Urban Hawks

Riverside Park

The Riverside Park hawks have eyasses that are old enough that they can easily be seen now.  It makes it much easier to watch the nest.  Tonight there were a number of visits by both parents, and a Northern Mockingbird harassed both of them. 

West End Avenue

Last year, the location of the Riverside nest ended up being uncertain.  This year, it's clear where it is located, on the west side of a West End Avenue building on a top floor fire escape.  (The neighborhood is a little worried that someone will disturb the nest given it's location, so forgive me if I don't give complete directions.)

The male visited twice and an eyass was seen very briefly (after 6:40 on the video).  Neighborhood hawk watchers have seen two heads pop up.  The eyass count is just a guess at this point. We'll have to wait a few more weeks to have an accurate count.

These hawks are the pair that replaced the poisoned pair from the boat basin.

Riverside Park

Every breeding season in New York City, we have lots of nests that work like clockwork.  This year, this seems to be Washington Square Park, Fort Washington Avenue, Inwood Hill Park, Fifth Avenue, CUNY Uptown and St. John seem to be in this category this year.  (I haven't had a chance to see what's up on Randall's Island, but that I suspect is fine.)

Then we have mysteries or mishaps.  The Highbridge Park nest had problems, and a new one was built recently.   In Central Park three pairs of hawks, one at the south, one in the northwest and one in the northeast, are all trying to get established.

The most confusing though is Riverside Park.  After a few seasons of tragedies, last year two new hawks failed to make a nest although they tried on a number of fire escapes.  This season, two hawks have been reported in the 90's of Riverside Park.  I went to see them today, but came away with more questions than answers.

Riverside Nest

I got to the new female hawk at Riverside.  She copulated with her mate while I was photographing.  While we've had a number of hawk deaths this season, her presence reminded me that the Red-tailed Hawk population of New York City continues to increase.

Four Dead Hawks

Within the last few weeks there have been four dead Red-tailed Hawks found on the Upper West Side: three in Central Park, and one in Riverside Park.  The hawks were:

• A juvenile that was in the North Woods of Central Park
• Lima, Pale Male's mate of a year
• An older hawk in the SE corner of Central Park
• The female of the Boat Basin nest in Riverside Park

While necropsy results are still pending, the likelihood that rodenticides were the cause of death is an urban reality.

As hawks have made a comeback in New York City over the last twenty years, we're seeing the issues hawks face living in the Big Apple.

I know from personal experience that we have lots of allies in this effort, including the Parks Department, the Central Park Conservancy, the Department of Health, NYC Audubon, and others.  While we figure out how to turn our anger over these deaths into action, we need to be careful not to attack our allies. 

This is an incredibly complex issue.  A few hundreds raptors in New York City aren't going to limit the rat populations.  Controlling rat infestations utilizing methods that have the least potential for negative impact on wildlife is going to take years of incremental change.  We'll need the help of all our allies as we tackle long term issues, such as improving sanitation and reducing poison usage.

It isn't publicized enough, but behind the scenes, there are many people working to protect raptors in the city.  So, rather than attacking our friends over these deaths, we should approach the Riverside and Central Park staff, not with the question "Why did you kill our hawks?", but with the questions "How can I help you protect our hawks?  And what support do you need from me?"

Riverside Nest and The New Male

I haven't been up to Riverside Park since last summer, so I decided to make a visit.  The female has a new mate to replace the one poisoned last year.  He's banded and when possible, I'll try and read the numbers.

The female was rebuilding the nest when I arrived.  She brought at least three branches to the nest before going off to join her mate on the Normandy building.

Riverside Park Fledglings

I was in Riverside Park tonight, not only to visit the hawks but to discuss outstanding hawk safety issues with John Herrold, Riverside Park's Administrator.

John Herrold had news of the necropsy results and it looks as though the second generation poison brodifacoum was the cause of death, and not bromodiolone which was used near the Boat Basin Café.  This would point to buildings along Riverside Park which use brodifacoum rather than the park itself.  (Changing poisoning habits outside the park will be much more difficult than influencing park policy, I'm afraid.)

Mr. Herrold talked about how concerned and knowledgeable his staff was about the hawks. It was good to hear that Riverside Park had the hawks on their radar.

Mr. Herrold did a great job of listening.   We spoke of improving relations between Riverside Park Hawk watchers and the park, possibly having a meeting every March to allow hawk watchers to express concerns for the upcoming season and to meet his staff.  Knowing names and faces before a crisis goes a long way.

