Other Red-tailed Hawks

Astoria Park’s First Fledge

The Astoria Park nest had its first fledge on Saturday around 2 p.m.  The fledgling went to the equipment depot under the bridge near the nest.  It was the safest place to fledge.  Good choice young one.

While I was there it spent its time hopping from truck to truck.
Caution, flying hawk.
There was a Blue Jay that would come by every ten minutes.
It hit the young hawk a few times.
The first day at school can be tough.
The eyas still on the nest looked on and seemed ready to join its sibling.
One of the parents landed in a tree near the nest…
… and then went to the north side of the bridge.
So, another successful nest in New York City.
Enjoy life off the nest!
Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

North of the Ballfields Feeding And The Parents Perches

I got to Central Park in the early evening after visiting Inwood Hill Park.  I had struck out trying finding the hawk family in Inwood, so I was hoping for better luck at the Heckscher Ballfields.

Our well looked after 888 Seventh Avenue fledgling. 
Relaxing north of the Baseball Fields.
One lone American Robin helped me find her.
The mother came and we saw the father fly north.  She left and returned with a pigeon.  It was hard to tell who actually caught the prey.
The mother left the food on branch, called for the youngster to come for dinner and left.
The parent then flew around the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle. It was windy, and she gained speed and height quickly.
The mirrored building seems to fascinate this pair.  New York City Audubon has been working to minimize bird deaths from building collisions.  This spring they published an excellent guide for building owners and architects, Bird-Safe Building Guidelines, as part of their Project Safe Flightinitiative.
Here the mother rests on the new Zeckendorf building.
The fledgling’s dinner for tonight was a pigeon.
The fledgling’s dinner for tonight was a pigeon.
The parents are both efficient eaters, but this fledgling is still learning.
She was eating next to a Baseball dugout, and the team playing in Red uniforms were named the Hawks!
The mother on the roof of the new Zeckendorf buildings at 62nd and Central Park West.  This building didn’t exist two years ago, so we’re learning what’s changed this year.
Both parents ended up on near the roof of the N.Y.A.C. (New York Athletic Club).  This is the first time, I’ve seen them perching there.
The mother on the railing.

What a nice way to start the summer, with fledglings playing all over New York City.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Sheep Meadow And The Ballfields

Our Central Park South fledgling is a good flyer for being so young.  She has managed to make it to the southern edge of the Sheep Meadow, and to each corner of the Heckscher Ballfields.

The fledgling
A young squirrel was dinner for one of the parents.
The fledgling
The mother
The father
I think that’s a Baltimore Oriole being unhappy by the adult male’s appearance.
Yes, your child did make the news.
The fledgling settling in for the night.
Getting ready to go to bed as the last baseball games got rained out on the Heckscher Ballfields.
Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Baby Pictures And A Protective Dad

Wednesday started out as a foggy, rainy morning in the southern portion of Central Park with a fledgling who spent the night alone, and ended as a sunny evening, with a family reunited. 

My earlier posts detail the morning and the reunion. It had been found by its parents earlier in the afternoon and noisy reunion was followed by a feeding.

I got back into the park around 6 p.m.  The fledgling was in a small tree behind a baseball diamond.  The fledgling was hopping from branch to branch learning how to maneuver around a tree. 

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After awhile the Blue Jays found it, and the fledgling yelled for help.
In response for the cry for help, the father came quickly.  We hadn’t seen him in the nearby trees, but he must have been watching over his child. 
He did something amazing.  He acted as a target for the Blue Jays, drawing them away from his little girl.  He moved from tree to tree until he had moved the jays safely away from the fledgling.

I had to leave the park to join some friends for dinner, but left with a warm feeling, that a hawk family was back to normal in the park I love, Central Park.

Thank you to Bobby Horvath and all of the Urban Park Rangers who made this possible.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Great Central Park South News

Charlotte (the mother) and the fledgling of the Central Park South/888 Seventh Avenue pair reunited around 3:30 on
Wednesday afternoon.  It was noisy affair with lots of calling by both
of them.  They were seen flying off together.

Later, the parents caught a squirrel for the youngster around 4:45.

There are still some concerns that everything will go back to
normal, and the fledgling needs to become people shy after all of the
handling, but everything so far has been positive.