Urban Hawks

August 25, 2016December 22, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Pale Male

Pale Male on top of a Ginkgo tree west of the East Drive around 78th Street.

August 24, 2016December 22, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Most Holy Redeemer Church

The Tompkins Square Park adults on the Most Holy Redeemer church near 4th Street and Avenue A on Tuesday evening.

August 22, 2016December 22, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Pale Male and Octavia

Pale Male hunted near one of his favorite roosts tonight. While he was eating, Octavia flew in to join him. They ended up roosting only a few feet apart at the top of London Plane Tree.

August 22, 2016December 16, 2020Bats

This time of year, if you sit near the hawk bench at the Model Boat Pond at dusk, you’ll see lots of Chimney Swifts feeding. But as it gets darker, almost like magic, there are fewer and fewer swifts and in their place you’ll see bats.

Using a “bat detector” to monitor the pitch of the echolocation sound, I discovered the bats are primarily two species, Eastern Red Bat and Big Brown Bat.

August 17, 2016December 19, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks, Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Washington and Tompkins Square Park Hawks

Mid-August can be a frustrating time to watch hawks. Juveniles are becoming harder to find as they expand their range, and for some precocious ones, begun to migrate. So, for the last week I’ve had to be content to find some adult hawks in both Washington and Tompkins Square Parks.

August 6, 2016December 22, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Squirrel Standoff

It was too hot to stay too long watching the Tompkins Square Hawks. Plus the punk bands celebrating the TSP riot, were a little too loud. But I did get to see two fledglings and Dora. There was a funny squirrel/hawk standoff too. A squirrel climbed a small tree that the hawk was in, and then realized it wasn’t a good idea. Luckily, no one was hurt.