Urban Hawks

One of the fledglings was very active on Thursday evening, screaming its head off begging for food.  It’s become an excellent flier, so it took a lot of walking to keep up with the fledgling, whose stops included the roof of a slide in the playground.  A few squirrels were chased, but nothing caught.

The other fledgling was in a tree sitting quietly by the parkway watching the traffic go by.  It was reported that the fledgling crossed the highway towards the nest area to roost for the evening.

The fledglings had been fed before I arrived, so tonight I saw two very relaxed, digesting Red-tailed Hawks.  The only noise came from neighborhood American Robins and Mockingbirds.

Dull is good.  Only a week ago, we were worrying about the fledglings crossing the highway. 

The evening was fairly quiet this evening, even if the fledglings were a little vocal.  They flew around some, one was on the ground briefly, but all and all it was a calm night.

They fledglings are flying really well.  I suspect that we’ll see them venturing up and down the promenade further north soon.  It also means that they’ll be harder to keep track of too.  I suspect lots of hawk watchers are going to be sharing cell phone numbers within a week.

Next to the Children’s Playground at Riverside Park, we now have a Hawk Hunting Playground.  An acre of wet muddy soil for the kids to play with sticks and hunt squirrels.  Both hawks are enjoying their school days.  The parents are still feeding both fledglings, but the fledglings should soon be catching some food on their own.

I stuck around to see where the fledglings were roosting for the evening and was able to see the father and one of the fledglings go to sleep in the same tree. 

The two fledglings seem to be adjusting to their new surroundings south of the playground.  The area has a Northern Mockingbird nest, so there are now American Robins, Blue Jays and Northern Mockingbirds mobbing the fledglings at times.

While I was there this afternoon they both got fed, one a pigeon and one a rodent.  Rather than being brought the food directly by the parents, as they did a week ago, the adults are now perching near the fledglings.  Then one of fledglings flies up to the parent and takes the food away rather aggressively.

(The pictures and video below have graphic images of the rodent being eaten.  The video shows the rodent being disemboweled, so viewer discretion is advised.)

On the afternoon of the Fourth of July, the fledglings were east of the Henry Hudson Parkway.  They stayed in a few trees south of a children’s playground.  I hope they roosted there this evening and avoided the crowds and fireworks by the river.

The playground area is a favorite hunting ground of the parents.  Over the last few days, the father seems to be taking a more active role with the fledglings.  We may soon be seeing some hunting lessons.