Urban Hawks

May 21, 2007December 21, 2020Owls

Monday, May 21st

I’ve been unable to watch the owls for a week. Tonight, Jean, Chris and I only saw two owls. It’s the right number of weeks for “natal dispersal” to have occurred, so it’s possible that the youngster is now off on its own.

I learned later this evening that the NYC Park Rangers released the three rescued fledglings back into the park near where the nest cavity had been, within an hour of my taking these pictures. Over the next few days, we should learn if the parents accept their young back, ignore them or are hostile to them. It should be an interesting week.

May 21, 2007December 22, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Cathedral Activity Increasing

The Cathedral eyasses are becoming more and more active, so visiting the nest is more rewarding.

Not too clear, but you can see an eyas on each side of the mother.

They’re still fuzzy, but are getting much bigger.

A wing of one eyas and then the head of another.

The mother took a break, couldn’t be found for about half an hour, and then was found on a building on 110th Street below Morningside Park. She’s in the golden light of the late evening sun.

May 17, 2007Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

888 Seventh Avenue Update

I just received a note from Brett Odom updating me on the status of the Seventh Avenue nest…

"Just wanted to give you an update. Everything seems to be fine and the nest is in an ideal location for rainstorms similar to the one we had yesterday since it is protect from all sides. Right now Charlotte is on the nest with the sleeping eyas and Junior is sitting on the Essex sign.

Regards,
Brett"

(For those not living in the New York area, yesterday, we had a severe thunderstorm roll through the area. This new nest is full protected from such storms, while the old Central Park South nest would have been completely soaked and exposed high winds.)

May 15, 2007December 21, 2020Owls

Monday, May 14th

I got there just in time for the fly out. The owls have found even more protected places on the tree, so it’s getting harder to find them before the fly out.

At fly out there were a few soft calls, the parents did some head rubbing and the fledgling took lots of small flights.

The period after the initial fly out was disturbed by an aggressive flash photographer. What should have been an opportunity for our group to study hunting behavior along the Pool was interrupted by multiple flashes.

May 14, 2007December 22, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John Babies

The St. John nest has at least two eyasses.

The adult male on the Cathedral, near the Northwest parking lot.

The look to be about the same age as the chicks we found last year at this time.

There are two eyasses in this pictures, being feed by their mother. I know it’s tough to make them out. I’m sure as they get bigger it will get easier to see that there are two eyasses in the nest. (Of course there could be three, but two is most likely at this point.)

The adult male arrives to continue feeding the eyasses.

I exit to see the Eastern Screech-Owl fly out in Central Park.

May 13, 2007December 21, 2020Owls

Sunday, May 13th

Jean and I were the only owl watcher for the evening. I could only find two in the tree this evening. Fly out was fast with movement quickly east. There was some calling and then it was quickly over the drive where we lost them. Most of the trees are now fully leafed out, and it is becoming much harder to follow the owls as they make their way into the North Woods.