We also talked about the dumpsters and I learned that the inappropriate dumpster has been removed, dumpsters with lids brought in for the Boat Basin Café, and plans are underway to purchase a solar powered compactor for the marina.  So, this issue seems to be close to resolution.

We also talked about poisons in the park.  Here he feels, that except for poisons placed near the dumpsters, which believes was done in error, the park has been greatly improving its approach to rat management. He believes that over the last five years serious efforts have been made to reduce rodenticide use, by introducing traps, limit garbage, etc.

I asked if he could evaluate the period poisons prohibited around a nests to possibly have them start when nesting begins and also to evaluate the use of underground application of loose poisons rather than using bait boxes.  He said he would look into it.

So, it looks like a positive dialog has begun.

The fledglings looked great.  Both are being well feed by their mother and one even played on the ground today.  So far, so good.

 

Riverside Park Park Has Fledged

The first eyass fledged on Wednesday according to veteran hawk watchers at Riverside Park.  The other eyass also appears to have fledged on Thursday.  Last year the parents, continued to feed the fledglings for a week on the nest, so the youngsters continued to sleep in the nest after they fledged.  This year, this no rush attitude continues.  Although both birds are reported to have fledged, one was hanging out in the nest on Friday.

While there is much joy over the fledging, there is still concern over the father's poisoning by over application of poisons south of the Boat Basin earlier this year.  Although there have been positive discussions, I don't think we've cracked the bureaucracy of the Parks Department yet.

Balancing hawk safety and rat control is difficult but three major areas of concern have yet to be addressed by park administrators.

1. Proper sanitation is the first priority in preventing rats.  If you don't feed them, you won't have them.  The dumpster at the Boat Basin is a breeding ground for rats.  It is a large dumpster designed for yard waste and not garbage and is sitting in a pile of mud most days.  The rats have a field day (or should we say field night) feasting on the garbage here.  The dumpster has a gate opening at the back with a two inch gap.  The rats just run in and out of the dumpster all night.
   While everyone acknowledges the problem and the need to build a proper waste transfer area with a compactor, the Park administrators are claiming a lack of funds.  There must be enough income from the café rent to siphon off a small portion to fix this deplorable situation.  If not, why isn't this a priority for the Riverside Park Fund?
   
   
2. The current Parks Department policy is to restrict poisoning during the period of time starting from when eggs hatch until the fledglings disperse in the late summer.  I believe the experiences both at Riverside and in Astoria Park warrant a review of this policy and an extension of the restrictions to start a month earlier when the mother begins sitting on eggs.  We've had too many poisoning of nesting parents in city parks recently.
   
   
3. A commitment from Parks to evaluate and consider banning their practice of the underground baiting of rat borrows using second generation anticoagulant poisons.  I believe this practice is contrary the recommendations of the EPA, who advises the poisons always be placed within 50 feet of buildings, and in bait stations, unless used against gophers or voles in agricultural settings, where it may be used underground.
   Underground baiting allows rats to ingest extremely large doses of poisons before they get sick or die resulting extremely toxic rats. 
   There is no proof that using baiting stations properly deployed, which are much safer for non-targeted animals, children and pets, are any less effective than loose, underground applications of poisons.

Until we get a positive commitment from Parks to address theses three areas, I don't think we should celebrate.  If you are interested in writing, here are some key contacts:

John Herrold, Park Administrator,  john.herrold@parks.nyc.gov
Robert Weigel, Chairman, Riverside Park Fund, rweigel@gibsondunn.com
William T. Castro, Manhattan Parks Commissioner, william.castro@parks.nyc.gov

Riverside Park

The eyasses at Riverside Park are doing well and should be fledging soon.  Thanks to all of the people who supported the single mother.  Up to now things have been doing very well, considering the death of the father. 

 

Riverside Park Eyasses Preparing For Take Off

The Riverside Park pair of Red-tailed Hawk eyasses is really close to fledgling.  I wouldn't be surprised if one is off the nest by Memorial Day.  Today they did lots of wing flapping and branching.  Their tails look a little too short and some feathers haven't grown in on their heads, but otherwise they look pretty close to being ready for their first flights.

The Urban Park rangers have been doing a great job of helping the single parent mother feed the eyasses, by putting out food.  I think this made a major difference for the outcome of this nest.  The Rangers have also put up posters with simple do's and don't about how to respect the hawks. The posters remind dog owners to keep their dogs on leash. 

