Category: Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, San Remo/Pinetum Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks, TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Central Park Area Hawks

I was away for ten days, so I’ve checked up on the nesting Central Park Hawks plus St. John the Divine over the last few days.

  • It looks like The Ritz-Carlton nest may have failed on Central Park South. I haven’t seen anyone on the nest in a few visits, but saw the female spend an hour on a ledge two floors below the nest. She spent at least 45 minutes there.
  • The San Remo pair, that is now nesting in a tree continues to brood south of the swings in the Pinetum.
  • The TCC nest at 105th and Fifth, continues to brood. Pictures of a recent visit are below.
  • The St. John the Divine pair appears to have moved the nest to a Columbia dorm, John Jay Hall.
Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Central Park South

Watching the Ritz-Carlton nest has been a bit slow as I mostly see the female sitting on the nest but I was surprised on Monday to see a Peregrine Falcon on the Pierre Hotel and the GM Building. It explains why I don’t see the Red-tailed Hawks perched high on these buildings anymore. The male hawk was in a tree by Chess and Checkers.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Ritz-Carlton Exchange

Tonight, I arrived just in time to see but not photograph the male bring a small rodent to the female. She went off to eat it quickly. While she was eating the male went to the nest twice. Then they both returned to the nest, before making a trip to the top of the Ritz-Carton together. The female then returned to the nest. This all took about ten minutes.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Rodent Snack For The Ritz-Carlton Female

I watched the Ritz-Carlton nest on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, not much happened between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

So, on Friday I visited around 4 pm. When I arrived, the male was circling ear the nest with a small rodent, which could either have been a mouse or a small rat. Somewhat comically, two Rock Pigeons were chasing him for a few minutes. He dropped the rat off, but didn’t stay on the nest. He just left.

The female then left the nest with the rodent, went three buildings to the west, and ate it. She returned to the nest within ten minutes.

(This is typical behavior. To keep the nest clean, the female will almost always eat off the nest. And I’m not surprised the male didn’t stay and incubate the eggs. I’ve seen it take a few days for an inexperienced male to understand his “duties”.)

After she returned to the nest, we found the male in a high tree in the Hallett Nature Sanctuary. The Bluejays found him and after ignoring their abuse he flew west.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Ritz-Carlton Nest

Tonight, I arrived to see the female brooding on the nest. She clearly was incubating at least one egg. Unlike the previous days, she was always on top of the eggs, making contact with her brood patch, rather than sitting upright. I didn’t see the male and the female stayed on the nest the entire time I visited from about 5:30 until 7:00. Nest watching can be a bit boring at times!