On Wednesday evening, a few of us got some great looks at Flaco as he flew around landing on dumpsters, a concrete pipe, and various trees and perches including a few on the ground. But most surprising was his jumping into a puddle and taking a drink. This was the first time I had seen him in water.
Flaco had a hard time with all of the illegal fireworks both in and around the park on the Fourth of July. He settled down a bit as the night went on, but didn’t really hunt. Hopefully, he did better once the park was closed and the fireworks died down.
I couldn’t find the fledgling Peregrine Falcons from 86th and West End, but I did find both of the parents. The adult male was on top of 130 West 86th Street and later in the afternoon, I saw both parents on top of 160 West 86th Street.
Central Park’s resident Great Horned Owl was in an open roosting location today, so I took some time to see her. She arrived in the park with a damaged left leg but has managed to do well despite the injury. In the video you can see how she’s adapted.
After fly out, and after the American Robins went to roost, she crooked and gave a short hoot. It was the first time I’d heard her in months.
Flaco caught a Brown Rat early in the evening, but took his time finding a place to eat it. He got interrupted by people, fireworks and raccoons. It wasn’t until he had visited a number of locations that he settled down to dinner after midnight.
While locals at 86th and West End report hearing and seeing the Peregrine Falcons early in the morning, when I’ve been going in the late afternoon it’s become much harder to find them.
On Monday afternoon, I had two fledglings on a water tank two blocks from the eyrie. The water tank is atop 160 West 86th Street, which is between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.
Later, I had one fledgling on top of 535 West End Avenue being harassed by a Northern Mockingbird.