There aren't enough Urban Park Rangers or Parks Enforcement Police to enforce the leash laws in Riverside Park, so it is helpful if the hawk watching community talks to owners of dogs who have their dogs off leash.  This doesn't have to be an adversarial discussion.  Last year, the mother would swoop over any loose dog that was chasing squirrels the week before they fledged.  So, the issue is not only a hawk safety issue but also a dog safety issue.

Riverside Park Update

I'll be leaving for a 10 day vacation on Friday.  So before I leave. I would like to update everyone on where things stand at Riverside Park.

The mother seems to be doing fine looking after the two eyasses and the food being left by the Urban Park rangers certainly seem to be helping her manage.  Thanks to all involved in setting up the feeding program, which included Riverside Park management, Commissioner Benepe, the Urban Park Rangers, NYC Audubon and Bobby Horvath.

John Herrold, the administrator of Riverside Park, wrote me a very detailed email last Friday and invited me to meet with him.  I will do that after I return from vacation. I look forward to talking with him and expressing my concerns.

Mr. Herrold apologized for the frustration his previous brief email had caused me. He also detailed what the Parks Department had done for the Red-tailed Hawks over the last few years and explained some of the issues the park had with sanitation, etc.

In my anger over the male hawks death, I had suggested a small protest at the Riverside Park Fund fundraiser in June.  In hindsight, this might not have been the best idea.  The Fund does great work for the park and there is no reason to rain on their parade.

I do, however, want to continue to put pressure on the John Herold and the Parks Department.  Even if toxicology report do not confirm the adult male Red-tailed Hawk was killed by poisons placed out by the Parks Department, I would hope in his memory that we could change a few policies and improve sanitation at the Boat Basin.

I would like to see the following changes:

1) That the current "No Poisons Around Eyasses" policy be expanded to include the period the mother sits on the nest. This period, while the mother is sitting on the nest and the father is hunting for two, puts pressure on the male to hunt for rodents. 

2) The underground baiting of burrows, I believe is leading to overly poisoned, highly toxic rats.  I would like to see a moratorium of this form of pest control around Red-tailed hawk nests, until it can be confirmed that it does not result in rats that are highly poisoned.

(Rats take between five to ten days to die from the rodenticides used by the Parks Department.  If given access to too much poison, they can eat ten to twenty times the dose necessary to kill them.  I believe this is what happened at the Boat Basin dumpsters.)

3) The current dumpster situation at the Boat Basin has to be improved.  The two rusty open dumpster are a rat's playground.  This issue is not only about protecting hawks.  The area needs to be cleaned up for the benefit of Boat Basin users and residents.  I hope some of the revenue that the café generates could be reinvested into creating a cleaner, more sanitary garbage storage/transfer area.

The goal here is to strike the right balance between hawk safety and rodent control.  There have to be compromises on each side. For those writing letters, please remember this.  Rats are a real issue for the park and the buildings along Riverside Drive.

Johh Herrold also said that there should be no poisons in the nest area.  He said that any traps in place should be mechanical traps. I haven't found any baiting stations, but I had received reports from other hawk watchers that they were still some around.  It is possible that poisons put out last year have been forgotten about and are still lingering in the area.  If you find a baiting station that you think has poisons in it and want it investigated, please send me an email Mr. Herrold, at John.Herrold@parks.nyc.gov and copy me on the email.  It would be great if we could make sure that 100% of the poisons have been removed.

Boat Basin Dumpster

The Boat Basin Dumpster continues to feed and attract rats.  Despite numerous complaints to Riverside Park, there seems to be no plan to upgrade the facility. It consists primarily of a tractor trailer sized open dumpster, that is rusted out at the bottom, and placed in muddy soil.  During the summer, a second open dumpster may also be onsite.

Sanitation, is the first line of defense against rats.  It looks like the Parks Department would rather poison the environment than purchase a compactor or use smaller, sealed dumpsters.

Riverside Park Eyasses Growing Up

The eyasses at Riverside Park are in that awkward stage where their flight feathers are starting to grow in.   It's a good time to watch then, as you can figure out how wing and tail feathers work as they grow in.

The mother continues to hold her own, and is being supported by an Urban Park Ranger who is helping by leaving rodents near the nest.

Riverside Eyasses Look Great

The Riverside Park eyasses look great and the two of them are large enough for hawk watcher to get good looks at them often.

Why I Lost It

It's very unlike me to loose my temper, and I certainly did in my post about Riverside Park on Sunday.  I am extremely frustrated by the lack of remorse by anyone on the staff of Riverside Park.

