Quiet Evening
Tonight, I got to see a calm fledgling take it easy for about an hour before going to roost in a tree on the North Lawn.
(Since most of the action is taking place earlier in the day, I’ll be visiting the nest less often on weekdays.)
Common Sense
Today, I arrived to see one of the young fledglings surrounded by people. The fledglings aren’t scared by people, but that doesn’t mean we can surround them and gawk at them like they were in a zoo.
The two fledglings need to learn to be great hunters before they leave their parents. If we trample the underbrush, whistle at them, and stand directly under them with our iPhone cameras, the fledglings are going to be spending their time worrying about us and we’ll have scared away their prey.
I guess New Yorkers are sadly, just happy to love these hawks to death.
Croton Point Park
I also visited Croton Point Park on Saturday. On the landfill cap, there were a pair of Northern Harriers and at least two American Kestrels.
Rockefeller Preserve
I visited the Rockefeller Preserve on Saturday and got to see a fun American Kestrel vs. Red-tailed Hawk show. It was all about territory protection. The Kestrel was protecting its family’s territory. The family seemed to be two adults and two juveniles.
Rat Machine
Although my schedule has prevented from seeing the hawks in the morning, fellow hawk watchers report that both fledglings have discovered the Boat Basin dumpsters, Riverside Park’s Rat Machine!
The hunting seems to take place in the late mornings.
On Friday afternoon, when I arrived, I could only find one fledgling but saw both of the parents.
Widening Range
Both fledglings are hunting successfully and have widened their range. It makes finding and photographing them more difficult, but means they’re doing just fine. I’m actually finding it easier to find the parents these days than the kids!
