Pale Male Has Dinner
Pale Male in the late summer and early fall seems to fall into a routine in the late afternoon. Hunting near the Great Lawn, eating a meal, and then going to roost. He’s begun that pattern once again.
Being Hassled On Top Of One Fifth
You would think perching on top of One Fifth Avenue would be a quiet place to watch the city, but tonight both a falcon and a Northern Mockingbird thought differently.
Pale Male
Today, I went looking for hawks in Central Park and was only able to find Pale Male. I found him on his favorite antenna twice, before following him to a Met security camera, and then the area just north of the Polish statue.
He patiently hunted, caught and ate a rat.
Third Times A Charm
I started my day exploring Central Park without any luck, then Washington Square without any luck and finally found two hawks in Union Square. For those unfamiliar with New York City Parks, Union Square is about eight blocks north of Washington Square and can be seen from that park’s nest.
In Union Square, I first spotted Rosie, the adult female, between the W and U of the W Union Sq sign, at Park Avenue South and 17th Street. I then saw a young hawk hunting around the Square’s main lawn. It was most likely Boo. It caught a small rodent. The hawk looked very healthy and has its mother’s enthusiasm for hunting, making at least ten passes at squirrels.
Healthy Fledgling
The healthy Fifth Avenue fledgling, that has so far escaped eating a poisoned rodent, has become an excellent hunter and is exploring further and further.
Today, thanks to fellow hawk watchers, I caught up with the youngster just north of “The Yard”, the equipment depot for the park at 79th Street on the western side of the park. After a patient wait, the hawk caught a rat and then flew across the West Drive to a tree just north of the Swedish Cottage to eat.
The video and pictures have lots of eating, so if this bothers you feel free to skip this post. Also, the panting and spread wings are normal for any hawk trying to stay cool on a hot, summer day.
I’m Back In NY
A vacation, followed by a business trip, followed by a failed hard drive have kept me from posting for two weeks.
While I was away, two of the juveniles at Fifth Avenue fell sick. The first was easily captured. But as often happens, it was clear the second youngster was sick, but was still able to elude caputure for a few days. Thanks to all who kept an eye on the second sick hawk, and Rob Mastrianni, an Urban Park Ranger, who was able to capture the second hawk.
At least one juvenile has been confirmed to have have ingested rodenticides. The two hawks are now with WINORR. Visit their Facebook Page for updates on the fledglings and to see some of the other work they’re doing.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday I made three, very, brief visits to Central Park between rain storms. On Friday, I saw the 2nd Year hawk that is just getting it’s Red Tail. On Saturday and Sunday, I got to photograph Pale Male. I also had glimpses of his mate and the healthy juvenile, but didn’t get any pictures.
