A hawk was on the Beresford Apartments tonight, just like last night. I’m feeling this bird wasn’t Pale Male, but still can’t be sure. At this point, it’s a mystery for me. The bird stayed on top of the north tower until 7:30 p.m., then went to the west tower before diving down quickly off the tower. A possibility is that I’m seeing the male, but just haven’t found the now brooding female.
I’ve received reports from three different people that a pair of hawks was building a nest on the Bersesford Apartments. I went last night and saw a single hawk, which could have been Pale Male on top of the building.
So, right now I’m confused about what’s going on. Either the hawks started to build the nest and Pale Male chased them away or one of the new hawks has similar markings to Pale Male. This is going to take some return visits to figure out.
The Tompkins Square Park female has begun spending a great deal of time on the nest during the day and is over-nighting on the nest now. Egg laying and brooding should be right around the corner.
The Fifth Avenue nest is so mature and built up, Octavia is almost invisible on the nest. When I visited during a break in the rain on Sunday, you could only see the top of her head!
I keep going to Tompkins Square Park hoping the female will overnight on the nest and show signs she’s starting to lay eggs. But instead I get a couple who is loving courtship and shows no sign of nesting. At this rate, other hawks may have eyasses before this female lays eggs!
Not much has changed this week.
The major news is that NYU will not be providing a web feed this year from the Washington Square Park nest. NYU took over after the New York Times stopped sponsoring the camera last year, but choose not to continue this year.
While NYU may not be continuing the camera, their commitment to the hawks is still very strong. Last year, when the fledglings were on the street, NYU’s Public Safety team was very protective of them. This support of the hawks will continue.