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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.
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 11578
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.
Continue reading "Unisphere Nest in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens" »
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.
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
