Sunday afternoon turned out to be rain-free, despite forecasts that called for a wash out. So I ended up being able to spend about five hours with the fledglings.  The birds provided a nice experience.

Once fledgling was mellow the whole afternoon spending most of the afternoon nodding off in a tree.  The other begged for food once Pale Male was in sight, and continued to beg even after being fed.  What a cry baby!

While eating this youngster had an encounter with a squirrel who ended up either trying to jump over the hawk or jump at the hawk.  It was hard to tell.  But it was fun to watch.  The second video has the encounter in slow motion.

Sadly, there were a few photographers who got a little out of control during the afternoon.  There are photographers who naturally respect nature and unfortunately there are those who will do anything to get a shot without any regard for a bird’s welfare. 

It doesn’t make sense to be overly controlling in a public park, so I try to be relaxed.  But it really bothers me when a bird has to stop eating to keep track of the individuals who have gotten too close.  Today, that happened twice.  I politely asked people to step back and allow the bird to eat.  Thankfully, I got a positive response from all but two photographers.

One photographer has been stalking the fledglings for the last month.  He has developed a reputation for trying to get as close as possible.  This means four or five feet!  This may acclimate the hawk to humans which could have bad results later in life.  Buy a telephoto lens for god sakes!

The other individual had “mid-life crisis photographer syndrome”.  These are men who spend their lives discussing and collecting camera equipment rather than taking photographs.  He took a few photographs and bothered the hawk by being too close, and then spent two hours loudly talking about camera equipment with his friends. 

I’m tempted to get a sticker for my 500mm lens that says “Real men photographers don’t talk about their equipment.  They just shoot.”

It was a wonderfully quiet evening watching the two fledglings.  Both had been feed before I arrived and were very mellow.

It looks as though Pale Male and Lima are encouraging their offspring to begin hunting on their own.  Reports are the fledgling’s endless begging for food was being ignored by their parents today.  As I was leaving the park, one flew over to the Ramble.  A possible sign the youngster was taking the hint!

The Fifth Avenue fledglings continue to delight those who visit them.  At this point they are very, very easy to watch.  This afternoon and early evening they hung around in low branches and one of them had a rat for dinner.

They’re a perfect antidote for Pip watching downtown, where one has to be happy with one sighting a week!

Hawk watchers in the late afternoon and early evening in Central Park were able to see rats being consumed by both Fifth Avenue fledglings, the offspring of Pale Male and Lima.  The meals were eaten in trees, although one fledgling finished eating on the ground after dropping dinner.

The video from today is twenty minutes long and contains a great deal of footage of the meals being eaten.  Watch it only if you don’t mind seeing rodents being torn up and eaten. 

I’m facintated by the way rodents being eaten by hawks, since there seems to be an order in which Red-tailed Hawks eat their prey.  They consume the organs first, then the rest of the animal including the bones, and generally eat the tail last.  It seems they eat the most nutritious parts first, and that they need to eat the bones to get enough calcium.

After having been away for two weeks in Alaska, I finally was able to get to see the newly fledged Fifth Avenue youngsters.  Both look to be enjoying Cedar Hill, which is a few blocks north of the nest and one block west.

One had caught a young robin before I arrived, which may have been its first kill (or close to it).

For me it was exciting, since I started birding after the fertility problems at Fifth Avenue.  So these were the first Fifth Avenue youngsters I’ve ever seen!