John Herrold isn't the only Park's employee at Riverside who's shooting himself in the foot, by the way. 

Paul Evans, Parks and Recreation Manager got into an argument with a park's patron on Sunday. Evans told the patron he would be removing the rats than been placed around the nest.  (I find it odd that Evans didn't know about a program approved by the Parks Commissioner.  More mismanagement by Herrold?)  Pamela Langford, a long time hawk watcher explained the feeding program and the sadness many felt over the father's death.  Instead of being understanding, Evans told her something to the effect of "What do expect, these hawks shouldn't be in New York City."

I learned today that the preliminary necropsy results for the father are consistent with rodenticide poisoning, but final results will require the toxicology results which take weeks to be returned.  (Unlike CSI, there are no instant test results before the next commercial in real life.)

Since there has still been no acknowledgement of responsibility, I think it is important to keep letting Riverside Park know our displeasure. If we make no progress with the Park's Department, I would like organize a polite protest outside the Riverside Gala Fundraiser on June 20th. So, please save the date!

To welcome those attending the party, I see a quite protest with six hawk watchers on each side of 79th Street holding up signs with...

• Picture, Dead Eyasses of 2008
• Text, In 2008 Riverside Park Vowed To Protect Us
• Text, They Lied
• Picture, Riverside Male
• Text, In 2011, Riverside Park Poisoned Me
• Text, Is The Riverside Park Fund Something That Deserves Your Support?

Then after the party lets out, we could have a candlelight vigil for the hawks that have died over the years at Riverside.

 

The full exchange of emails between me and John Herrold are below.  When you read them, you'll understand why I hold him fully responsible for the male hawk's death at Riverside.

On Apr 11, 2011, at 12:40 AM, D. Bruce Yolton wrote:

John Herrold
Riverside Park Fund President & Riverside Park Administrator

Dear Mr. Herrold,

I learned this weekend that Contrac Rat Poison, whose active ingredient is Bromadiolone, was placed around the dumpsters at the Boat Basin in late March.  This is prime hunting ground for the hawks who have nested for the forth year in a row just north of the boat basin.

This is unfortunate news, as their eggs will be hatching soon.  The chicks are at a much more greater for secondary poisoning then their parents.  It would be sad if we had a repeat of the poisoning that took place in 2008.

I understand that rats are a problem for the park, and are especially a problem near a restaurant that generates revenue for the Park's Department.  That said, there must be alternatives to using second generation anticoagulant bait to control rats in this area, especially during nesting season. 

It would be appreciated if a full review of sanitation around the Boat Basin took place.  For the most part, rat problems can be avoided with proper sanitation.  The dumpsters themselves are a major source of the problem.  Tractor trailer sized, uncovered, and out in the open, they are inappropriate.  I would hope that the Riverside Parks Fund and the Parks Department would analyze and remedy the situation.  The garbage transfer area seems to be an afterthought, and ill designed to handle the refuse of a marina that is now operated year round and hosts a popular restaurant. 

Certainly, between the Department of Sanitation and the Parks Department there must be experts that could advise the Riverside Park Fund and help mitigate the rodent problem before it starts.  Using poisons to remedy mismanagement of sanitation issues, seems to be a foolish approach and one that puts wildlife at unnecessary risk.

It would also be helpful if there was proper communication between different divisions within the Park Department.  Certainly, Parks management knew of the hawk nest, but baiting still occurred.  Was this an active choice to put the hawks at risk, or a failure to communicate?

Your consideration of this matter would be appreciated,

D. Bruce Yolton

 

On Apr 26, 2011, at 11:17 PM, D. Bruce Yolton wrote:

John Herrold,

This very nicely worded email below went unanswered by your office.  I learned today that the male hawk of the Riverside Park nesting pair was found dead near the 81st Street playground on Sunday.  This leaves a mother on a nest without a mate and two young nestlings.

This news will not put Riverside Park in good light.  I fielded a number of inquiries from media outlets today.   I would highly suggest you and your staff be prepared with an appropriate response.  One that takes responsibility and lays out an action plan, hopefully city wide to ensure needless poisoning of wildlife is not repeated.

Thank you,

D. Bruce Yolton
urbanhawks.com

On Apr 29, 2011, at 2:22 PM, Herrold, John wrote:

Dear Mr. Yolton,

Thank you for you messages regarding the Red-tail hawks in Riverside Park. We share your concern for them and I apologize for not responding sooner. Please rest assured we have been actively engaged in working to care for the hawks.

