Urban Hawks

RFK Bridge

At the base of the Astoria Queens side of the RFK Bridge is an established nest of Red-tailed Hawks.  It's one of the easiest nests to watch in the city and this year has at least two eyasses.

Randalls Island

On the Northeast light post of the soccer field north of Icahn Stadium is the 2013 Randalls Island Red-tailed Hawk nest.  The female of the nest was sitting on the eggs.  She sat low on the nest and when she settled in after getting in did the back and forth wiggle a brooding mother does.

So, I don't thing we've had a hatch yet out on Randalls Island.

Astoria Park

I took a visit to Queens to check out a nest on the Triborough (RFK) Bridge.  It's been on the bridge for some time, although one year the nest was on the opposite side of the bridge.  Like so many nests in New York City, it had a parent die from poisoning.

Astoria is a nice quiet neighborhood full of friendly people.  Sometimes I get burnt out answering scores of questions from hawk watchers in Manhattan, and Astoria makes a wonderfully relaxed trip.   The nest is near the next to the last stop of the N train, which is a quick trip from where I live in Manhattan.

This year the nest has three eyasses, which seem to be about a month old.

A Little Wet At Riverside

I arrived at Riverside on Sunday after a thunderstorm to find a wet family of hawks.  The father was on a street light drying off and the mother was feeding two eyasses.

The other known Red-tailed Hawk second clutches in the city, Inwood Hill and Astoria/RFK Bridge, both fledged over the last few days.  A fledgling was seen in Inwood Hill by Jessica Ancker (via the Inwoodbirdwatchers Yahoo Group) and Peter Richter has pictures of the fledglings in Astoria on his Queens Raptors blog.

RFK Bridge

Before I went on vacation, I went by and saw the freshly hatched eyasses nesting on the Astoria side of the RFK Bridge.  I finally got back to see how they were doing on Saturday.  The two of them looked great.

They look healthy and very grown up.  Their tails need to grow in before they'll be flying off, but they'll be leaving the nest soon.

 

Astoria Nest

I got my first glimpse of a RFK Bridge nest eyass this evening.  From the feeding behavior of the mother, there are at least two eyasses. My guess is two, but it's too early to tell for sure.  It's a strange season, when a new eyass is seen the same day as a fledge!

RFK Bridge

Earlier this spring, the Astoria female died due to poisoning while she was sitting on her nest.  Within a few days, the male found a new mate and they laid a fresh set of eggs.

While we can't see the hatchlings yet, based on the behavior of the mother, it looks like they have hatched.  We'll know how many there are in a few days.

Unisphere Duo

The two surviving eyasses at the Unisphere in Corona Flushing Meadows Park are doing well.  They look ready to fledge.  For information about what happened earlier this season, see Peter Richer's Queens Raptor blog.

RFK Bridge Nest

The three eyasses looked great on my Saturday visit to the nest.  The nest is on a drain pipe on the Astoria, Queens side of the bridge.  On my visit I didn't see the parents, but I also didn't stay long.  It's not uncommon for a nest to be left unattended for long periods once the eyasses get close to fledging.

Unisphere Nest in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens

Earlier this week arrived news from Bobby Horvath, the rehabilitator on Long Island, that an eyass had fallen out of the Unisphere.  The bird was taken to the Queens Zoo across the highway, checked out just fine, and ended up with in the Horvath's care.

The Unisphere nest has a history of having eyasses and fledglings in trouble.  The Unisphere's metal construction makes it difficult for a bird to "branch" and there have been birds that fall out of the nest prematurely in previous years.  The park itself is a problem for new fledglings, as it doesn't have very many quiet areas for the parents to lure them to.

Photo: Bobby Horvath

The Hovarths continues to perform a great service for birds and wildlife in New York City.  If you're a NYC Raptor lover, I can think of no better donation then to help their organization.  If you’d like to make a monetary donation, checks can be made out to “Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation” and sent to:

WINORR, Inc.
202 N. Wyoming Avenue
North Massapequa, NY 11758

Since I hadn't been out to the nest since earlier in the season, I went out on Saturday to see how things had progressed at the nest.

When I arrived a parent was on the New York State Pavilion Towers and a visible eyass on the nest.  About fifteen minutes later, I saw a wing tip briefly from an I-beam of the Unisphere, three sections over from the nest.  So, the nest must have started three chicks, two still on the Unisphere and one now with the Horvaths.

