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"...
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."
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."
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