I went looking to see if the Avenue A nest had fledged on Friday, to find all three eyasses still on the nest. I was a day to early. One fledged on Saturday morning! But they were fun to watch as there last day as an air conditioner trio.
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:
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:
(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.
When I arrived at the Fifth Avenue nest, four hawks were in view. Two fledglings on roofs of buildings two blocks south of the nest, Pale Male two floors below on a railing, and an eyass on the nest (despite reports of a fledge on Tuesday.)
One of the fledglings explored various perches on a water tank. One of the things a young hawk needs to practice is turning around on a branch or in this case a rod. It was charming to watch the young hawk learn.
Just before a brief rain shower, Octavia made her way to the nest and plucked what may have been a pigeon carcass before leaving the remaining eyass alone on the nest.
News has arrived that the West End Avenue nest has failed this year. Two eggs were laid, and one hatched. The eyass died, although I’m not sure at what age. This location and the nest locations nearby have had issues in years past, so this news while sad wasn’t that unexpected.
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.