Sunday Update: A second eyass fledged prematurely at the Unisphere and it is also now in the care of the Horvaths.

RFK Bridge and Unisphere Nests

I made a quick trip out to the RFK Bridge and the Unisphere on Friday.  The RFK female was feeding young, but they didn't pop up into sight, so I stuck out again in my attempt to get a glimpse at them.

The female at the Unisphere was sitting on the nest.  It was impossible to tell if she was still sitting on eggs or had hatchlings.  The nest is recessed into an I beam, which makes it a great hiding place for youngsters.

I'll be checking back up on these nests in a few weeks.

Astoria Park - RFK Bridge Nest

I spend early Sunday afternoon and late Monday evening looking for the eyasses (chicks) at the Astoria Park - RFK Bridge (formerly Triborough Bridge) nest without success.  It's clear by the parents behavior, that they're no longer sitting on eggs, but have hatchlings, but I didn't see them.  I must have missed the feeding each time I went, and if the eyasses are sleeping, they would be too low to see them.

In any event, I do have some nice pictures of the nest and the parents.

Sunday

Unisphere 2009

Red-tailed hawks are once again nesting on the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, in Queens, New York.  This year, they have abandoned the old nest located off the coast of Somalia (fear of pirates?) in the Indian Ocean and built a new nest directly south of Los Angeles, in the Pacific Ocean.  The new nest, like the older ones, is on the equator.

The equator of the Unishere is a I-beam, and the female can be completely out of view if she wants to be.  I was there at sunset, so the picture quality is poor.  I'll be going back later in the season to see the eyasses.

Astoria Park Confusion

I got an email on Saturday, that two hawks had been found dead at Astoria Park.  Excellent follow up by the Urban Park Rangers in Queens discovered two dead chickens rather than hawks.  Dead chickens have been a problem in the park this summer, most likely from Santería animal sacrifices.  While I'm relieved that the hawks are in good health, I do feel some sadness about the chickens.

Here are pictures of the Astoria hawks.  Two from last weekend and three from this Sunday.

Astoria Park

I hadn't been able to make it out to Astoria for awhile, but made it out on Saturday.   I was able to see both parents on Triborough Bridge.  They were on opposite sides of the Queens tower of the suspension bridge, just below the roadway level.

I wasn't able to find the surviving juvenile hawk from this pair nicknamed, Buster by the neighborhood.  The hawk from the Lower East Side that was released into the park and had to be returned to rehab after a case of Frounce has unfortunately died. 

The surviving fledgling from the Lower East Side, was recently released in Astoria Park and nicknamed Hank.  This hawk did not stay in the park.  However, hawk sightings further south along the river closer to the Queensborough Bridge have locals wondering if this hawk might be Hank.

 

Astoria Park

Astoria Park has two fledglings in the park.  Both looked like they were doing well.  One was enjoying a branch of a tree, while the other was on a high diving board when I was there.

The foot up or foot out poses are quite common for Red-tailed Hawks.  They aren't a sign anything is wrong, they're just shifting their weight from one foot to another.

The Triborough bridge is in the background of the last photograph.

Trio on Triborough

I got a message from Lincoln Karim that the Triborough Bridge pair was actually a trio, so I went out Saturday afternoon.

I got to see the eyasses and the mother.  The mother had been sick and was restored to good health under the care of Bobby Horvath.  You'll see she's banded.

Unisphere 2008

Thanks to a text message from Lincoln Karim, I went out to the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows, Queens and was able to find the new Red-tailed Hawk nest location.  It is about minus 30 degrees of longitude from the old nest.  Instead of being near Indonesia, it is now in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.

I had received reports earlier in the season that the nest site was empty.  The nest is in an I-beam, so it must be easy for the mother to hide while brooding and for the eyasses to hide when they are young.

There are at least two chicks in the nest.  In the pictures that follow, the mother captures, eats and feeds a young pigeon to her eyasses.  Readers beware.

The Unisphere

On the left, East Africa, the nest is in the center, and the adult female is on the right.

The adult female perches on a light around the perimeter of the Unisphere plaza.

The adult female hunts at the bottom of the Unisphere. 

There are a number of nesting pigeons, and she grabs a juvenile pigeon.

