Hawks Hatch on Earth Day

Ithaca, N.Y.-Thousands watching a live streaming cam caught their first glimpse of a newly hatched Red-tailed Hawk chick around 6:00 a.m. on Earth Day, April 22. A second chick emerged soon after in the nest located on a light pole high above an athletic field on the Cornell University campus.
A third egg is due to hatch in the next 48 hours.
The female hawk, named Big Red (for the Cornell Big Red sports teams), and her mate Ezra (after university co-founder Ezra Cornell) began swapping incubation duties after the chicks cracked holes in the two eggs on Sunday.
“People become so entranced by these birds, they can hardly tear themselves away,” said Charles Eldermire, leader of the Bird Cams project hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “They feel like part of the family as they watch the little ones grow from puffy white chicks to gawky fledglings, and it’s a great learning opportunity.”
In the hours following the hatchings, people in the hawk cam chat room, including school children, expressed jubilation at the arrival of the fuzzy chicks. Some described themselves as “cheering” or doing a “happy dance” to celebrate the hatchings.
“Earth Day comes once a year to remind us of the natural world around us,” Eldermire said. “What better way to celebrate than to see new life beginning?”
Follow the action:
Hawk Cam: www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks

Heron Cam: www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellherons