News From The Mews

It was a hot and humid day. I was feeling sluggish and the birds were, too. They always have water pans available to bathe in, but I wanted to try offering another cooling option.  Carson the Red-tailed Hawk loves taking a shower in the rain, so wouldn't she like a little mist from a spray bottle on a hot day? Unfortunately, she has always been uncomfortable around spray bottles and flees from them whenever they come out. On this steamy day, I decided to try a different approach. What if I gave her the power to turn the spray bottle on and off? I stepped in the mew and waited until she came close to me on the right side of the long perch. I sprayed a bit of water on her toes, then delivered a treat on the other side of the mew. I stepped back to my original position and waited. After a moment, Carson hopped back to the right side of the perch. The spray bottle turned on. This time she wasn't terribly comfortable and took a step to the side. The spray bottle turned off and I lef

I have written previously about tail pattern variations between American Kestrels. But I became curious whether one individual's tail pattern changed over time. I dug out Aldo's molted feathers from previous years and it felt like a game of "Spot the Differences" in a Highlights magazine.  While we are missing a few feathers from each year (a full kestrel tail has 12 feathers), it seems that each feather is unique. Focusing on the two central feathers that have the most solid pattern, 2023 had more black and slate-blue splotches than 2019. This week I found those central feathers freshly molted in his mew and they seem to be even more patterned than before. I wonder if the splotches will continue to follow this trend and become more pronounced in future years?

Aldo the American Kestrel enjoyed his time in the sun by busily preening his feathers. Preening is one behavior we look for to see if he is comfortable on the glove. With his head tucked fully under his wing, he can't watch out for potential dangers so he must feel pretty confident that he is safe in the garden with me. He also showed several other comfort behaviors - can you spot them? Did you notice how he: roused (full body feather shake)? tucked one foot up in a ball? kept his feathers fluffed out, not slicked down? These are all signs that he was really enjoying himself!

I always appreciate the little things that make my job easier. These little things are often solutions to little annoyances. A new scrub brush replaces the one that constantly sheds bristles. A new daily checklist gets laminated so we can't forget to clean the snakes' water dishes. Another annoyance comes up just twice a year. Aldo the American Kestrel has a heat bulb for the winter, which plugs into the wall behind a kestrel-proof box. This box also proved nearly naturalist-proof when I had to unscrew the door in the spring and fall. I could never find the right screwdriver bit and the space was nearly too cramped to fit an electric drill or a manual screwdriver. I always dreaded this tiny task. This week, my problem was remedied. My handy husband came up with the idea to put the door on a hinge and secure it with a small magnet. I filled my pockets with drill bits, magnets, screws, and hinges to install the new hardware. Voilà! Now the outlet is easily accessed with no extra