http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2108183Herd-elephants-huddles-round-female-gives-birth.html

Elephants huddle round female to protect her from prowling hyenas while she gives birth.    So smart

Thanks Kris G

They are the most family faithful and close knit of all the animal kingdom that I've seen. They even mourn their dead. Thanks Kris and Donna! 

   I'd like to see him do the 2 step with all those legs! 

 

 

Rocket is a great nickname for a falcon! 

 

That's our Quest!   

Excellent pics today! Thanks! 

160 

121 for the Beautyful one. 

I want one! 

Dorothy/Beauty

 

Have watchers, like MAK and others, ever seen activity near this nestbox?

Nobody really checks there since when it first was put up no falcons took an interest in it. 

I thought a watcher took a couple pics of Beauty at the Hawkeye box last fall?

Was it Carol?

Found it! The pics of Beauty at that site are posted on the 12/3/11 watch report by MAK.

Yes she was near the NB but her scrape is at TS and I'm sure she was just hanging out there. Although when she is released we may want to check there from time to time just in case things don't work out at TS. There are so many scenarios to think about with Archers return and most likely Beauty coming back to her territory. Oy brain on overload!!! 

Mortality rate is high in our familiar songbirds. For robins, it’s around 50% each year once young birds have fledged. If a robin survives to midwinter, it lives an average of 1.7 years after that. The oldest robins in your yard might be about six years old, although one banded bird lived almost 14 years. Robins don't maintain their pair bonds over the winter, so they mate anew each spring. But if the same male and female return to the same territory, they are very likely to mate again.

Birdnote

Very interesting info Donna. Thanks for sharing!