We in Riverside Park are especially proud to have these beautiful creatures living in the park, and take great care to protect them. We are deeply saddened by the death of the male hawk on Sunday. 

We will keep you informed as to new developments. Thank you again for your message and concern.

Sincerely,
John Herrold

 

On May 2nd, 2011, at 8 AM, D. Bruce Yolton wrote:

Dear Mr. Herrold,

I'm am extremely disappointed by your disingenuous, bureaucratic response.  It takes no responsibility for the unnecessary death of a Red-tailed Hawk.  It doesn't even mention his death.

Although, we need to wait until the necropsy results are back for the father hawk at Riverside Park, I suspect we will be holding your office accountable for the death of this wonderful raptor at Riverside Park.  It was your office's responsibility after the death of the young hawks in 2008 to put in place a solid action plan to control excessive rat poison use around the Boat Basin.  This clearly wasn't done.

I strongly disagree with your statement, "We in Riverside Park are especially proud to have these beautiful creatures living in the park, and take great care to protect them."

I believe that only now that you have been embarrassed by a hawk's death (which I warned you was a high possibility on April 11), that you have finally responded after 18 days with a belated response, just like any good bureaucrat trying to covering his or her backside .  I know you took no action based on my email of April 11th, and that you only took action days later when contacted by Commissioner Benepe.  This certainly  doesn't sound like "We... take great care to protect them."  It does, however sound like you only act when it is important to your career.

The Parks Department must put in place a better plan for preventing secondary poisoning in the park.  I believe when studied properly, you'll find that the solution to this problem includes a mix of improved sanitation and a controlled use of poisons on a windowed schedule, reducing poison use in the spring.  The baiting of rat borrows with loose poisons certainly was overkill when baiting stations, possibly used earlier in the season,  would have sufficed, and should be banned.

Please review the following issues:

1) Your park is a difficult site for rat control.  Riverside Park has a river, an Amtrak Tunnel, a long, urban boundary on the east and food concessions.

However, given all of the problems Riverside has by the nature of its location, you have some of the poorest sanitation procedures of any park in the city.  Old style wire trash cans, open dumpsters, and trash pick up schedules that seem to ensure trash stays in place overnight for rats and raccoons to feast on.  It's as though procedures haven't changed since the times of Robert Moses. 

Please take a fresh look top to bottom at your sanitation procedures, starting with the open dumpsters at the Boat Basin.  Riverside Park's use of poisons is as order of magnitude greater than the very limited use of poisons by Central Park.  Your office should follow their lead in this regard.  They learned there lessons about owl and hawk poisoning deaths a decade ago.

2) The placement of rodenicides underground in rat burrows is like shooting a fish in a barrel.  It is an excessive use of poisons and most likely produced rats with extremely high levels of poisons.  Since Contrac rodenicide take 5-7 days to take effect, rats exposed to too much bait can end up eating large quantities and become super toxic to raptors and dogs.

Please place a moratorium on this loose, underground placement of poisons in Riverside Park.  Then ask the Urban Park Rangers/NYS DEC to study the poison levels of rats killed in this way and see if a permanent ban should be placed on this practice.

The much safer, rat poison baiting stations work just fine, when used judicially in environments with proper sanitation.

3) Change the procedures for storing grass seed and other gardening products that can be eaten by rats.  Grass seed stored in the parking garage at the Boat Basin was attracting a large number of rats from the Amtrak tunnel, to an area a floor below a restaurant.

4) When asked about rat poisons, the press office for the city said Riverside Park didn't use any near hawks around nesting season and said, "it must have been the Concession at the Boat Basin".  However, when investigated this year, the poisons at the dumpsters had a NYC Parks department notice and numerous bait stations, also placed by parks department staff, have been found in areas of the park close to the nest, especially across the highway, which still remain to this day.

It looks as though Riverside Park took on a temporary ban on poisons after the tragedy in 2008, but did not create any permanent action plan.  If there is a policy, please let us know what it is and why this year it wasn't followed. Even now, numerous baiting stations continue to surround the nest.

Furthermore, if the source of the rodenicide really turns out to have been the Boat Basin Café, why is the press office shifting blame rather than having Riverside Park staff work with the Café to minimize problems?

5) Please make sure that the food being left for the hawks is not removed by Parks Department staff.  I learned today that the supervisor for the area around the Boat Basin told a hawk watcher he would be removing any rats or quail found.  Do you actually supervise your staff?

