The first day the Riverside female started sitting on this year’s nest was March 8th.  This doesn’t mean she laid eggs that day, but it’s the day we can start counting forward.  Red-tailed Hawk egg incubation takes between 25-32 days.  Add to that the time it takes to lay eggs and the few days it takes for a hatchling to strong enough to stand up and be spotted, and you might need to add as much as a week more.

So, that puts the nest watch into high gear if my math is correct.  We might see eyasses by next weekend.

The weather wasn’t kind over the last month, and the large storm that flooded much of Rhode Island may mean the area will have lots of hawk nest failures.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed.  The Riverside nest is the most exposed nest we have in Manhattan.

The female at Riverside has begun sitting on her nest, about twelve days earlier than last year.  The new nest is going to be a challenge to photograph! I’m looking forward to having over a month to practice before fledglings.

I went by the 2009 Riverside nest site to look at the remains of the fallen nest.  There was lots of ribbon, what looked like nylon rope pulled apart and an Ace bandage.

The nest built in the same location after the 2008 nest failure also fell down, so this is not bad news.  The hawks should be rebuilding the nest in the next few weeks.  “Where will they build it?” is the question.

Exiting the park, I got a good look at the restoration project of the biking and walking path along the river in the upper 80’s and 90’s.  It finally looks like they’re making progress and that it should be completed soon.

I got a short note yesterday from Leslie Day that last year's nest fell from the London Plane tree by the Hudson River. 

"This afternoon I walked by the tree and  – no nest! I looked on the ground and there it was. Lots of ribbons, fabric and feathers and all the branches. I'm pretty sure it was exactly a year ago that the first nest fell down too. We had some big winds a few nights ago off the river."

It will be interesting if they choose a new location or return to the same tree later this winter.

I had expected the youngster at Riverside Park to have left the area by now, but it has other ideas.  It was in the area around the Hippo Playground (its official name) yet again.  It was eating a rodent when I arrived, so the video and initial photographs are a little graphic.

Mid-afternoon the fledgling went after a model airplane, but didn’t end up touching it. It did upset the young man who was flying it, however!  The fledgling continues to draw crowds.  It perched on a few different trees on the Esplanade and over 100 people stopped and watched.

In the very late afternoon, both parents were seen over the Normandy Apartments.