Another Nest!

 

The Cooper's Hawk couple has returned to the cemetery to start a new family!  This is the third year now that I have been privileged to witness their domestic activities.

Here are some photographs (with captions beneath each one).

Such a handsome bird!

The nest is well developed.

Here's the male flying with a twig for the nest.

You can see the nest at the top left and the female hawk at the bottom right.  Unlike the earlier nesting sites, I think that once the leaves come out, I may not get much of a view of the nestlings.

The famous hawk stare!

Update on the Cooper's hawks and the trees

If you recall, the administration of the cemetery where the hawks were nesting had marked two trees flanking the "nest tree" for felling but actions were taken to allow the hawks to fledge safely and take to the skies.  See earlier post here 

Below is a photo of one of the young hawks that was taken in late October.  I haven't seen the parents or the other four juveniles but that is not a cause for alarm since this seems to be their pattern.  Actually I hope this guy has decided to migrate as the weather is quite cold now.

Some interesting activities have happened regarding the trees.  For one thing, red tapes have been taken off some trees and put on others.  It seems willy-nilly to  me and I can see no reason for the change of targets (in terms of the condition or location of the trees).

As for the two trees mentioned earlier, they have not been felled but did remain marked (red tape on trunks) until a film crew arrived on November 6th to film a scene involving a burial.  This in itself was interesting and I tried to discover what the TV show or movie was, but I could not find anything to indicate that.  However I read on the Internet that the show "Transplant" is currently filming in Montreal.  In any event, I noticed that the red tapes were removed!  I figured it may have been just for aesthetic reasons and that they might re-appear after the actors and crew, etc. had left.  But they have not been put back and suddenly red tape has appeared elsewhere on the grounds (see photos).

This is a pole.  It hold up wires and a light.  It does not normally get "felled".

This is a metal pole.  It holds up a light.  

Again, not something that is normally cut down.

I would like to think that someone is making a statement about the killing of so many trees that has occurred within the cemetery and on the surrounding grounds.  I hope the cemetery authorities get the message!

The Hawks Are Safe And Flying!

One of the parents enjoying a puddle bath

As you may recall, in April I reported that the Cooper’s Hawks were nesting again this year in the Saint-Laurent Cemetery. See post here.

Since then, however, a number of things happened that caused me to fear for the safety of the baby hawks.  In early June I noticed red ribbons on each of two trees flanking the “hawk tree”.  This meant that those trees were slated for felling. This became an urgent issue because the trees could be cut down at any time and there were nestlings at this point.  These adjacent trees were so close that their branches over-lapped with those of the hawk’s tree, and therefore the felling of them (with the big trucks, commotion and loud noises) could make the parents abandon the nest. 

I immediately wrote a letter to the cemetery administration explaining the location of the nest and my concerns.  I received no reply for several days so I sent a follow up letter with photos of the occupied nest and asked a good friend, Georges Dupras, to write as well.  Georges went one step further and copied the mayor of Saint-Laurent, Alan DeSousa.  With neither my letters nor Georges’ getting a reply from the cemetery, the mayor assigned the issue to a city planning advisor, Jacinthe Daprato, for action.

In the meantime, I discovered that there were five nestlings!  This information and more details were passed on to Ms Daprato and I was very pleased to learn on July 5th that the cemetery had been instructed by the city to leave all trees standing until mid-August in order to protect these birds.

Her reply to me (translated from the French) stated in part: “After discussions with the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, and under the law on the conservation and development of wildlife, the nest must be protected until the young are able to fly and leave the nest.”

I am happy to report that all five young hawks are now adult size and flying well.  They still rely on their parents for food however, and come back to the nest for feeding.

I hope you will enjoy these photos (click to enlarge) and will be as pleased as I am for the happy ending to this saga thanks to all those involved.

A nestling on June 19th

A parent and young hawk on June 24th

One of the young hawks on June 27th

The youngsters are now "branching" 

(going onto branches and exercising their wings)

July 3rd

Three of the fledglings on July 14th

A portrait of a young hawk

July 14th

More stretching of wings!

July 14th

Sitting majestically!