In closing I have two things to say:

First, please do not take credit for the care that is being given to the mother and her two newly hatched eyasses.  This work is being done by staff that is not connected with Riverside Park.  The fact that Riverside Park staff is not engaged in monitoring this single parent nest, but by members of the Urban Park Rangers makes me feel relaxed.  If your office was involved, I would have grave concerns.

Secondly, what truly shows us the character of a person, office or agency is not the mistakes they make, but how they go about correcting their errors and prevent them from reoccurring.  It's your office's turn Mr. Herrold.  Please step up to the challenge.  New York City is watching and waiting for your response.

Sincerely,

D. Bruce Yolton

Riverside Park - So Far, So Good

Tonight, I was thrilled to watch the mother accept food that had been placed out for her around the nest.  Her accepting this food makes easier for her to be a single mom.

Eighteen days after warning John Herrold, Riverside Park Administrator that the placement of poisons at the Boat Basin Café was negligent, he responded with the most disingenuous reply. He wrote,

"Dear Mr. Yolton,

Thank you for you messages regarding the Red-tail hawks in Riverside Park. We share your concern for them and I apologize for not responding sooner. Please rest assured we have been actively engaged in working to care for the hawks.

We in Riverside Park are especially proud to have these beautiful creatures living in the park, and take great care to protect them. We are deeply saddened by the death of the male hawk on Sunday. 

We will keep you informed as to new developments. Thank you again for your message and concern.

Sincerely,
John Herrold"

On April 11th, I had warned John Herrold that his staff was negligent by putting out poisons at the Boat Basin Dumpsters in late March.  He took no action until he was contacted by Commissioner Benepe days later.  His failure to acknowledge that he ignored my email and then his stating "We in Riverside Park are especially proud to have these beautiful creatures living in the park, and take great care to protect them." infuriated me. 

Absolute B.S., when you've most likely just killed one of them.

Please call and email his office and ask why he did not mitigate poison usage around the nest this year and what his action plan is to prevent this kind of accident from ever happening again.  His email is John.Herrold@parks.nyc.gov (or john@riversideparkfund.org) and his office can reached at (212) 408-0264.  If you contribute to the Riverside Park Fund, please consider withholding any donations and let the fund know your reason, until this issue is resolved.

The eyasses you see below deserved two parents.

 

Tough New York City Single Mom

Like many single mothers in NYC, the newly widowed Red-tailed Hawk, seems to be doing just fine doing on all the work.  She's been hunting, keeping the kids dry in the rain, feeding everyone and keeping a look out.

The Parks Department has consulted with experts and NYC Audubon staff and all have agreed to leave the eyasses with their mother as long as she can keep up with her duties.  Food will be cached near the nest, in case this will help, and the nest will be monitored daily.  If the mother abandons her chicks, they will be transferred quickly to a rehabber.

I agree with this approach and hope that for the next few weeks we have mild and dry weather.

Single Mom At Riverside - Updated

It has been confirmed, by multiple sources, that the adult male of the Riverside pair was found dead in the park on Sunday by the 81st Street playground and that the remains have been sent for testing. 

I suspect that the necropsy results will lead back to Bromadiolone as the cause of death, but we must wait for confirmation. We shouldn't jump to any conclusions about what happened until the necropsy results are back.  I have seen dead rodents, were the male was last seen hunting, by an Emergency Exit to the Amtrak tunnel on Sunday morning.  So, there may be additional poisons either in the tunnel or nearby.

We definitely have a single mother on the nest.  It will be very difficult for her to keep them warm, protect them and hunt for the family by herself.

Some locations in New York City seem too urban for a hawk family and I expect poor results such as the nest we had on Houston street but at Riverside many of the issues seem to be, sadly, man made. 

I hope this year's sad outcome results in a thorough review of rodenticide application in city parks.  Loose, underground baiting of excessive amounts of second generation anticoagulants certainly seems unwarranted.

Happy Easter From Riverside

There were at least two active eyasses on the nest today. (At this stage, they're too small to know if it's two or three.)  If you go watch them, be aware that you can only see them from the ridge by the highway at this stage.  All I can say is they're more fun to watch than Easter Bunnies!

Tiny Glimpse At Riverside

Two hours of hawk watching yielded five seconds of eyass footage Thursday.  The winds were over 30 MPH, and for the most part I think the mother just wanted to keep them safe and warm, which meant hidden.

Riverside Eyasses

I could see the mother settling down, as I approached the Riverside nest, so I think I had just missed a feeding.  So, I had to be patient and wait for a glimpse of an eyass (hawk nestling).  Just before nightfall, I saw two brief glimpses of an eyass, possibly two.  They're easiest to see on the video.

