesday June 15 I notice the 3 hawklets in the area between Pathology and the main hospital building. Considering the dynamics between them on June 11, it's nice to see they can still "hang out" with one another. Here's what appears to be the oldest female hawklet flying to join its younger brother on a tree.
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Keywords: june
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