July 16th

 

More Photographs Of Cooper's Hawks

The Cooper's Hawks seem to be keeping a low profile these days.  Until a couple of weeks ago, I would see and/or hear one calling while the other was almost always on the nest.  Perhaps the serious business of incubating and hatching eggs has both their attention now.

I'm not sure whether I'll be able to get any good shots of the nest since it is quite obscured by foliage now so, unlike last year, I may only get shots of the young once they are fledged and flying about.

In the meantime, I thought I would post several photos taken earlier this year while the pair was nest building.  Also, I believe one of the young from last year decided to come back to the area.  I thought I was photographing an adult and then realized it was an immature.  The adult male drove it away, so I guess that's tough love in action!

Here is the immature hawk:

And below are shots of an adult in flight (with a twig for the nest in the last one):

To be continued ...

The Cooper's Hawks Are Nesting Again This Spring

 

I was excited to find that the Cooper's Hawks are nesting again in the cemetery.  (I am assuming it is the same pair as last spring).  This time they have chosen a different tree and have been working on the nest for a couple of weeks now.  I am not sure what kind of view I will have of the nestlings once the tree has leafed out but I'm hoping to be able to get at least a glimpse of them from time to time.

In the meantime I was very lucky to get some good shots of the hawks who kindly perched on lower branches and also some "action" shots.  I hope you like them as well as a 16 second video of the female hawk calling that you can see here.

The female

The male

Flying off the nest

The male hawk on the upper branch and the female on the lower branch

The hawk has just broken off this twig and is flying to the nest. 

On the nest

More photos will be coming as time goes by and hopefully some videos too.

The Four Young Hawks - final post

As I've been photographing the young hawks and they have become more independent, I don't always see all four of them together.  On Saturday (August 1st), however, I was lucky enough to find them together at the same time, allowing me to get a shot of each separate individual.  

So I thought I would post a July 8th nestling shot (all four in the nest) and then their individual portraits as young adults.  I feel like a parent documenting the "graduation" of my children!  And I will now deal with the "empty nest" syndrome (literally) ... 

Three More Videos of the Hawk Nestlings

For another look at the nestlings, here are three new "Cooper's Hawk with nestlings" videos:

Video 1 - click here. 

 One nestling preens and at the end another little head pops up and yawns. (31 seconds)

Video 2 - click here.

Nestlings jostle about in the nest on a windy day. I see at least three distinct heads and maybe a fourth? (21 seconds)

Video 3 - click here.

Parent feeds the nestlings. (24 seconds)

A New Cooper's Hawk Family

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that a pair of Cooper's Hawks took up residence in a cemetery here in Saint-Laurent. 

After occupying a nest high in a conifer, they abandoned it, and several days later, started building a new one in a deciduous tree in another area of the cemetery.  I have been monitoring their activities ever since I first spotted them and to my delight, they have successfully hatched out nestlings.  

Here are a few photos and a very short video.   

This nest and these hardy birds have weathered two strong wind/rain storms and a construction crew working on a building only a few meters from the tree!

Note: captions are below each photo.  You can enlarge a photo by clicking on it.

Starting the process!

A portrait of a handsome bird!

How cute is that little face?!

One nestling is on the left and there is a partial view of another on the far right.

Sitting in the nest!

Baby and parent.

To see a 25 second video, click here.

Stay tuned!

The Cooper's Hawks are still around!

Just a quick update to say that the hawks have been sighted again!  They are at the very back of the cemetery (where it is harder to photograph) but hopefully they will remain and make a new nest.

To celebrate, I thought I would share a photo of a Cooper's Hawk that I took several years ago in a stream in Mount Royal Cemetery.

Treetop Tryst

A pair of Cooper's Hawks has taken up residence in a local cemetery and I have been checking in on them each day I go out.  Unfortunately the gates of the cemetery are locked so my images are from quite a distance and therefore not of the greatest quality but I was able to capture a sequence of shots of a rather intimate moment between them. 

And finally, here is one of the pair on their nest which is high in a conifer.  I will be curious to see if baby hawks will be around later in the spring!