Urban Hawks

March 3, 2018December 22, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Dora on Saturday

Dora seems to be doing fine after being returned to Tompkins Square Park. She was sitting in this year’s nest when I arrived and then went after two crows and possibly a juvenile hawk. She ended up roosting on a fire escape for the night.

Christo was seen briefly and circled over Avenue C and 6th Street for a bit. It is unclear what he’s going to do about choosing between Dora and Nora (or if he will choose both).

You’ll see in the photographs and video Dora’s droopy left wing. She seems to be flying well and the wing issue does not seem to be causing here any real issues.

February 26, 2018December 22, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Dora Is Returned To Tompkins Square Park

Dora, the female of the Tompkins Square Park nest has been returned to the park by the Horvaths (NYC’s great Rehabilitators). She had been in their care for about three months.

I caught up with her after work this evening. Christo, the male, has already found a replacement mate, who the locals have been calling Nora. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few days. It may end up being something of a soap opera.

Here are some cell phone pictures…

February 25, 2018December 28, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Cooper’s Hawk, Octavia and Pale Male

Hints of spring are in the air. The park has some Snowdrops and Forsythia in bloom and the city’s Red-tails have begun to copulate. Today, I caught up with a Cooper’s Hawk, and both of the Fifth Avenue Hawks, Octavia and Pale Male.

February 4, 2018December 28, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk

On Saturday afternoon, I walked for about five miles through Central Park. I was able to add three more birds to my 2018 Manhattan list, a Ring-Necked Duck (female at the North Gate House of the Reservoir), a Great Cormorant (on the dike in the middle of the Reservoir, a rare visitor to Central Park, but seen frequently off Randalls Island in the winter) and an immature Cooper’s Hawk.

The Cooper’s Hawk was exploring the Loch, a waterway with three waterfalls that flows under the Glen Span and Huddlestone arches from The Pool to the Harlem Meer. It has recently been restored by the Central Park Conservancy. The restoration carefully reshaped the waterway, to provide a mix of currents and depths designed to maximize biodiversity, with the help of a environmental consulting company. Improved landscaping was also added to minimize erosion and run offs from the North Meadow Ball Fields. I’m looking forward to seeing the biodiversity results in a few years.

January 27, 2018December 18, 2020Other Birds

Red-throated Loon

The surprise of the day was a Red-throated Loon on the reservoir this afternoon. About two thirds of the reservoir is still covered with ice, so the Loon was closer to the shoreline than normal making for great looks.

January 21, 2018December 27, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Red-tailed Hawks

Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Two Adult Red-Tailed Hawks

I started my raptor watching in the North Woods and then worked my way around the reservoir. My first raptor was a Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk at the Wildflower meadow, who then flew around the Compost Heap. Then it was off to the reservoir, where a Peregrine Falcon has been seen for the last few days near the North Gate House. Then after looking at the nice selection of waterfowl using the open areas of reservoir, I ran into two adult hawks at the South Gate House. By then it was too dark to I.D. the hawks, but it looked like one of them was an intruder and the other was either Pale Male or Octavia.