In northern Manhattan is a nest on Shepard Hall on the CCNY campus.  I hadn’t heard any news about the nest, so I went up to see it on Friday.  Like the St. John the Divine nest, it’s high up and difficult to get a good read on what’s happening early in the season. 

From the parents behavior, it sure looks like it’s hatched.  I couldn’t see any eyasses, nor did I have time to wait for a feeding, but no parent would be sitting so high on a nest or leaving it unattended as long as they did if it hadn’t hatched.

My quest to find the nest of the pair of hawks that have been seen on upper Fifth Avenue came up empty again.  While I was in the Consevatory Garden, I saw a Red-tail circle around the garden with a pigeon in its tallons.  The hawk then took the bird to the roof of the El Museo del Barrio.

After a few minutes, the Red-tailed Hawk flew off in the direction of the Academy of Medicine, and disappeared.  Searches of the ledges of the building came up empty.

A hawk was on the Beresford Apartments tonight, just like last night.  I’m feeling this bird wasn’t Pale Male, but still can’t be sure.  At this point, it’s a mystery for me.  The bird stayed on top of the north tower until 7:30 p.m., then went to the west tower before diving down quickly off the tower.  A possibility is that I’m seeing the male, but just haven’t found the now brooding female.

I’ve received reports from three different people that a pair of hawks was building a nest on the Bersesford Apartments.  I went last night and saw a single hawk, which could have been Pale Male on top of the building.

So, right now I’m confused about what’s going on.  Either the hawks started to build the nest and Pale Male chased them away or one of the new hawks has similar markings to Pale Male.  This is going to take some return visits to figure out.

After posting my scorecard for the year, I got an email that hawks were again being spotted on the El Dorado with nesting materials.  I spotted one Red-tail on the El Dorado this evening, but didn’t see its mate.  Hopefully this year will turn out better than last year when construction workers destroyed the nest just as the female was laying eggs.