The father was near the nest for about half an hour. 

Positive Hatching Signs At Riverside

Thirty M.P.H. winds made it difficult to observe and photograph the nest Sunday afternoon, but there were positive signs that one or more eggs may have hatched.  The mother ate on the nest and appeared to be sharing food.  It wasn't conclusive and she may have just been "eating for one", but it did look like she might be feeding.  We'll know for sure in a few days.

The father joined the mother on the nest but there wasn't an exchange.  Another sign one or more eggs may have hatched.

Bad News And Good News At Riverside

The bad news is the adult male Riverside Park hawk ate a dead rat on Wednesday around the dumpsters where the Bromadiolone was placed.  Reports on Wednesday were that the male seemed lethargic, but he seemed fine on Friday when I was in the park.  Since the poison takes 5-7 days to take effect, we've got to keep our fingers crossed.  Hopefully, the secondary dose from the rat was low enough not to cause harm to hawk.

Susan B. Elbin, Ph.D., Director of Conservation and Science, New York City Audubon passed along an article from Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Three Owl Species from Western Canada, 1988–2003,  Courtney A. Albert, Laurie K. Wilson, Pierre Mineau, Suzanne Trudeau, John E. Elliott.  Among the topics the paper discussed was the potential under reporting of deaths caused by non-lethal doses of Anticoagulant Rodenticides.  The authors believed that many non-lethal doses which cause lethargy, resulted in increased predation and "accidental" deaths due to collisions and car accidents. 

I had always thought about poisons from a perspective of instant "Romeo and Juliet" style poisoning, rather then a more nuanced problem where the poisons act slowly and can cause secondary problems such as infertility in lower doses. Could the two highway accidents in 2009 have been a result not of inexperience fledglings misunderstanding traffic, but a result of non-lethal doses of Rodenticides making the hawks lethargic and therefore misjudging their flight paths?   It's impossible to know, but it does suggest that necropsies should be performed on urban hawks, even if cause of death seems obvious.

Now the excellent news... Both Glenn Phillips, Executive Director, New York City Audubon and Leslie Day, author of the Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City and Boat Basin resident have been having productive discussions with John Herrold, Riverside Park Administrator, Dr. Robert Corrigan, who is in charge of DOH's rodent control program and Parks Commissioner Adrain Benepe. 

From what I understand the discussions have been positive and both short term and long term results should be forthcoming.   I can't thank Glenn and Leslie enough for their efforts on behalf of the Riverside hawk pair.  It's clear that everyone involved is committed to finding a solution to this complicated issue. 

Discussions have uncovered topics that weren't entirely obvious. For example, while the Parks Department has a conservative approach to applying poisons, restaurants in the park are required by the Department of Health to have a rodent control plan.  This introduces independent exterminators, who then potentially over apply poisons in the park without Parks Department supervision or oversight.  (We saw this a few years ago at the Boat House Restaurant, which mirrored the situation at Riverside. At the Boat House improved sanitation has greatly decreased issues with rodents, and reduced the needs for poisons.)

It's also been discovered that grass seed is being stored in the open in plastic bags on the lower garage level of the Boat Basin below the café and is attracting rats from the Amtrak train tunnel.  Finding a better storage method should become a priority.

I spent about two hours watching the hawks on Friday afternoon.  There were no signs the eggs had hatched yet.  I saw the father circle overhead, but didn't see him at the nest.  (This isn't unusual for this pair in the late afternoon.)

Poisons In Parks

After posting my concerns about rat poisons being used at the hunting grounds of the Riverside hawks, I got a number of emails asking what to do.

The answer requires a complicated explanation.

The Parks Department certainly needs to control rats in city parks, especially around food concession areas, like the Boat Basin Café.  They also need to use poisons that have antidotes, in case dogs or children ingest them.  This generally leaves them using poisons that, while good for dogs, are bad for birds of prey.

So, this leads us back to the basics of rodent control, start with good sanitation!  Here Riverside Park fails miserably.  Park trash cans are not rodent proof, and waste transfer stations are often open dumpsters or simply garbage bag collection points.  For the most part, the parks department is it's own worst enemy when it comes to rats.  When it comes to sanitation, they get a failing grade.

It must be cheaper and easier for the Parks Department to be sloppy with trash and then use poisons to control rats.  However, this short-sighted approach introduces poisons into the environment and can lead to secondary poisoning of raptors and other animals.

