community.kjrh.com

Bravo!!! Excellent work, all of you!!

Observer, thank you for giving us a ground-level view of that tower! Puts it into perspective! I've been there, definitely don't want to look up too long, you'll get a kink in your neck! LOL!

Sally, thank you for your expertise on birds! We can always count on you! Hope the remodeling goes smoothly and you get to feeling better soon!

Bville, wonderful detective work on determining what type of bird it was, and giving us a history of kestrels visiting the nest.

Catgirl, stunning and timely photos and descriptions of your visits! Thanks for showing Kay and Jay in the same photo - it does take two, you know!

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live well --- laugh often --- love much

November riches, Catgirl....Thank you! I'm wondering about a particular area of the photos with Kay and the kestrel. There appear to be some objects, somewhat like sticks, behind the dish-like structure at right. I don't suppose that could be a nest of some sort (kestrel)? And Mrs. Red Hawk is indeed parked right under it. 
See the area from your photos:

Here is a photo of that area from last January.  I think what you see now are the remains of that object - (star shaped mylar helium balloon with streamers off the points?!)

Fantastic. I am at a lose for words. It is all so exciting. Thank all of you for your input.

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Yesterday is history
Tomorrow a mystery
Today is a gift

catgirl:

Here is a photo of that area from last January.  I think what you see now are the remains of that object - (star shaped mylar helium balloon with streamers off the points?!)

Aha, mystery solved. Thanks. Those thinner projections at lower right were what I'd noticed. Hadn't made out the blue and red until I enlarged.  Shucks

from Catgirl's photo

Sorry to burst your balloon, bville!!!

They may very well nest somewhere on the tower - a few nooks and crannys we cannot see or do not bother looking at.

Quick view of the nest this afternoon - thank you camera man!!

On CamFan's behalf, I'm posting this capture from the Hawk Cam at 4:45 p.m today. We think this may be the tail of one of the kestrels who have been frequenting the Tower. The bars on the tail's underside (I'm assuming it's the underside) appear similar to those in a Web photo of a kestrel, though a closer comparison with the kestrel in Catgirl's recent photos isn't as conclusive.
CamFan's capture

Kestrel from the Web

photo from http://tinyurl.com/y897ocn

That is a cute little juvenile male kestrel.  Next year he should have a rusty tail with a black terminal band and less if any flecks on a solid rusty chest. Great shots! Note the solid rusty tail on the mature male kestrel pestering Kay on the golden rod shot a few posts above here.

Edit- you know, I think this may be a Female's tail.  The outer feathers of the male have the barring but the tail, even in the juvenile, is solid rusty color.  Perhaps it was Mama kestrel perched on the camera.  The shots I caught before were a rusty tail with the black and then thin white terminal tial bands.

 

Thanks, Sallyls, for the ID. I figured you could make heads, er, tails, of CamFan's capture. I was a bit confused by what appeared to be more than one black tail band in CamFan's shot, as compared to the kestrel in flight above, who looked to have just one band. Of course, the latter photo was made at some distance, and could be less revealing of details. Is there a difference between the number of black bands on the undersides of the male's and female's tails?

Raptors should take note that any tail spotted on or around the Tower is going to get a thorough inspection by our eager eyes.

LOL, Bville, thorough inspection indeed!!! Thank you so much for posting the screen capture and for answering my SOS - "whose tail is this?" I knew if anyone could research it, it would be you!

Thank you Sally for your professional input also! You were actually signed on when the tail landed on the camera (but probably outside inhaling fresh air?).

The tail was pretty all fanned out , but I was slow to register at first what it was since I'd seen nothing but wasps flying by the camera all day! By the time my brain said 'bird', the tail had folded up. The kestrel took a ride as the camera was moving into position for the 5 PM newscast, but must not have liked it because it levitated upward ? and disappeared (didn't see it fly away).

Thank you again! You're both awesome!!!

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live well --- laugh often --- love much

Bville, Cam- I have not been signing out, just leving it on in hopes of catching glimpses when I can, back and forth and back again.  Sorry I missed Kestrels ride!

Not a professional, just trying to share whatever knowledge I think I posses!11

 

A timely capture of The Nest this morning at 10:22, by CamFan:


Bless the Vets

Sally, most people on this Forum, compared to me are "Pros"!!!  I've learned a lot about Raptors since last March, but prior to this, if it wasn't a cardinal, chickadee, or any bird seen in central Tulsa, then I'd be lost!

Bville, once again, thank you for posting the screen shot of the nest! And KJRH, thank you for showing the tidy nest!

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live well --- laugh often --- love much

CamFan:

Sally, most people on this Forum, compared to me are "Pros"!!!  I've learned a lot about Raptors since last March, but prior to this, if it wasn't a cardinal, chickadee, or any bird seen in central Tulsa, then I'd be lost!

Bville, once again, thank you for posting the screen shot of the nest! And KJRH, thank you for showing the tidy nest!

 

I echo that... It does look quite tidy doesn't it HUM!!

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Yesterday is history
Tomorrow a mystery
Today is a gift