I'm in Mexico on vacation, but I wanted to report the sad news that Violet, the Red-tailed Hawk female of Washington Square passed away after surgery on her leg.

More information can be found on the Roger Paw blog.  Violet will be missed by the many hawk watcher of Washington Square.

As often happens with hawks, a new female has quickly appeared and staked claim to both Bobby and Washington Square Park.  There's no sign they've mated yet, but Bobby is certainly tolerating her being in his territory.

She was very energetic this afternoon, flying high and low, exploring the park's perches and hunting grounds.  It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months.  Certainly the ups and downs of Pale Male choosing a new mate last year, should caution us not to say this is definetly the next mate.  A lot can happen between now and March.

This Chrismas Eve, I just received wonderful news, Violet has been successfully captured and
rescued and is in the good hands of wildlife rehabilitation experts Bobby and Cathy Horvath and is on her way to receiving much-needed medical attention.

Details are on the Roger Paw Blog. 

For those who asked about giving donations to the Horvath's organization, 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

Both Bobby and Violet were very active on Saturday afternoon.  I missed seeing it but both of them had been in the nest together.

Violet had dropped some prey earlier in the day and returned to get the rodent.  It was apparent how much her injured leg was inhibiting her ability to perform normal tasks, such as moving prey and eating.

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A young hawk has been hanging around Madison Square Park since early October.  I've heard reports and been sent a few pictures, but today was the first time I saw the youngster in person. 

(I only had a point and shoot camera with me, so the pictures aren't that great.)  It's most likely a migrant from further north and not a hawk from Manhattan, but you never know!

Both Violet and Bobby, the female and male of the Washington Square pair spent a few hours on the south side of the park this afternoon.  We eventually lost track of Bobby, but got to see Violet settle down for the night.

The pictures with the tan brick in the background are of Bobby and the rest are of Violet.  I hadn't seen Violet for at least a month.  There are some pictures of her injured foot in the video.

A death in the family and Thanksgiving has prevented me from posting much over the last few weeks.  On Saturday, I got to see the male of the Washington Square nest, Booby keep watch over Washington Square, keep a Peregrine Falcon (or possibly a Merlin) out of the park, and got to roost in a favorite spot off the Square.

There was no sign of Violet, which is common.  For those following the news, Violet's leg has gotten worse.  The situation may not have a solution. 

(I have seen a number of emails where there were personal attacks against individuals.  This isn't helpful.  While there may have been some misjudgements and lost opportunities, I don't think anyone intentionally did anything that wasn't in Violet or her eyass' best interest.)