Urban Hawks

April 27, 2015December 24, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Washington Square Park Feeding

News came this afternoon from the President’s Office that two of the three eggs had hatched. (They don’t all hatch at the same time, so there isn’t anything to worry about.) Other hawk watchers got to watch a feeding in the afternoon, and I got to capture a visit by the father and a feeding this evening.

More happy news after the hatching on Fifth Avenue. Spring finally is in full swing after a harsh winter in New York. I can’t wait to see some fluffy heads next week!

April 26, 2015December 24, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Feeding At Fifth Avenue

When I was at the nest yesterday, Octavia seems to be high in the nest. This afternoon, Pale Male spent lots of time on the nest or nearby. Then this evening around 6:30 p.m., the hawk bench saw a feeding. It was brief, which would be normal for a newly hatched eyass, but it was clearly a feeding with Octavia ripping up meat, turning her head and gently giving the meat to the eyass. Together all of this means we had a hatch within the last day!

Nice to have the Fifth Avenue nest back on a regular schedule! Great News!

We should be able to see the eyasses next weekend. The feeding starts at about 8:00 on the video.

April 25, 2015December 24, 2020San Remo/Pinetum/AMNH Red-tailed Hawks

North and South Towers of the Beresford

This afternoon, the male was on the oval widow of north tower at the Beresford Apartments, and the female was on the nest, which is on the oval window of the southeast tower. The ironwork of the north tower window is painted black, while the ironwork of the south tower is painted white, which makes it easy to figure out which tower is which in videos and photographs.

Not much happened while I watched. The male left the tower a few times and at one point two hawks buzzed the Beresford, most likely the Beresford male and another hawk. The other could easily could have been one of the males from the other nearby nests.

April 24, 2015December 24, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Paper Delivery

More than any other nest I’ve seen, the male of the Washington Square Park nest loves to bring paper to his nest. Today it was a a magazine or newspaper page.

It was interesting that the female didn’t leave nest but stayed as the paper was put into the nest.

April 20, 2015December 25, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, San Remo/Pinetum/AMNH Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Central and Morningside Parks 2015

I’m looking forward to the 2015 Red-tailed Hawk nest hatches in Central and Morningside Parks. We have three confirmed nests in Central Park, a pair seen frequently in the NE section of the Central Park, and our Cathedral hawks have a new nest location exposed to the elements.

With any new season, I look forward to discovering new aspects of urban Red-tailed Hawk behavior.

Three Central Park nests is fantastic news this year. But one has to wonder about locations and why these three nests are so close together? Do these three Red-tailed hawk pairs benefit by having protected flanks from the other pairs? Does this outweigh any issues over food contention, etc.? Or did the new nest locations have nothing to do with the other nest locations? It will be interesting to see when other raptor species fly over the park, if the Red-tailed Hawks work together to escort them away. And which pair will tale over the Locust Grove.

The Beresford Apartment nest will have new fledglings who will have to cross Central Park West to end up in Central Park or maybe even Teddy Roosevelt Park. Which buildings will they perch on the first few weeks? The Museum of Natural History? Or like many Red-tails, will they try to get as high as possible the first week and end up back on the Beresford? Where will the parents take them to hunt? South to the calm lawn south of The Yard? Or up North?

How will the exposed nest do at the Cathedral of Saint John? Will it be as productive as St. Andrew had been?

And is there a forth pair nesting near the park? Almost all of the experienced hawk watchers in Central Park saw a pair of hawks all winter around the Conservatory Garden. In April, many of us have seen a single hawk in the park, who flies over to Madison Avenue between 100th to 106th. Is there a nest tucked away a block from the park or in the public housing east of Madison?

I’m looking forward to learning more about Red-tailed Hawks this season. How fantastic is it that one of the best places to study Red-tailed Hawks is in the middle of Big Apple! New York City truly is one hell of a town.

April 20, 2015December 24, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Fifth Avenue

I thought I’d spend some time where it all began, Pale Male’s nest on Fifth Avenue this afternoon. It was uneventful with Pale Male giving Octavia a break just before he went off to roost.

Octavia is an impatient hawk. She leaves the nest as soon as she sees Pale Male nearby. She doesn’t wait for him land on the nest like other females in the city due. It’s kind of funny, as though she’s saying “I’ve been waiting, where have you been?”