St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks Archives

March 21, 2024St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Havemeyer Hall

I finally got a chance to go up to Columbia University to see what was happening with the Havemeyer Hall nest. When I arrived a hawk was sitting on the nest. After about fifteen minutes, a hawk with a brown tail arrived and landed in a tree near the nest. The hawks did an exchange, and the young hawk sat on the nest.

There were reports of an injured hawk being picked up from the campus a few weeks ago, and I suspect this young hawk took advantage of this opening to quickly mate with the established female.

St. John, then Wild West

My afternoon of bird watching started at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Over the last few days, many birders have watched a pair of Common Ravens (not so common for Manhattan) work on a nest on the shoulders of St. Andrew. (This is the site of a long time Red-tailed Hawk nest that was abandoned when construction of a building started nearby. The pair moved to another spot on the Cathedral and eventually moved to the Columbia University campus.)

So, when I looked a the nest, I was very, very surprised to see a young Red-tailed Hawk sitting in the nest. It will be interesting if the ravens reclaim it, or if they will move. (Update: Birders report the ravens have reclaimed the nest.)

Afterwards, I went down to 102nd and Fifth Avenue to look for the pair that had been there all winter. I could not find them. Others have also lost track of them. They may have a new nest location but I couldn’t find it. This is a real mystery, as they had been seen copulating often on a building at 104th and Fifth Avenue.

Lastly, I went to see the Wild West Playground hawks. They had an exchange (switching brooding duty) before I had my camera out, so I only go pictures of one of them hunkered down on the nest.

June 20, 2023June 20, 2023St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Havemeyer Hall, One Left?

A quick visit to Columbia University let me see what looks like the last eyass on Havemeyer Hall. It was climbing the scaffolding and then jumped to the top of the clock to enjoy some shade. I also saw the adult male on the Low Library watching the nest. I suspect the other two youngsters have fledged but I couldn’t find them.

June 8, 2023June 8, 2023St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Havemeyer Hall, Columbia University

The three eyasses are a lot more mature than when I saw them on my last visit. I was hoping to see them exploring the scaffolding but the three of them were happily on the nest together. It doesn’t seem like there is enough room for them!

May 27, 2023May 27, 2023St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Havemeyer Hall Red-tailed Hawk Nest Feeding

On Saturday, I got to see the whole family at Havemeyer Hall on the Columbia University campus. Both parents visited the nest and the female fed the three eyasses. It’s a bit tough to see them through the netting, but there are clearly three little ones.

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Havemeyer Hall Red-tailed Hawk Nest

The pair that nested on John Jay at Columbia University last year, is now using Havemeyer Hall. Facade work was delayed by the university once the nest was found, but netting blocks a direct view of the nest. The easiest way to watch the nest is to go to the entrance on the east side of Broadway and 117th Streets, go up the stairs and then look north. While the nest is hard to see now, in a few more weeks, we should have the eyasses “branching” on the scafolding.

There are three eyasses. The male often sits on a flag pole west of the Low Library, and was there today.