Urban Hawks

At Washington Square we have a rare but not unusual event happening.  A fledgling has decided it fledged too early and is staying put on a window ledge.  This is seen by rehabilitators from time to time. 

In this instance a number of rehabbers have been consulted and each agree that since:

1. The bird is healthy
2. The bird is being fed by its parents
3. and it’s in a safe location (with NYU security guards looking after it)

that the best course of action is to let nature take its course.  At some point the youngster will mature mentally and start flying.

Now, this rare but not unusual event is worrying the Washington Square and NYU community.  Inexperienced viewers are worried that something is wrong with the bird.  They’ve been calling 911, 311, Animal Control, the NYS DEC and every rehabber they can find.  This is all well intentioned but not helpful.

So, when I’m at Washington Square I reassure everyone who talks to me that:

1. Multiple professionals have been contacted and all agree that the bird should stay where it is since it is a safe place and the bird is being fed by its parents.
2. The crying one hears is normal for any young Red-tailed Hawk fledgling.  It is a call for food, but young birds often do this even after just being fed.  In addition, the loud calling is a confirmation that the bird is healthy.
3. The bird most likely fledged too early and every day it waits the stronger and more mature it will be when it does decide to fly.

(I also learned Friday, that landing on Pless was not a crash landing as previously reported to me.  It was a sloppy but gentle landing.)

Washington Square Park has one of its fledglings staying in basically the same place since it fledged.  Except for moving from a fourth floor ledge to a third floor ledge it’s stayed in the same place since around Monday at 10 am.

It’s being fed by its parents and doesn’t have any apparent injuries.  Most likely it fledged too early or may have hit its head while fledging and needs some time to recover.

The other fledgling was having a meal on the Shimkin Building roof and both parents were keeping an eye on both fledglings.

The two fledglings at Washington Square can’t be any different.  One is very active and flying high up to the roofs of the Shimkin Hall and the Education Building.  The other is staying put on a fourth floor window ledge of the Pless Building.  Young hawks definitely show you their personalities after fledging. 

The parents were in view, and both kept a close eye on both fledglings.