After eating a great deal, she takes a piece to the nest after a few stops to gain altitude.

Landing on the nest.

My first sighting of an eyas.

Two eyasses.

Two young heads.

The adult female on Cuba. 

Astoria/Triborough Bridge Nest Moves North

The Astoria/Triborough Bridge nest has at least two chicks in its new location on the other side of the bridge.  (Thanks, Jules Corkery for the update.)  I didn't get great pictures this evening but wanted to share them never the less.

The Astoria female was very ill this fall and was nursed back to health under the care of Bobby Hovarth.  With all of the bad news, it's important to remember that there are still lots of positive stories and successes in New York City.

Update 5/15/08: Also on the good news front Peregrine Falcons are doing well this season.  55 Water St. has a scrape with four nestlings which can be viewed on a webcam, and at least two birds have fledged on the Met Life building.

Astoria Park's Second Fledge

The second and the last eyas on the Astoria Park nest, left this morning and headed to a park north of the bridge.  (Thanks to Jules Corkery for letting me know about the fledge.)

When I got there this evening it was still there with its mother watching over it.

The mother.

The mother.

Astoria Fledgling Vs. The Blue Jays

I arrived to a quiet afternoon in Astoria.  One of the parents was on the bridge and the eyas still on the nest was making practice jumps around the nest and up to a bracket on the bridge.

The quiet was short lived however.  The fledgling appeared in a tree south of the tennis courts.  It was immediately mobbed by two noisy Blue Jays.

They kept attacking and dive bombing.

The fledgling lost its grip and slid down the branch.

It ended up in a smaller tree.

The Blue Jays kept at it.

At some point the fledgling had enough and flew south to a residential block of Astoria.  I walked around the block looking for it, but couldn't find it.  I think it was on a flat roof that wasn't visible from the street.  With the excitement over, I returned to Manhattan.

Astoria Park's First Fledge

The Astoria Park nest had its first fledge on Saturday around 2 p.m.  The fledgling went to the equipment depot under the bridge near the nest.  It was the safest place to fledge.  Good choice young one.

While I was there it spent its time hopping from truck to truck.

Caution, flying hawk.

There was a Blue Jay that would come by every ten minutes.

It hit the young hawk a few times.

The first day at school can be tough.

The eyas still on the nest looked on and seemed ready to join its sibling.

One of the parents landed in a tree near the nest...

... and then went to the north side of the bridge.

So, another successful nest in New York City.

Enjoy life off the nest!

Astoria Park

The Astoria Park eyasses are 45 days old, so they should be fledging soon.  These pictures were taken on Monday.

Look, I can stretch.

I can fly, well almost.

We get to explore Astoria soon!

It was close to bed time.

For the parents too.  They soon moved off to roosts for the night.

Astoria Park

All was quiet when I arrived.  The eyasses were settling down after a feeding.

The mother keeps watch about 20 feet to the left of the nest.

One kid has already settled down and is joined by the second.  Hawk watching isn't always exciting.

The biggest excitement of the evening was this Blue Jay who gives the mother a hard time.

So much so, that she moves...

...40 feet to the right of the nest.

Flushing Meadows

On Sunday afternoon, I went to the Unisphere.  Only one eyas was on the nest.  I saw both parents, but none of the fledglings. 

One of the parents on top of the globe.

The single remaining eyas on the nest.

The parents can watch the sorrounding area and the nest at the same time from this high spot.  I also saw for the first time the mother fly to the nest from the top of the globe through the hollow center of the sphere rather than around it.

I saw both parents circle the area between the globe and the NY Pavilion. 

Unisphere

I learned more about the history of the Unisphere nest.  The pair has been at the location for at least five years according to a parks employee.  The nest has changed locations, having been on the towers of the NY State pavilion and another location in earlier years.  The nest was also on the Unisphere last year, and one of the chicks fell out prematurely and was sent to a rehabilitater but did not survive.

The fledgling hanging out.  It isn't shy enough yet and a family tried to feed it potato chips!

An American Robin decided to give it a hard time for about 45 minutes.

The robin would not stop!

The eyasses woke up and then were very active.  I got a report from Richard Fleisher that earlier in the day, one of the young ones had ventured all the way to New Zealand.  Should we call branching behavior "globe hopping" at this location?

