This year I’ve been writing fewer posts on my blog, often just posting some videos or photographs to my Instagram account. It’s an easier way to post photographs and images. I’m still going to the park almost daily. I’m just not blogging so much.

Spring has brought a number of changes to the park, and changed the habits of the coyotes, flying squirrels, and we have a number of successful Red-tailed Hawk nests.

Over the winter, with the sun setting early and the snow and ice, with some hard work, could be tracked and photographed consistently. This spring, however, changes to the park’s environment have meant the coyotes haven’t returned to their habits of last year.

The coyotes are now adapting to the influx of visitors, activity in the Delacorte Theater, and the removal of many fences. Unlike last year, where major construction projects allowed the coyotes to roam through many acres of quiet spaces uninhabited by humans and dogs at night, this year these projects are over. The park has also opening up many lawns that had been fenced off at night last year. In addition, the Delacorte Theater has also begun work preparing for this summer’s performances, often doing work late into the evening.

These change have made it much harder to watch the coyotes, as they are venturing out much later than they did during the winter. Rather than explore the park right after sunset, they’re often just taking long naps late into the evening waiting for the park to quieted down, and then quickly disappearing. It’s a great strategy to thrive in a crowded park, but frustrating for me as an observer. I hope as the weeks go by, they settle into a predictable pattern as they did last year.

This winter was very productive for watching the Southern Flying Squirrels. The snow cover had them using their acorn stashes, and they often ate in low branches often at eye level. But as the weather has warmed up, they are now high up in leafed out tree canopies out of sight. I’m still hoping to find one of their cavities, but haven’t been successful yet.

While the park’s mammals have become harder to watch, this spring has brought us lots of wonderful avian activity. Beyond the rich diversity of birds passing through during spring migration, we have four active Red-tailed Hawk Nests.

927 Fifth Avenue
This is Pale Male’s old nest, which hasn’t had a successful nest since 2018, until this year. The adult female is Octavia, Pale Male’s last mate has a new mate, a new young male with some stripes in his red tail. (The stripes may fade or disappear with future molts, but I’m tempted to call him Stripes.) Based on the parent’s behavior it looks like the nest has hatched. I’m hoping to see eyasses later this week.

87th Street, between Central Park West and the West Drive
This nest appears to be the nest of the pair of hawks that have tried nesting on the San Remo, near the Pinetum, Tanners Spring, and on the American Museum of Natural History. They only had one successful nest, in a pine tree southwest of the Pinetum. When they started building their nest in a tree along a path near a lawn used informally as the Upper West Side’s dog run, there were limited expectations that things would work out. So, it was great news when feedings were reported over a week ago. On Sunday that I saw an eyass for the first time.

The nest is difficult to view. Just as you come into the park from the NE corner of the intersection of 86th Street and Central Park West there is a view, but there is a much better view along the West Drive. It requires being far away from the nest, so a spotting scope is helpful. You can stand between the W8704 and W8801 streetlights on the east side of the drive or go to the W8704 streetlight and cross the drive by walking west.

93rd and Central Park West
This nest was the first to Central Park nest to hatch. (Hawks with established nests tend to lay their eggs earlier than new pairs or pairs building new nests.) The two eyasses are growing up fast.

Watching this nest can be difficult without a spotting scope. In 2024, I published a map detailing where to stand to view the nest.

New York Athletic Club, Central Park South and Seventh Avenue
This nest is active again with two eyasses this year. It’s a great location and an easy nest to watch.