The solution at the Boat Basin is to have the park improve the trash collection area, and bring it up to modern sanitation standards.

Riverside Park should also review their plantings around the Boat Basin.  The type of plants around the dumpster and around the Café stairs, which are low brush, encourage rats by giving them privacy.  The EPA and other organizations have great recommendations about which plants to cut back or remove when rodents are a problem.

There also needs to be better policies about restricting baiting around raptor nests.  A Park Department spokesman, stated today that they will stop baiting once the eyasses hatch.  This is too late to prevent a poisoning.  I doubt, if asked, the Parks Department had any clue to the number of nests in Manhattan parks.  Do they know there are hawks in Riverside, Morningside, Highbridge, Inwood, Central, Tompkin Square, St. Nicholas and Washington Square Parks?

So, my recommendation is to write the Parks Department and The Riverside Park Fund to encourage better sanitation in the park, limit poison use as much as possible and ask the Park's Department to published their protocols about limiting baiting around raptor nests. 

If you do write, I would avoid two to topics.  I would also be careful not to suggest that the hawks will take care of the problem.  They generally don't make a dent in the urban rodent population. Also, I would not suggest that traps be used.  These are high maintenance, and are generally stolen at outdoor locations.

Fresh Poison At Riverside

I have learned that Contrac Rat Poison, whose active ingredient is Bromadiolone was put in rat burrows around the dumpsters at the Boat Basin in Riverside Park in late March.  The Park's Department's use of this second generation anticoagulant material, at a known hunting ground for the park's Red-tailed Hawks, just before their chicks hatch is negligent at best. 

Bromadiolone isn't the worst poison the Park's Department could be using, but it certainly isn't appropriate given the location.

The real issue at the Boat Basin is the park's use of a tractor trailer sized open dumpster and two smaller dumpsters for all of the residents of the boat basin and the café where the rat poisoning was distributed.  This outdoor "transfer station" would not be permitted for any commerical building or apartment house in the city and should be upgraded by the Parks Department.  Poisons should be used as a last resort, rather than as a cover up for poor sanitatilon practices.

We may very well have a repeat of the sad incident on Mother's day of 2008.  That day, three eyasses died due to secondary poisoning from eating poisoned rodents.  Necropsy results showed all three eyasses tested positive for two types of anti-coagulant rodenticide, brodifacoum and bromodiolone. 

Click image for larger size

Other than finding about the poisoning risk, the mother continues to brood and all seemed well today.  The video shows the mother brooding, and then the father coming in to give her a break from her duties.

Patience at Riverside

Watching a hawk sitting on a nest takes patience!  Tonight, at the Riverside Park nest near the Boat Basin, it took lots of patience.  The female sat on the nest and almost nothing happened.  All of this is a good sign, but it makes for a dull evening.

Riverside Nest

I finally got down to the Riverside Park nest today.  Daylight Saving Time, sure helps make it easier to bird watch after work.

The female is already sitting on the nest, and I got to watch the male arrive and allow her to take a dinner break.  After this pair's bad luck over the last few years, I hope this year goes smoothly.

The nest is the same as last year's and is along the river around 81st Street.

Riverside Update

I've been away on weekends, and it's too dark in the late afternoon to visit Riverside Park after work, so I haven't been able to visit until this Saturday. 

While I was away I received reports of the youngster being at the ballfields by the dumpsters south of the Boat Basin, and further north in the 90's and 100's.  The youngster's being outside of the parent's territory is a great sign that it's growing up!

When I visited Saturday, I only found the two parents.  They were together on a water tower at 81st and Riverside, and both few off towards the south.  I found one, perching on various lamp posts above the highway.

I went looking for the youngster, without any luck.  As I left the park, I saw a bird perched on a building at 90th and Broadway.  I was hoping it was the youngster, but found that it was a Peregrine Falcon, a nice consolation prize.

Promenade On Monday

When I finally found the juvenile Red-tail at Riverside Park it was on the Soldier and Sailors monument on top of one of the decorative eagles.  By the time I got my equipment out, the hawk had left!  The hawk then when up and down the Promenade a few times before roosting in an Oak tree on the east side of the Hippo playground.

Fantastic Sunday

I had a wonderful time watching the Riverside Hawks on Sunday.  The juvenile caught two rodents, the mother a squirrel and the father was in his favorite tree by the swamp.

The photos of below and the video contain a great number of images of the rodents being eaten, so if this doesn't appeal to you, feel free to skip this post.