Urban Hawks

March 9, 2014December 26, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Tompkins Square Park

Tompkins Square Park after years of hosting juvenile hawks, finally looks to have its own pair of adults who have built a nice nest on top of an air conditioning unit at 9th Street and Avenue B. I had gone to visit last weekend but didn’t take any photographs as the hawks were inactive.

Today, I found two very active hawks. They copulated three times and flew around the park multiple times. The nest reminds me of the nest we had a number of years ago on Houston and Avenue D.

This pair is very, very easy to watch. This should be a fun year for the residents who live near the park.

I’ve begun using a Blackmagic Production Camera, which shoots in Ultra HD (four times the resolution of HD.) If you watch this video in full screen mode, you should have a great viewing viewing experience.

March 8, 2014December 26, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Lots Of Nest Visits In WSP

It was a beautiful day in Washington Square Park on Saturday, with warmer weather and plenty of sunshine. The hawks made lots of nest visits, with the hawks bringing paper and twigs to tidy up. They copulated on the Silver Building. Both hawks soared and soared above the park as if to celibrate the warm day.

March 7, 2014December 26, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Similar Behavior In Washington Square

Dusk on Friday was almost an exact replica of Thursday. Rosie hanging out on the nest and Bobby worrying about a Kestrel before going to roost on Silver. The only thing missing was a copulation.

March 6, 2014December 26, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

All Systems Go

Tonight at dusk both hawks were in Washington Square, one on the nest and one on buildings on the west side of the park. The one on the buildings, took off after an American Kestrel and returned.

The hawks then went over to Silver and copulated, with one of them roosting on the building for the night. Looks like we’ll have Rosie over-nighting on the nest soon.

March 6, 2014Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Tripods In City Parks

I got confirmation on Wednesday, that my interpretation of the Parks Department and Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting regulations, that tripods may be used without a permit in all city parks, was correct. So, I'll be able to continue in filming in Washington Square Park.

I am still concerned about the ambiguity of the Parks Department's regulations and their website pages surounding photography. Every photographer I know with a large telephoto lens has been hassled at least once by a Parks Department employee without cause. I have to decide if I want to collect enough documentation to prove that what I experienced last Sunday was the norm for photographers in city parks, and pursue the matter futher.

But for now the good news is that I'm safe to photograph Rosie and Bobby in the park again.

March 3, 2014December 26, 2020Washington Sq. Red-tailed Hawks

Sunday before Photography Was A Crime

Before I was asked to stop photographing in Washington Square Park, I had a number of nice sightings of Bobby and Rosie both on the nest and on buildings to the east. Overnights and egg laying should be around the corner.