Clear Creek
On Tuesday June 2nd we went paddling at Clear Creek with the crew. It was a chill day, no wind, little human activity and a good day to have a long lens on board.
We were alerted by a group of paddlers of a possible eagle nest on the right side of the canyon.
Not eagles, red-tailed hawks. There was one chick in the nest.
We showed up and after a while thte adult in the next flew across the water and landed on the other side. Notice the poop spray on the walls. This was morning light.
The afternoon light was MUCH better! Another parent showed up, dropped its catch in the nest, and the chick tore into it.
What we discovered about red-tailed hawks is that it requires a DNA test to be 100% sure of the sex of the bird. The males TEND to be smaller, but to the untrained eye, it's impossible to tell, as their plumage is identical.
Some Fun Facts:
- The red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk in the United States. It lives in deserts, forests, and cities.
- In Native American cultures, hawks are revered for their keen sense of sight and ability to fly at great heights.
- The red-tailed hawk’s average weight is three pounds. Females are about 25-percent heavier than males.
- Their flying speed is 20-40 m.p.h. They can reach up to 120 m.p.h. when diving.
- Their diet includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects.
- During the Middle Ages, artists suggested nobility or high social class by depicting a hawk on the arm of a man on horseback.
- Red-tailed hawks mate for life.
- Hawks take about four to seven days to build their nests, usually in tall trees or atop high structures. Nests are made of twigs, bark, leaves, and plant matter.
- Both adults incubate eggs for 28-32 days. At the 42- to 46-day mark, the young leave their nest, but do not fly for another two to three weeks.
- In Ancient Egypt, artists often depicted Horus, god of the sky, with a hawk’s head or body.
Backyard Birding
In early June we noticed birds flying in and out of the birdhouse attached to the ponderosa pine tree right outside our backdoor. Though it looked like they were bringing food home, not nesting material, we did not hear the baby bird peeps. Then we did. So I set up a tripod and my long lens, focused it on the front of the house and fired away when a parent arrived. Here is what I got.
A nice little bonus to this story, we had the privilege of watching all three babies leave the nest! It is SO amazing how that works. They live in this little wooden box then, suddenly appear and BAM! They fly away. It wasn't graceful but, they made it to the tree branches. One was a little more skeptical of the experience that the other two and took quite a bit of coaxing but they made it!
Flagstaff Folk Festival
This is my second year volunteering for this event. I worked the volunteer, vendor, musician parking lot on Saturday and took photos. I also took some pics on Sunday.
The Musicians
There were over 100 acts performing, here are but a few...
Our friend Dawn Krachey performed, twice! The second set was for the Route 66 Song Writing Competition. She was one of eight finalists, she and her song took second place. Dawn lives in Oro Valley outside of Tucson. Check her out at dawnkrachey.com. (Sorry, I can't get it to hot link.)
Kids
There was a kids area at theTynkertopia tent where they could make instruments and color. They are a S.T.E.A.M. based makerspace based in Flagstaff, AZ. Find out more at https://www.tynkertopia.org/.
The weather was glorious. Not too hot, a little bit of rain, some cool breezes and some thunder and lightning. It was like our monsoons came for two days and wanted in on the action!
Instruments
Along with the performances there were a lot of jam sessions to enjoy. It was a great weekend!
Flagstaff, Pride in the Pines
Freinds
We ran into several friends which is always fun.
These beautiful humans had a clothing change for the Festival. We opted out as we had house projects to attend to.
The Parade
Ahhhhhh, the traditional kick-off to a good Pride parade: Dykes on Bikes. It was Flagstaff's 4th annual so we had...four. Four Dykes on Bikes. If you go to one of the "big ones" such as San Francisco, NYC, etc, you'll see hundreds of motorcycles. It's quite impressive. I was proud of our four.
The parade was only 20 minutes long but it was great fun. Way to represent, Flagstaff!
There you have it, our June adventures. What's not in pictures is Ellen's visit to Bellingham to see her sister Greer or me fixing the joint backyard fence with our favorite neighbors who are moving to Oregon at the end of next month. And to think summer is just getting STARTED!
Happy Summer Solstice! Enjoy the longest day of the year!
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