A Story of the Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond~

Above...sunrise~  

The pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond are struggling this season!

They lost their first clutch due to a Raccoon invasion. Then they chose...A transformer to put their shabbily so far nest upon.  I was feeling really very heart sad for this pair... and hoping they have one more good go at it~

On Wednesday morning the  Louisville Gas and Electric Company working in hand, from what I was told at their dispatch center with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife was going to help the birds out. 

LG&E sent a crew (four large utility trucks arrived on the scene) out to try and ascertain what, if anything could be done to the transformer pole, if indeed the Red-Shouldered Hawk pair had decided to use it for their nest. They had plans to redirect the hot wire if need be and secure the pole. I had a visit from my neighbors Bob and Velsie Hewlett the evening before letting me know that they were coming. I got to nest site early, only to realize that after groundskeepers had come with those huge, loud stand upon lawnmowers with just as loud weed whackers had managed to frighten the hen away from her nest and she had not returned. The kindness of this crew of men truly touched my heart. Every one of them were absolutely the sweetest young men with great smiles with just as big of empathetic hearts. One of the men even used my cell phone to take photos inside the nest. I was such a basket case for as I looked with blurred eyes into the camera at first thought there were little yolk sacks, but once I uploaded them, they were actually flower/leaf buds on the tree branches. That is a very good thing, she had not yet laid any eggs unless the disarray of this nest had also been done by a Raccoon the evening before. One of the men suggested that if I wanted them to, and if my husband put together a nest, they could come back out and place it for us. I came home and told Bill and he got right on the task at hand. Not sure how one secures a nest box, but we will all figure it out in the coming days. My other neighbors that lived also at nest site became my "Hawk Alert" team. Sandy and David Thomas. I LOVE my amazing neighbors and I appreciate them in my life. I am uncertain what shall become of the hawks this season, but I have a good feeling they will figure it all out...nature has a way~

 The hawks never came back on Wednesday after the crew left, not on Thursday and then Friday morning with very light snow falling, there she was flying back and forth with those large wings getting closer every time to those hot wires...it was an awful, helpless feeling.

 Still working on the nest and they also had begun once again Friday with their copulation behavior... I contacted the gentleman who is the head of the LG&E crew and he left me with a decision...to have them come out on Monday morning and redirect the hot wires, or wait until after the hen could hear the sounds of the chicks from within the eggs, which could take up to 2 to 3 weeks from now. During that time, and even up until Monday, every time one of the adult hawks flies into, or onto that transformer, it is high risk! I called my contact person in Frankfort with KY Fish and Wildlife and I am so thankful that they made the choice that I had hoped they would. They recommended not leaving the wire hot, but redirecting it on Monday morning, as the chance of electrocution is so high. Huge stress coming this entire weekend for me...ugh!!! Friday evening as I write this and as it gets dark, I will need to go ahead and at least protect the base of the pole from possible raccoon invasion. Hoping that the hen will return if frightened away for a little while on Monday and they they will be happy and get to raise their young on this very odd nest site for this species around here~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after                                                                you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

Mosaic Monday

&

Stewart for:

   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

The great crew of men from LG&E~

Neighbors that called themselves my "Hawk Alert" are so wonderful~

Husby Bill got right on the constructing of a raptor nest box according to the specifications shown online~

With light snow falling this morning, the hen was busy at nest building once again~

Closing this with the beautiful hen of the pair and my hope and prayer that this pair remains safe and that if they choose to stay after the redirection of wires on Monday, that they are successful, or that they can make one more try this season.  Three tries they have done before~