Urban Hawks

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Tompkins Square Park Gets Ready To Fledge

Two nests in Tompkins Square Park are getting ready to fledge, the Red-tailed Hawk nest and a Downy Woodpecker nest.

The fledge window has started for the Red-tailed Hawk nest based on when they hatched, although their tales seem a bit short to me and branching hasn’t begun by any of the eyasses. But I would expect at least one fledgling by the weekend.

There is also a Downy Woodpecker nest in the park and it has what looks to be at least one very mature nestling.

May 25, 2025May 25, 2025General News

Tompkins Square Park

I haven’t had a chance to get down to Tompkins Square Park recently. I was last there just after Christo disappeared and the new male appeared.

The new nest location is very hard to see! There are a number of small windows that let you see the birds if the winds are right. I arrived just before both parents went to the nest, and the mother fed the three youngsters. It’s so nice to see yet another successful nest in the park.

May 24, 2025Northwest Central Park Hawks

93rd Street Nest Has Fledged

The remaining eyass at 93rd Street has fledged in what may be one of the earliest dates for the park. Reports are the parents were very attentive, bringing food and keeping a watchful eye on the youngster.

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025Northwest Central Park Hawks

Remaining Eyass At 93rd Street

I found a window in the rainy weather to visit the 93rd Street nest. The remaining eyass was being fed when I arrived and did some branching. It is unclear what happened to its sibling. Hopefully, this remaining eyass will stay healthy.

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025Other Red-tailed Hawks

Randall’s Island

The Randall’s Island Red-tailed Hawk nest has at least on eyass on the nest as of Wednesday. I was able to see a small head, in addition to their mother, while visiting the island to see the Fork-tailed Flycatcher, a rarity that was found by Karen Becker on the abandoned golf range.

The success of this nest was welcome news, given the abandonment of the American Museum of Natural History nest and the death of an eyass at 93rd Street.

May 21, 2025May 22, 2025Northwest Central Park Hawks

93rd Street Mystery

I visited the nest on Monday and could only find one eyass of the nest. At first, I thought it one was just hiding in the bowl of the nest but when the mother came in to do a feeding, I could still only see one. So, something may have happened since I last visited last week.

We had some rather raw and cold weather, so we could have lost one of the eyasses. But it is possible that one has begun to branch or might have fledged prematurely. I suspect we’ll figure out what happened in a few days.

Update: It has been confirmed that one of the eyasses has died and was found by Central Park Conservancy staff. The remains were given to the Urban Park Rangers who are arranging for testing to determine the cause of death.