Two of the three eggs have hatched and I got to see a feeding of squirrel meat today. This was the last nest to hatch in Manhattan, so it’s great to move on from the brooding stage where nothing much happens.
The parents seem to know what they’re doing, even if it might be their first time!
In the morning, I visited Randall’s Island nest. I couldn’t see any sign of hawks, but if they’ve gone back to the old nest, the female can hide fairly well. There’s also a good chance that the pair moved, given the Peregrine Falcon nest nearby.
I then went to Tompkins Square Park, which is still a few days from hatching. Both hawks there looked healthy. Locals estimate the hatch date to be May 10th.
Then it was off to Washington Square to see how things were going. As usual, they continue to grow bigger and bigger. They can stand briefly and feather shafts are visable on their wings.
I arrived at the park on Sunday afternoon to find the male sitting in the nest and the female of the pair on top of the Christodora House roof. They exchanged places on the nest. The male flew to a nearby tree, and after a brief interval, the male broke off a twig and took it the nest.
He disappeared and then reappeared on a church cross on Avenue B. The nest has at least two eggs and this young pair seems to understand exactly what they need to do for the next four weeks.
There is at least one egg at the Tompkins Square Park nest. The female has started brooding and everything looks great so far. In addition to the Red-tailed Hawks, today there was an American Kestrel around the edge of the park both on Avenue A and Seventh Street.
Update: A second egg was laid on Thursday afternoon and a third was laid in the week.
The Tompkins Square Park female has begun spending a great deal of time on the nest during the day and is over-nighting on the nest now. Egg laying and brooding should be right around the corner.
I keep going to Tompkins Square Park hoping the female will overnight on the nest and show signs she’s starting to lay eggs. But instead I get a couple who is loving courtship and shows no sign of nesting. At this rate, other hawks may have eyasses before this female lays eggs!
