Final news is coming in about Manhattan’s Red-tailed Hawk nests. Inwood Hill is confirmed to have 2 fledglings. Governors Island has at least one fledgling. Randals Island has fledged three. A fledgling has been discovered in Riverside Park near Columbia University. And Fort Tryon must have fledglings by now.
In addition to the Red-tailed Hawks, I was curious to see how the Yellow-crowned Night Herons were doing and the Common Terns.
The old Yellow-crowned Night Heron nest from last year was abandoned and I was unable to find a new one.
The Common Terns were out on Lima Pier. (I didn’t see any on Tango Pier.) There seemed to be fewer than last year. They were concentrated on the middle of the arm of the pier where they nest and this year I didn’t see any on the northern end of the arm like last year.
But there were lots of chicks getting feed, even if the numbers seemed lower.
For years we’ve seen second year hawks and adult hawks out on Governors Island but never found a nest or saw fledglings. This year, while Governors Island was closed to visitors, a nest was built, and was successful.
The opening of the island was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today was the first day the island was open to the public for the year. On the first ferry open to the public, I counted five other bird watchers looking to see what was out on the island.
The Red-tailed Hawk parents were easy to find. One was on the communications tower, where this year’s nest was located. The other on a weathervane.
I couldn’t find the fledglings, and almost gave up before finally finding one in a tree in the middle of the Urban Farm. This area is locked and not open to the general public, but I was able to take a few photographs.
Tonight I finally was able to photograph the rabbit that has been in the park since at least March. I first saw it at the Swedish Cottage, and it has made its way to the Tupelo Meadow over the last few months. I saw it after sunset, and it was in among the Fireflies and American Robins. Rabbits aren’t naturally in the park, and this one is most likely a released pet. I’m glad it has survived over the last few months.
There is a family of Eastern Kingbirds on Turtle Pond this year in Central Park, just like last year. There are three fledglings, which were in a tree on the Turtle Pond island this afternoon. A parent was flying back and forth from the island to a set of bushes on the south shore of the lake, skimming the water as it went to and from. It was only when I saw the food being feed to a fledgling did I figure out what was going on. The parent was catching dragonflies.
Today a pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were working the flowers around the Tupelo Meadow in the Ramble of Central Park.
