After weeks of missing sight of Pale Male’s new mate, I finally got to see her on Saturday. 

The windy afternoon started with Pale Male perched on buildings on Fifth Avenue.  He then went to his favorite tree on the Great Lawn to eat leftovers of a pigeon.  Then he returned to Fifth Avenue, but then went to Turtle Pond with another hawk before going south.

It was all very confusing, but when I got home I discovered by looking at photographs that there was an Osprey in the sky with the two hawks.  I suspect that all the activity was the two hawks escorting the Osprey out of the area.

The hawks, Pale Male and the new female, then went to the nest.   I’ve seen similar behavior in the past, were after an intruder is escorted out of the territory, both hawks return to “home base”.

The new female at first glance is very similar to Pale Male.  However, looking closely she has a number of clear differences from Pale Male.  She has a rounder head, a cream colored chest, a clear line across her neck, higher belly band, very weak subterminal tail band, etc.  It’s going to take time to learn how to tell them apart quickly in the field.

In the pictures, she’s the hawk on the right when the two hawks are on the nest, and in the last pictures of the nest, that’s her.  Otherwise, you’re looking at Pale Male.