Monday, 2-25-08
Tonight was a one owl night, with it quickly giving us the slip. We’ve started calling them the Monty Python owls, because each night they perform “And Now For Something Completely Different”.
Sunday, 2-24-08
These owls keep confusing us. Tonight, it was hard to tell if one or two owls went out of the cavity. Plus, an owl spent some time on the ground and then returned to the cavity.
Sunday Riverside Park Hawk Pictures
Sunday was similar to Saturday up at Riverside Park. Nest building followed by a late lunch of Rock Pigeon. This pair might be the most accessible pair in the city. They don’t seem shy of people and like to eat on the ground or in low branches.
The smaller of the hawks caught lunch, ate most of it, but then gave up the rest after begging by its mate. As with yesterday’s pictures, there are some graphic eating images at the end of this post. Proceed at your own risk.
Possible Seventh Manhattan Red-tailed Hawk Nest
Earlier this winter, when there was a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Tompkins Square Park, I received a tip that there was a hawk nest at Houston and the East River Drive. It seemed like a logical spot, so now that nesting season has begun I went down to take a look.
While walking east down Houston Street towards the river, I saw a Red-tail with a twig flying down Houston Street being followed down the street by it’s mate. It landed on an air conditioner cage on the top floor of a local school, two blocks from the river. Two air conditioner cages had twigs, so it look like the pair hasn’t quite decided what to do yet. We’ll know in a few weeks. Imagine the potential education the elementary school class may receive!
After working on the nest, both hawks perched on the Lillian Wald Settlement, a building run by the NYC Housing Authority.
Sixth Manhattan Red-tailed Nest
Leslie Day (fieldguidenyc.com) alerted the hawk watching community of a sixth Manhattan Red-tailed Hawk nest this week. Located along the northbound west 79th Street on ramp to the West Side Highway, the nest is easily visible from Riverside Park.
When I arrived both hawks were gathering twigs, bringing then to the nest, and rearranging them. They had lots of energy and were very industrious. After an hour, the nest building stopped and one of the hawks caught and devoured a Rock Pigeon. Some rather graphic pictures at the end, so skip this post if they will bother you.
Saturday, 2-23-08
Tonight started out with two young raptors, a Cooper’s Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk, playing what looked like tag. One hawk would chase the other and then vis-versa. Along the way, I found a Titmouse eating birdseed left by someone after the snowstorm.
A squirrel was in the male’s normal roost, so we were concerned. Our concern for the male grew as fly out took much longer than usual. The hawks being around, so close to fly out, must have made the owls more cautious.
Both owls flew out from the same cavity tonight. This was the first time we have seen this occur this season. Was it because of the snow in the male’s usual spot, the squirrel or has something happened in the nest?
