Urban Hawks

May 19, 2023May 19, 2023Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Owls

Flaco on Tuesday and Thursday

I had a chance to catch up with Flaco on both Tuesday and Thursday nights. He’s hunting up at the compost heap most nights now, skipping the construction site.

On Thursday, he flew right past me and caught a rat, which we heard squeal as it got caught. He caught it and continued flying, returning to the tree he had been perched in. He ate the rat on a low level branch. As a few of us photographed him, we watched the light change from Green to Yellow to Red as a stop light 100 feet away was the primary light source.

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Rest in Peace, Pale Male

Bobby Horvath, reported last night the news on the WINORR Facebook page the passing of Pale Male, the 33 year old Red-tailed Hawk who brought so much joy to New Yorkers over the years.

His nesting with multiple partners at 927 Fifth Avenue, gave thousands of New Yorker’s a front row seat to watch and study the behavior of an incredible species. He taught New Yorker’s that you didn’t need to go to a national park to watch nature, but that you just had to walk a few blocks.

A reporter left a voice mail for me this morning asking me what Pale Male’s legacy was, a very tough question.

I think his biggest legacy is that he taught New Yorkers, that despite man’s efforts to control the landscape of the city, nature still thrives here and needs to be respected and nurtured. For New York City birds, this means nests need to be protected, poisons controlled, buildings built with bird friendly designs, glass and lighting, and funding provided for Wildlife Rehabilitators.

Pale Male inspired hundreds of New Yorker’s to become conservationists, and to work to protect wildlife not only in rural areas, but in their own zip codes. That work lives on today, with vibrant organizations such as New York City Audubon, the Wild Bird Fund and WINORR.

If you want to remember Pale Male, respect his legacy by supporting the efforts of these organizations.

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023Extralimital, Other Birds

Tree Swallow Nest Building

While in Connecticut, I was able to watch a pair of Tree Swallows bring nesting material to a nest box. They made lots of chatter, but not as much as a nearby Song Sparrow.

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Extralimital

Darien Osprey

A weekend visit to Darien, Connecticut had me watching a nesting pair of Osprey on an island in a cove of Long Island Sound. They’ve been brooding for at least three weeks.

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Owls

Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 99

It’s getting much harder to watch Flaco, the feral Eurasian Eagle-Owl that was released from the Central Park Zoo over three months ago. He’s not using the construction site as often, has gotten much quieter, and is less visible with the trees fully leafed out.

Luckily, I did get to see him for about twenty minutes on Sunday night.

May 9, 2023May 9, 2023Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Owls

Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 94

Flaco continues to hunt the Brown Rats that surround three dumpsters at the compost heap. His situation doesn’t seem to be the idealized wild experience you read about on Twitter. He’s not living a wild life. He’s a feral bird just getting by in a city park.