FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: 2010-2012

kittenface · **Posted:** Sun Sep 18, 2011 2:03 pm

Great news LE

Catbird · **Posted:** Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:58 am

Simply beautiful pictures of the Philly hawk family! Thanks George.

Beth · **Posted:** Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:30 pm

Cam is live - Thanks SgB!!
Photo taken early evening...2/1

Beth · **Posted:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:13 pm

Photo taken 2/3/12 mid morning...
Plastic bag in the nest `again` ... Just like the Osprey have blue in the
nest these guys have something plastic every year :gaaaaah:

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

today one of the hawk couple has been in he nest testing the egg cup and doing other nestorations. eggcitement is building here for another fun year of eyasses to chase up and down the Ben Franklin Parkway

fwiw, it seems hawks love plastic bags as the other hawk nest cams ive viewed also seem to have discarded plastic bags

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

FIRST EGG JUST LAID AT roughly 145pm

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

MR and MRS RTH announce the arrival of thier second egg Seamus McEgg at 1015 this morning

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

Egg 3 laid yesterday at approximately 1130ish. :hapdance:

obxbarb · **Posted:** Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:18 pm

Congrats George!!! Do you know why they bring in the plastic? I see it every year, and it obviously wasn't there when they started.

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

DATE LINE Phiadlephia

overnight the first of the 3 eyasses has finally gotten over their shyness and has come out of their shell :egghatch:

significant sized pip is visible on the second egg and there may be one on egg 3

will try to snag a capture when i can

kittenface · **Posted:** Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:57 am

Trio Of Baby Red-Tailed Hawks Now Nest At Franklin Institute :egg5:

By Molly Daly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There’s a trio of babies in the Red-tailed Hawk nest at the Franklin Institute. The last egg hatched Monday morning.

The hatchlings won’t win any beauty contests. Franklin Institute President Dennis Wint describes the bobble-headed babies as looking like hairy ping pong balls:

more here:

kittenface · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 9:13 pm

Red-Tailed Hawk Nesting At Franklin Institute Goes Missing

Kris G. · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 9:52 pm

Likely reason found for Hawk dad's disappearance:

http://sunnydixie.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=19

kittenface · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 9:59 pm

Single parenthood at the Franklin hawk nest?
The adult male red-tailed hawk, the day before the first eggs hatched. (Photo by Kay Meng)

Meanwhile, the Franklin Institute staff is mulling what kind of aid the humans could give. A decision has been made to supply supplemental food -- putting dead rats or mice on nearby ledges, in the hopes that the female will spot them and accept them. Yesterday, said spokeswoman Stefanie Santo, "the family did accept some food from us."
Read more:

LeicaEagles · **Joined:** Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:40 pm **Posts:** 2913

The franklin institute has started supplemental feedings of white rats to the growing eyases. Today i was down there and observed mom feeding and removing a large portion of rodent from the nest either to eat in privacy or to stash for future use.

here is an album of 7 shots of her. pardon the blury one as i didnt have time to really get a sharp capture of the rodent removal

http://s285.photobucket.com/albums/ll72/leicafool/hawks%20may%205/

kittenface · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 9:42 pm

Franklin hawk plot thickens: Female accepts a new male

The new male hawk, followed by the female, brings what looks like a small mouse to the nest.
(Franklin Institute photo)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The new and surprising news about the red-tailed hawk nest on a window ledge at the Franklin Institute keeps mounting.

Today, there's the extraordinary development that the female has accepted a new male, who has begun to help her feed the three hatchlings.

The drama began more than a week ago, when the original male didn't show up at the nest one night. As the days passed, avid hawk-watchers -- both people on the street below the ledge who watch the nest and those who tune in via an online web cam -- began to fear the worst. He wasn't coming back.

Eventually, they learned from a guy who posted on the hawks' Facebook page that he saw a red-tailed hawk get hit by a truck on the Schuylkill Expressway. Could it be the missing hawk?

Later still, they learned from a state game commission wildlife conservation officer, Jerry Czech, that he had picked up the dead hawk later that day. Case pretty much closed.

The Institute staff began collecting food -- dead mice and such -- for the young birds and leaving it on a nearby ledge. It was a long shot, but it turned out that the mother hawk went for it. She brought the food back and began feeding it to her young.

Still, watchers worried: Could she handle this single-parent role? Could she get enough food to her young and still protect them from the cold and the rain and who knows what else might threaten them.

Even if she did, the events seemed to spell the end for the webcam, which has attracted a worldwide following. If she got a new mate next year, they likely would nest someplace else.

Then, just today, another amazing development: A new male was seen by the nest, and the female was letting him approach.

Here's the report from the Franklin:

Astonishingly, our female has found a new mate and has welcomed him to the nest! This is a truly remarkable development. This morning, she allowed him to come to the nest and he has begun to help her hunt, bringing food offerings! Needless to say, the mood in the hawkaholic community has changed dramatically today as we see her moving on and welcoming support to help raise these three hatchlings. It’s a joyous outcome. The male’s willingness to join her also suggests that the future for our nest may indeed be bright!

Plymouth Meeting resident and hawk afficionado Della Micah has been recording even more details on her wonderful blog, which is here. She includes superb photos by Kay Meng of Glenolden.

PattiO · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 11:36 pm

I saw that news today ...... how terrific is that!!!! I wouldn't think a male would accept chicks that weren't his. :egg16:

We keep learning .........

kittenface · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 11:38 pm

PattiO wrote:

I saw that news today ...... how terrific is that!!!! I wouldn't think a male would accept chicks that weren't his. :egg16:

We keep learning .........

I was thinking and said the same thing last night I learn something new every day
I just think this is right up there with MnBound news :egg5:

kittenface · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2012 11:07 pm

Stepdad’ Steps In To Take Care Of Franklin Institute’s Red-Tailed Hawk Babies :egg5:

May 9, 2012 5:45 PM
By Robin Culverwell

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Bird-watchers keeping tabs on the nest of Red-tailed Hawks at the Franklin Institute have reason to rejoice: The mother hawk has allowed an unattached male to bring food to her babies.

It’s not unheard of, but it’s certainly rare that a mother would let a stranger near her brood:

“It is a surprise beyond belief,” says the Franklin Institute’s president, Dennis Wint, who first noticed the male flying around the red-tailed hawk’s nest on Monday.

The three fledglings are healthy and growing, and the “step-dad” is fitting right in after swooping past:

“[He] sits right there with the female then goes into hunting mode, also bringing back food.”

Wint says so far, so good, but this is uncharted territory for hawk watchers. As for the little ones—they’re peering over the edge of the nest, indicating it won’t be long before they want out

Photo from FaceBook by way of Tulsa's Jackie Dover, by way of Robin of Illinois

skygirlblue · **Joined:** Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:18 pm **Posts:** 63313

Just amazing!!!

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FRANKLIN INSTITUTE: 2010-2012

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