The theme for the day was 2008. The female was in the roost her old mate had used for weeks last season when I arrived this evening. Like last year, hundreds of runners went past without noticing.
It was a brief evening after fly out. They ran us around the southern Loch area. The female even made a visit to last year’s nest cavity. They seemed to be enjoying the balmy temperatures by quickly moving about long distances, but it meant that we quickly lost track of them.
I arrived a little late to see fly out, but heard reports of a quick copulation after fly out in the area down near the stream at Glen Span Arch. The owls had escaped from view.
Luckly, after a few minutes, another birder found the owls in at the edge of the lawn near to the two pine trees across the road. The owls stayed there for quite some time.
They then went back across the road, only to return to the west side of the West Drive. The owls then took a long route that eventually take them to the playground at 96/97th and Central Park West. They went along the Pool, copulated somewhere around 101st Street near the bank of The Pool and crossed over the 100th Street road heading south. They hunted along the subway vents just inside the park from 99th to 98th, then along the edges of the 96/97th Street Viaduct, luckily at the park not the traffic level.
I was by myself tonight and the owls didn’t make themselves known until 7 p.m. They were calling near the stream at the lower end of the Loch. They copulated as usual and then I lost track of the male. The female perched herself on the bypass road and called on and off for about 45 minutes. I left her there around 8 p.m.
The female owl has switched cavities, seemingly moving back to the area of Glen Span Arch. I guess what looked like an owl nesting, was an owl getting out of the cold on Friday night!
Tonight, thanks to Jean being a little late she found them both near Glen Span Arch. The female moved east and ended up in a tree near a rustic bridge. She called for awhile and the male arrived. He might have brought a treat but it was hard to tell. They head rubbed and then copulated. The male then flew off.
The female then flew off across the stream and called on and off for thirty minutes.
Thanks to great detective work by Nina Wolf and other birders in Riverside Park, the new nest site of the Riverside Hawks has been discovered. I was able to confirm the nest location on Saturday, but wasn’t able to see the hawks in the nest until Sunday morning.
The nest is on a traffic island at the next exit north from their old nest. It is on a strip, that due to heavy traffic, is cut off to humans, dogs and raccoons. Best of all, there are a row of benches for any and all hawk watchers to sit on!
Update: March 22nd. The Hawks ended up choosing a nest site a few blocks north of the Boat House Café. This is not unusual. Hawks may build an alternate nest, and then not use it.
Well, Saturday’s discoveries were that things aren’t working like clockwork just yet.
Our female was awoken by three young boys playing Star Wars. As it got dark, she started calling before the male. Her calls were all I heard, no trills from him.
She flew out and he soon arrived. They copulated, she called for a few minutes with him a few feet away, and then they both went across the path to stream. We could hear her calling. We left the park to ensure we weren’t interfering with their hunting and bonding.
It’s as though he doesn’t quite know that his role is to keep her feed yet. This young male may end up needing an additional year to get things right.
Nature keeps reminding me to be humble. When I think I have it all figured out, she throws me a curve ball. My guess the other night, that they may have started nesting was premature.
