Tom Brings In a Second Opossum 🌲 05/01/23 03:27

Tom shows up back to the nest with another baby Opossum. He places the Opossum down on the nest, next to the first one, then flies up to a branch off-cam. A few seconds later, he flies back to the nest, observes what he has brought, and takes off again. The hawklet (eyas) and Angel now have plenty of food for the night.

FYI: As there could be many different reasons for the actions we see out of Angel's mate, Tom, we have to remember he is a young Hawk and a first-time father. Each bird is different, and their behavior also depends on the amount of testosterone they have. Obviously, if they carry a high level of testosterone they will be more aggressive. With Tom, we have seen both sides. While he was rough with his hawklet, he also showed a soft and nurturing side. There is not one species of creature that I have seen through the years, that hasn't shown one side or the other, nurturing or aggressive. The reason for that is that it all depends on DNA and hormones, with various sub-factors along the way. This is a short article explaining the difference testosterone makes in a bird. There were other papers as well, but they were extremely technical and long and can be researched if needed. https://news.virginia.edu/content/study-shows-costs-and-benefits-testosterone-birds

🐥 FIRST HAWKLET HATCHED ON 04/28/23 IN THE EVENING.
Update: The first hawklet succumbed to an injury due to an accident at the nest on 04/29/23 at 07:44 AM.
🐥 SECOND HAWKLET HATCHED ON 04/30/23 AT 01:22 PM

🐣 PIP WATCH FOR FIRST EGG STARTS 04/21/23.
🐣 PIP WATCH FOR SECOND EGG STARTS 04/24/23.

🥚 TOM AND ANGEL'S FIRST EGG LAID
03/24/23 at 03:56 PM
🥚 TOM AND ANGEL'S SECOND EGG LAID
03/27/23 at 08:18 PM

🥚 INCUBATION PERIOD: 28-35 days.
🐥NESTING PERIOD: 42-46 days.

#Nature #Leucistic #RedTailedHawk #Wildlife #BirdsOfPrey #Hawk

Article on a Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk:
https://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/a-very-unusual-leucistic-redtailed-hawk

Courtesy Of:
Window to Wildlife
Link: https://www.windowtowildlife.org/

Cam Links:
Overhead Cam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0mCowoEUI
Longrange Cam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxQkhFgIZkc

Stats (from cam link above):
Location- Tennessee (exact location cannot be given for her safety)
Angel - Female, 7+ years of age, Leucistic (White)
Unnamed Mate- Male, 3+ years of age, Normal Coloration
Nest: 40 feet tall, 3 feet long x 1.5 feet wide, human-reinforced nest
Cams: Above the nest is a tiny pinhole cam so we don't intrude into the small nest, this cam does not have IR (night vision). We have a long-range PTZ cam in a distant tree, with IR and Mic.

Angel's Story (from cam link above):
Angel is a very rare Leucistic Red-Tailed Hawk. 2 years ago, Angel & Mohawk (no longer around) raised 3 chicks and they fledged successfully. Last year Angel chose a new mate and he was still a subadult. Since the new male was not fully mature, they did not have eggs last year. This year he has fully matured and their bond seems strong. Will post a view soon about the history of Angel and how we came to put in this very unique and rare camera.

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