Urban Hawks

This afternoon both of the Fifth Avenue hawks were enjoying the sunshine on a crisp fall day.  It was great to see Octavia and Pale Male together.

When I found Pale Male this afternoon, he was sharing a perch with his mate Octavia.  She quickly left and he stayed in the same general area for a few more hours.  He looked to be interested in a late afternoon snack but only made one hunting attempt which came up empty.  He left the area and looks to have switched to a roosting spot he uses in the late fall and winter.  Other than this it was very much like it has been for the last month or so.

I can’t believe it’s October already.  Pale Male was in the Ramble this afternoon.  He looked to be hunting but didn’t go after anything.

We finally are starting to get some fall temperatures and tree leaves are changing colors.  Pale Male has become harder to find, but he went to Cedar Hill late in the afternoon, after chasing away a migrating raptor.  He hunted two times, but came up empty on both passes.

On Saturday, after weeks of easy hawk watching, it was harder.  Octavia and Pale Male spent time on the Carlyle Hotel but otherwise were hide to find until dusk.  Pale Male left the hotel and went to a favorite tree on Castle Walk, before roosting near Glen Span Arch.

After dark I listened for bats.  I had listened for bats twice earlier in the week.  As I had those last few nights, I had plenty of Eastern Red Bats at the Model Boat Pond, but I only heard Eastern Red Bats.  On a hunch, I decided to walk to the lawn between the Summer Stage and Fifth Avenue.  There I heard a large number of Big Brown Bats, and a Silver-haired Bat.