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Tune In To Buzz And Ruby And Her Molting Period |
August: Ruby at Alewife
My apologies for not reporting sooner, but my computer suffered a "cerebral hemorrhage" 19 days ago and I have been without a computer other than being able to access my email on my IPhone. I also have not been able to transcribe my notes since my last post, several days after Buzz returned and was welcomed by Ruby while HIM Literally flew of into the sunset.
The good news is that Buzz and Ruby are doing well. Ruby has been fairly secretive, becoming more obvious in the past week or so. She has been going through molt, when she usually acts as though she has been placed in the witness protection program. She has been very reclusive until the past week, when she was seen perching with Buzz on the lamp on Rte 16 just west of the Tria. More recently she has been relaxing at "the spa," in Discovery Park. She looks as though she has progressed far in her molt, but her head looks like she has been through the wars and has a way to go.
Buzz had been acting as though he had entered the witness protection program for a few weeks, but lately he has been perching on Raytheon in the morning and/or on the lamp on Route 16 just west of the Tria/Starbucks, where he has been hunting rodents. He is still missing a number of flight feathers in his left wing, not yet replacing the primaries he lost on the day he was returned and he has lost some more in both wings.
At times Buzz and Ruby have perched together for the night and shortly after dawn, and at times they can see each other posted at the outer limits of their territory.
That is the good news.
The bad news is that everything suggests that none of the three fledglings survived beyond June 23. Transcribing my detailed field notes will take me weeks. Essentially, we thought we had perhaps lost one of the kids before Buzz returned, based on field sightings and photo analysis, but I have also not been able to analyze my photos for three weeks or download any hawk photos. I think we likely saw only the oldest and youngest birds just before Buzz returned, and had only one kid the first two days that Buzz was back. There was one very moving evening where the kid was perched low on new construction and Buzz was perched high above, both looking at each other while Ruby watched from the side.
After that first weekend following Buzz's return, we did not hear any juvenile begging calls, much less see any of the kids. I've seen some speculate that HIM took the kids with him. That might have happened, but I would put the odds at about one in a billion. HIM had just lost his "mate" of less than two months and, more important, he had lost the territory he had been hunting to feed her and the three kids. HIM was feeding the three kids who were not his own because they were his mate's and obviously important to her, and they were part of the obligation inherent in the territory. He didn't have to feed the kids, but if he had not, it is not likely Ruby would have accepted him. As it was, he either was not permitted or there was an agreement/understanding that he would not spend time in the nest feeding the kids when Ruby wasn't there. He was literally a "helicopter Dad," dropping food off quickly and taking off within seconds, even if Ruby was in the nest.
What I think likely happened is that all three kids died from being fed too many rats that had been poisoned by bait stationed at construction sites throughout the area. Rat traps are essentially baited with anticoagulants so that the rats hemorrhage to death. Death is relatively quick, but before they die, the rats can be physically impaired, making them even easier to find and capture. I believe that this year has been the toughest year for Redtails to find prey, the most difficult in at least the past 8-9 years. The acorn crop has been miserable locally, meaning dramatic drops in the squirrel, chipmunk and small rodent populations, the meat and potatoes of Redtail diets. This year I saw very few squirrels brought to the nest, and no chipmunks. I saw no snakes delivered, whereas when Buzz and Ruby were nesting on 185, I was blown away by how many snakes Buzz was able to bring into the nest for the kids. This year Buzz (and later HIM) brought primarily small rodents and as nesting season for passerines progressed, nestling birds, and then more rats than I have ever seen delivered to a nest. I was worried by the number of rats delivered to the nest, hoping that enough were young rats that had not been poisoned yet. But then, young rats are probably more likely to be attracted to poisoned bait....
At a nest being followed in Watertown, the two chicks hatched both apparently died from rat poison. One chick died in the nest and the second collapsed after it had branched. It was recovered and a necropsy done, revealing widespread hemorrhaging, likely from rat poison.
Yes, my prior concerns might have affected my opinion on what happened to the kids. However, within several days of Buzz's return, there were no ubiquitous begging calls from ravenous kids seeking sustenance from their parents (or step-dad). The kids had not started to take any prey on their own. They were dependent on Ruby and HIM, and then Ruby and Buzz. We did not see Buzz or Ruby catching, carrying or delivering prey to any kids three days after Buzz's return.
We walked all around the territory... For hours. No begging calls. No food deliveries... No kids. Almost all the food deliveries up to this time had been in Abt. HIM and Ruby took prey back to Abt to feed the kids in their park. My recollection is that there was one - possibly two - deliveries on Cambridgepark, but even on the day that Buzz returned, HIM had taken half-eaten prey from Ruby on Cambridgepark and delivered it to Abt to feed one of the kids, and the kids were leaving Cambridgepark to go back to Abt to wait for food. They could not make it on their own.
