Wildlife Observations: February 7, 2020
E-A-G-L-E-S Iggles*
Two bald eagle sightings in the previous article, and two more now! Tina Stanton of Rutledge said that on January 26 she “was on a walk around Rutledge, when someone called out to me ‘Want to see a bald eagle?’ He pointed to the top of the cell phone tower at the corner of Linden Avenue, and there it was, a bald eagle perched at the very top. I walked around the corner and told another person I encountered, and, as we admired the bird, it gracefully flew off.” Two days later, Molly Scott of Swarthmore saw a bald eagle circling and swooping over the waterfall on Yale Avenue below the Strath Haven Condominiums, slowing traffic with its display. I hope these sightings are evidence of eagles establishing nests for breeding in the area. Keep your eyes peeled.
Peg Christiansen submitted two photographs, taken by Lisa D’Antonio, of foxes visiting the now closed Strath Haven Condo pool. Peg wrote: “Guess they did not know: (1) it is closed for the winter, (2) you need to be a resident to use it, and (3) you need a pool pass.”
Foxes visit the now-closed Strath Haven Condominium pool. Photo: Lisa D’Antonio
Stan Ruley of Swarthmore submitted a photograph of a hawk he spotted in the yards between Brighton and Kenyon avenues. The long thin tail, rounded at the end, suggests it was probably a Cooper’s hawk. Jonathan Hodgson of Swarthmore also submitted a photograph of a hawk he spotted on Hillborn Road near Plush Mill Road, but I cannot make out the species from the camera angle.
The long, thin tail of this hawk, rounded at the end, indicates that it is likely a Cooper’s hawk. Photo: Stan Ruley
Vultures feast on carrion at the corner of Rutgers and Cornell avenues in Swarthmore. Photo: Ross Schmucki
Ross Schmucki of Swarthmore noticed three black vultures feeding on a dead squirrel near the corner of Cornell and Rutgers avenues. He submitted “gruesome photos” of the carrion feeding.
Fred Tinter of Swarthmore observed a red fox trotting through his backyard, as well as a “Cooper’s hawk sitting on our bird feeder looking for something to eat (but not...the food in the feeders. More likely the food ON the feeders).” His backyard observations also included the following species: “chickadee, slate-colored junco, American goldfinch, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, and a few other LBJs (little brown jobs).”
*Translation for non-natives of Delaware County: “Iggles” is the phonetic pronunciation of the Delco dialect word “eagles.”