Red-tailed Hawks Take Over The Globe!

In Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, Red-tailed Hawks have nested in the Unisphere, a 12-story high globe created for the 1964-1965 World's Fair.

I didn't know this when I went to Queens this evening however.  This is the story...

I received an email this morning that a fledgling Red-tailed Hawk had been wandering on the ground and the benches of Flushing Meadows Park.  The letter went on to detail that someone had arranged to put the fledgling in a high tree branch to get it off the ground and in a safer spot.  News like this gets me on the next subway train after my work day is over!

I arrived in Queens and walked to the Unisphere.  I spotted a parent on the top of the globe.  I thought the parents would be near the fledgling in a tree, but would soon find out this hawk was in just the right spot.

The parent, who I think is the female.

I soon heard a group of noisy Robins and Blue Jays and went to take a look.  I found a shy fledgling trying to stay out of sight.

It got fed up with the Robins and Blue Jays and moved about the tree.  It did a good job of jumping and branching.  I didn't get to see it fly.  It may have fledged a few days too early.

I then saw the parent on the Unisphere and then something caught my eye.

A nest.  A nest on the unofficial icon of Queens.  A nest on the Unisphere!

There were two eyasses on the nest.  This brings my count of Red-tailed Hawk babies to 22 for the season, all visited by Metrocard.

They look close to fledging age.

Then both parents arrived.  One would quickly fly nearby and then off toward the Tennis Complex, and the other would stay and feed the eyasses.

The parent who left quickly, who may be the male.

The other parent feeds an eyas.

Once the feeding is over the parent moves to the other side of the globe.

The nest from the outside view.  It is a third from the left, just above Indonesia.

The light begins to fade, so I return to Manhattan.

Astoria Park

The Astoria Park nest was having a lazy afternoon in the hot weather.

The youngster was panting to stay cool.

The bright yellow prey surprised me.  An escaped Budgerigar or some nestling?

Briarwood, Queens

I visited the Briarwood, Queens nest today. It still had one eyass on the nest and a fledgling exploring nearby.  The mother was visible, but I didn't see the father.  This was my first visit to the location.

These two bring my count for Red-tailed Hawk youngsters to 19 for the season.  Wow!  Red-tails are doing wonderfully this season.  Briarwood also marks my first fledgling sighting of the season.

For more about these hawks and their history, visit Jeffrey Kollbrunner's Nature Gallery.

The Audubon web camera is on the left and the nest on the right.

The mother.

The eyas that remains on the nest.

The eyas looks ready to fledge.

I didn't expect to be able to find the fledgling, but out of the blue, it appeared within twenty feet of the nest.

I had expected to have a hard time.  The area surrounding the nest includes a few highways.  Usually, if all else fails, you can hear a fledgling beg for food.  In this location however, hearing the fledgling will be difficult because of all the traffic noise.

The fledgling in a tree.  It jumped/flapped awkwardly from branch to branch.  It still has lot of learning to do.

I lost the fledgling for about fifteen minutes and then rediscovered it by accident.

It did something very frightening.  It explored the razor wire.

I was so worried, but did my best to stay still and calm.  I didn't want to startle it and cause it to injure itself.

It looked caught for a few long seconds, but did a good job maneuvering.

I just hope once was enough.  I don't want to watch this again.

Luckily, it soon moved to a much safer place.

If there was a caption writing contest, I'm sure the winner would be "Mom, why aren't we on the dollar bill?"

To a long and happy life, youngster!

A Second Day in Astoria Park

My second day in Astoria Park started out slow on a hot sunny afternoon.  The eyasses were asleep and I couldn't find the parents.  I took a walk around the park, and when I returned to the track, the mother was on a lighting fixture.

Soon the father arrived and landed briefly on a light fixture on the opposite side of the track.  He soon left and went at least ten blocks south.

The mother stayed on the light fixture. 

I tried to track the adult male, but lost him and returned to the nest.

I found the eyasses alone, but unlike before they were active.

They try a few wing flaps before falling over.

The mother returns.

Feeding begins.

Note the foot on the end of that chunk of meat.

This piece is a little too big.

The mother moves it around and tears of chunks for the eyasses.  At one point both eyasses fight over the same piece.

Soon the eyasses settle down and within minutes are back to sleep, and I return to Manhattan.