Urban Hawks

Washington Square Fun

Tonight I had lots of fun watching the eyasses.  They're big enough to see them for more than just a few minutes each evening.  There feathers are starting to grown in and they're stretching their wings. And tonight I got my first family portraits with the whole family in one frame.

Kentucky Warbler

Kentucky Warblers are rare in New York City, and their skulking habits make them that much harder to find.  The excellent birders of Central Park have been keeping track of one for three days near the Swedish Cottage.

I was fortunate to see the Kentucky Warbler twice today.  I didn't get any great photographs, but was able to capture enough detail to prove I had seen it!  It was a life bird for me.

Myth Making

I was disappointed to read a reader's question on Marie Winn's blog.  The question included a statement as though it was fact, that Pale Male preferred Rock Pigeons over other prey and was less likely to be poisoned.

Those of us who have followed Pale Male throughout the year will be happy to testify to his varied diet which includes mostly rodents.  There is no evidence that he prefers Rock Pigeons.  None what so ever!  (Pale Male does catch pigeons around the Model Boat Pond.  I wonder if this has skewed observations, as many hawk watchers follow Pale Male only from the "hawk bench".)

I visited the nest today. The feeling at the bench is that the hatch window doesn't start until around May 1st.  When I arrived Pale Male was on the nest and soon there after the female returned to take over brooding duties.  Later in the day, I saw Pale Male perched on the Beresford Apartments.

Babies So Visible

The chat room of the Washington Square nest had a "meet up" today.  While the group was visiting the nest they had a chance to see Bobby, Rosie and the two eyasses.  It was nice that the hawks put on a nice show for the visitors.

Fifth Avenue

I went to Central Park in search of a Kentucky Warbler, but didn't find it.  So, I ventured over to Fifth Avenue to watch Pale Male and his new mate.  It was very quiet.  Except for a flyover of four Turkey Vultures, not much happened.  The female is still brooding and it doesn't look like the eggs have hatched yet.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

One a very windy day, that made photography almost impossible, there were two interesting sights.

The first was Rosie on a 2 Fifth Avenue balcony.  The wind showed off her brood patch and then she harassed by Northern Mockingbird.

The second was clear views of the eyasses.  For the first time I was able to see both heads at once.

Rainy Thursday

The Washington Square nest was fairly quiet for the hour or so I visited.  Rosie only left twice, Bobby was nowhere in sight, and the eyasses mostly slept.  But I did get to see one eyass stand up.  The kids are growing bigger and bigger!

Owlets, A Week Later

The Manhattan Owlets, a week later...

(These photographs were taken on April 14th.  I wanted to wait until the owlets had fledged before posting these photographs.  Owls can attract huge crowds, this family deserved some peace and quiet.)

 

Great Horned Owl Owlets

Manhattan has a nesting pair of Great Horned Owls with two owlets this year.  This is wonderful news.  The nest is close by a Red-tailed Hawk nest and the two species are managing to live closely together.

(These photographs were taken on April 6th.  I wanted to wait until the owlets had fledged before posting these photographs.  Owls can attract huge crowds, this family deserved some peace and quiet.)

Fifth Avenue

The hatch window on Fifth Avenue starts in a few days.  Chances are that we might have eyasses by next weekend.  Here are some pictures of the new female.

St. John the Divine

Both the Morningside Hawks and The Origin of Species blogs have reported feedings at the St. John the Divine nest.  I made a brief visit on Saturday.  I didn't catch a feeding but it sure looks like they hatched from the behavior of the parents.

Viewing in Person

I love watching hawks in person.  New York now has a number of hawk nests that will be great to follow in person over the next few months.  If you're a hawk cam watcher or just a reader of my blog, find a nest to visit where you live!

Tiny Glimpse

I finally got to see the slightest glipse of an eyass' head today.  I'd been hoping all week to see this.  I also had a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker sighting, which adds another bird species to my Washington Square Park list.

Dizzle and Gray

On a night with a little drizzle, the parents spent a good deal of their time off the nest.  Rosie ate a pigeon on the Law School and there were lots of visits and exits from the nest by both birds.

As much as I try to get a glimpse of the youngsters from the ground, the eyasses are still too small.

Warmer Monday

With the warm weather, the eyasses were left to themselves by the parents a number of times this evening.  Rosie and Bobby made lots of visits to the nest and the cross.

Rosie caught a squirrel late in the day, and took it the Washington Square Arch, but then took off with it.  She may have cached it, since it didn't seem to make it up to the nest.

Warm Day

A warm day in Washington Square resulted in some behavior changes.  Instead of needing to keep the eyasses warm Rosie could stand up and just watch them.   However, as much as I hoped for a small glimpse of the youngsters from the park, they're still too small to be seen.

Bath Time

Red-tailed Hawks aren't know for taking baths, but in New York City we get to see them now and again.  I bet the slices of the youngsters may encourage the adults to bath this time of year!

Mid-Day Feeding

Screen captures from the New York Time Webcam.

Family of Four

It was nice to be in Washington Square Park this evening and watch the family be just that.  Dad keeping watch, Mom feeding the eyasses, and the eyasses (baby hawks) being themselves.

Noontime Feeding

Screen captures from the New York Times Webcam.

Hatch Day Number Two

It was fun being in the park when the second eyass hatched.  It gave us an opportunity to watch both the female and the male see eyass number two for the first time and see their reactions.  For Rosie it was a relaxed flight around the park.  For Bobby the need to find a rodent to add to the collection of food on the nest.

The dull brooding period is over.  Let the fun begin!

Bobby hunted for himself in near darkness just before 8 p.m. before going to roost.

2nd Egg Hatches

I was in Washington Square Park when the second egg hatched.  I was able to capture some screen shots from the New York Times webcam, while I was photographing in the park.  Here are the screen captures.

An Early Afternoon Feeding

More screen caps from the New York Times Webcam...

Baby Pictures

Morning images of the first eyass of 2012. Screen captures from the New York Times Hawk camera.

First Egg Hatches at Washington Square

The first egg, which had a small pip whole around noon today, hached just after 11:00 pm this evening.  Screen captures from the New York Times Hawk camera.

Pigeon for Easter Supper

Bobby caught a pigeon in a tree, and then proceeded to eat it in the NW corner of the park on Easter Sunday.  Nice catch Bobby!

Fifth Avenue Exchange

I made a brief visit to Fifth Avenue this afternoon and got to see Pale Male give his mate a break from her brooding duties.

Two Rats

Tonight, I ended up leaving the office late and was worried I would miss any action in Washington Square.  Luckily, the hawks were very active once I arrived.

Bobby appeared soon after I arrived and did a wide survey of the park before landing on the cross.  He then went to the nest and relieved Rosie.

She did some exploring and then settled down to hunting.  She caught a rat, eat it, and returned to the nest.

Bobby then hunted in the same place Rosie had hunted and choose the same tree to eat the rodent.   Both locations can be seen from the nest.  After Bobby finished eating, it was off to roost.

 

Settled In On Fifth Avenue

Unlike the Washington Square Park pair, which love to show off in the early evening, on Fifth Avenue, it was very quiet tonight.

The new female sat on the nest and only got up to roll the eggs twice.  Pale Male didn't visit the nest.  I guess the old man goes to bed early!

All kidding aside, this variation in behavior from nest to nest, and hawk to hawk is what makes hawk watching so much fun.  When you think you have Red-tailed Hawks figured out, you always find they is so much more to learn.  And what you already learned might not be true.

Rosie Hunts

Rosie continue to hunt even though she's brooding. Tonight she got a rat.  The pictures are Rosie on nest, then Bobby, then Rosie, then Bobby.