Susan Moses asked Abt for permission to search for a juvenile corpse on their property. They consented and a thorough search was done, but nothing was found. We spoke with construction workers on Fawcett, but they had not found anything. I scanned railroad tracks, walked parking lots, trails, etc., and could not find a sign of the kids. I looked at dawn, at lunchtime, and at dusk. Nada.
The one exception was that one lunchtime I discovered a juvenile Redtail on the edge of the B&M tracks just north of Fresh Pond Mall. It was not begging, but it was being mercilessly harassed by two mockers. I got good photos, but I have not been able to look at them yet. I went the next day at the same time and had it again, but not thereafter, and never in the morning. It was a very large bird, almost certainly a female, but there was no adult nearby. I'm inclined to think it was a juvenile from a nearby territory, possibly the St. John's Redtails, or the Spy Pond Redtails. I have not seen it again. When time permits me to download the photos, I will review them carefully.
It seemed to me as though Buzz and Ruby were in a funk after the disappearance of the kids, but there is no concrete evidence for that. Just my impression. Whatever, they were together, and the demands on both had declined dramatically. They were "enjoying" the longest days of the year when they were now freed of hunting for 5, feeding three growing ravenous, rambunctious kids. Whatever they know and understand about what happened, they are both persevering. Their reason for existence is to perpetuate their species. To maintain their territory and develop one or more nests that they might use next year to raise a new generation of Redtails. They are molting and hunting, I've not seen them working on any nest the past several weeks. Their old nest on 185 is still there, but the tree that had been growing in the nest died during the intense heat of early July. Buzz and Ruby had worked on another nest on the western boundary of Abt, the only one I've seen them working since Buzz's return. That nest, however, almost abuts the new apartments on Fawcett, and flight access has been significantly impaired by the new apartments. Will Buzz and Ruby still work on that nest, or will they start repairing the nest they've used the past two years, which will also be dramatically affected by the new apartments? Or will they consider starting a new nest elsewhere in their territory? They have plenty of time to think it over, but it will be a challenge to find a good location. Their options have been narrowing considerably. More construction is going on at this time affecting Buzz's territory than ever before in his lifetime. The challenge is to persevere. Survive. Thrive. Reproduce. This was not a good year. But the two adults who together have fledged 12 Redtails in the past 4 years are back together again. These knowledgeable, experienced, strongly bonded Redtails are better equipped to succeed in continuing the species than any naïve, inexperienced one- or two-year-old.
There are major challenges ahead, but Buzz and Ruby have succeeded before, and they can be successful again.
Best,
Paul
Paul M. Roberts
Medford, MA
phawk254@comcast.net
My apologies for not reporting sooner, but my computer suffered a "cerebral hemorrhage" 19 days ago and I have been without a computer other than being able to access my email on my IPhone. I also have not been able to transcribe my notes since my last post, several days after Buzz returned and was welcomed by Ruby while HIM Literally flew of into the sunset.
The good news is that Buzz and Ruby are doing well. Ruby has been fairly secretive, becoming more obvious in the past week or so. She has been going through molt, when she usually acts as though she has been placed in the witness protection program. She has been very reclusive until the past week, when she was seen perching with Buzz on the lamp on Rte 16 just west of the Tria. More recently she has been relaxing at "the spa," in Discovery Park. She looks as though she has progressed far in her molt, but her head looks like she has been through the wars and has a way to go.
Buzz had been acting as though he had entered the witness protection program for a few weeks, but lately he has been perching on Raytheon in the morning and/or on the lamp on Route 16 just west of the Tria/Starbucks, where he has been hunting rodents. He is still missing a number of flight feathers in his left wing, not yet replacing the primaries he lost on the day he was returned and he has lost some more in both wings.
At times Buzz and Ruby have perched together for the night and shortly after dawn, and at times they can see each other posted at the outer limits of their territory.
That is the good news.
The bad news is that everything suggests that none of the three fledglings survived beyond June 23. Transcribing my detailed field notes will take me weeks. Essentially, we thought we had perhaps lost one of the kids before Buzz returned, based on field sightings and photo analysis, but I have also not been able to analyze my photos for three weeks or download any hawk photos. I think we likely saw only the oldest and youngest birds just before Buzz returned, and had only one kid the first two days that Buzz was back. There was one very moving evening where the kid was perched low on new construction and Buzz was perched high above, both looking at each other while Ruby watched from the side.
After that first weekend following Buzz's return, we did not hear any juvenile begging calls, much less see any of the kids. I've seen some speculate that HIM took the kids with him. That might have happened, but I would put the odds at about one in a billion. HIM had just lost his "mate" of less than two months and, more important, he had lost the territory he had been hunting to feed her and the three kids. HIM was feeding the three kids who were not his own because they were his mate's and obviously important to her, and they were part of the obligation inherent in the territory. He didn't have to feed the kids, but if he had not, it is not likely Ruby would have accepted him. As it was, he either was not permitted or there was an agreement/understanding that he would not spend time in the nest feeding the kids when Ruby wasn't there. He was literally a "helicopter Dad," dropping food off quickly and taking off within seconds, even if Ruby was in the nest.
What I think likely happened is that all three kids died from being fed too many rats that had been poisoned by bait stationed at construction sites throughout the area. Rat traps are essentially baited with anticoagulants so that the rats hemorrhage to death. Death is relatively quick, but before they die, the rats can be physically impaired, making them even easier to find and capture. I believe that this year has been the toughest year for Redtails to find prey, the most difficult in at least the past 8-9 years. The acorn crop has been miserable locally, meaning dramatic drops in the squirrel, chipmunk and small rodent populations, the meat and potatoes of Redtail diets. This year I saw very few squirrels brought to the nest, and no chipmunks. I saw no snakes delivered, whereas when Buzz and Ruby were nesting on 185, I was blown away by how many snakes Buzz was able to bring into the nest for the kids. This year Buzz (and later HIM) brought primarily small rodents and as nesting season for passerines progressed, nestling birds, and then more rats than I have ever seen delivered to a nest. I was worried by the number of rats delivered to the nest, hoping that enough were young rats that had not been poisoned yet. But then, young rats are probably more likely to be attracted to poisoned bait....
At a nest being followed in Watertown, the two chicks hatched both apparently died from rat poison. One chick died in the nest and the second collapsed after it had branched. It was recovered and a necropsy done, revealing widespread hemorrhaging, likely from rat poison.
Yes, my prior concerns might have affected my opinion on what happened to the kids. However, within several days of Buzz's return, there were no ubiquitous begging calls from ravenous kids seeking sustenance from their parents (or step-dad). The kids had not started to take any prey on their own. They were dependent on Ruby and HIM, and then Ruby and Buzz. We did not see Buzz or Ruby catching, carrying or delivering prey to any kids three days after Buzz's return.
We walked all around the territory... For hours. No begging calls. No food deliveries... No kids. Almost all the food deliveries up to this time had been in Abt. HIM and Ruby took prey back to Abt to feed the kids in their park. My recollection is that there was one - possibly two - deliveries on Cambridgepark, but even on the day that Buzz returned, HIM had taken half-eaten prey from Ruby on Cambridgepark and delivered it to Abt to feed one of the kids, and the kids were leaving Cambridgepark to go back to Abt to wait for food. They could not make it on their own.
Susan Moses asked Abt for permission to search for a juvenile corpse on their property. They consented and a thorough search was done, but nothing was found. We spoke with construction workers on Fawcett, but they had not found anything. I scanned railroad tracks, walked parking lots, trails, etc., and could not find a sign of the kids. I looked at dawn, at lunchtime, and at dusk. Nada.
The one exception was that one lunchtime I discovered a juvenile Redtail on the edge of the B&M tracks just north of Fresh Pond Mall. It was not begging, but it was being mercilessly harassed by two mockers. I got good photos, but I have not been able to look at them yet. I went the next day at the same time and had it again, but not thereafter, and never in the morning. It was a very large bird, almost certainly a female, but there was no adult nearby. I'm inclined to think it was a juvenile from a nearby territory, possibly the St. John's Redtails, or the Spy Pond Redtails. I have not seen it again. When time permits me to download the photos, I will review them carefully.
It seemed to me as though Buzz and Ruby were in a funk after the disappearance of the kids, but there is no concrete evidence for that. Just my impression. Whatever, they were together, and the demands on both had declined dramatically. They were "enjoying" the longest days of the year when they were now freed of hunting for 5, feeding three growing ravenous, rambunctious kids. Whatever they know and understand about what happened, they are both persevering. Their reason for existence is to perpetuate their species. To maintain their territory and develop one or more nests that they might use next year to raise a new generation of Redtails. They are molting and hunting, I've not seen them working on any nest the past several weeks. Their old nest on 185 is still there, but the tree that had been growing in the nest died during the intense heat of early July. Buzz and Ruby had worked on another nest on the western boundary of Abt, the only one I've seen them working since Buzz's return. That nest, however, almost abuts the new apartments on Fawcett, and flight access has been significantly impaired by the new apartments. Will Buzz and Ruby still work on that nest, or will they start repairing the nest they've used the past two years, which will also be dramatically affected by the new apartments? Or will they consider starting a new nest elsewhere in their territory? They have plenty of time to think it over, but it will be a challenge to find a good location. Their options have been narrowing considerably. More construction is going on at this time affecting Buzz's territory than ever before in his lifetime. The challenge is to persevere. Survive. Thrive. Reproduce. This was not a good year. But the two adults who together have fledged 12 Redtails in the past 4 years are back together again. These knowledgeable, experienced, strongly bonded Redtails are better equipped to succeed in continuing the species than any naïve, inexperienced one- or two-year-old.
There are major challenges ahead, but Buzz and Ruby have succeeded before, and they can be successful again.
Best,
Paul
Paul M. Roberts
Medford, MA
phawk254@comcast.net