Although most of the 5th Avenue bench thought we had three eyasses, today was the first time I could see for sure. The video is a nice long feeding of all three youngsters. Enjoy the little ones. They’ll be grown up before you know it!
(The second video is the same as the first, except is cropped differently. It will make it easier to see the eyasses on smartphones and other small screens.)
The Fifth Avenue eyasses are now visible during feedings. Pale Male was on the nest when I arrived, who was quickly replaced by Octavia, who fed the eyasses.
At this point, I can only see two little heads at any one time. However, based on feeding patterns, there is a good chance we have three eyasses in the nest. We should be able to figure it out how many for sure by this weekend.
I finally got to see a young eyass this season. It was at Fifth Avenue. The glimpses were quick, but I did get to see a young hawk. In the next few weeks this should easily become two dozen. The video has the best view.
I was hoping to see a little eyass head on Wednesday evening at Fifth Avenue, but they were still to small to see. I tried all of the angles I know of for a chance at a view without success!
Pale Male brought a squirrel to the nest during one of Octavia’s feedings. Unlike Sunday, were she fed for only a brief period, she had lots of work to do now.
When I was at the nest yesterday, Octavia seems to be high in the nest. This afternoon, Pale Male spent lots of time on the nest or nearby. Then this evening around 6:30 p.m., the hawk bench saw a feeding. It was brief, which would be normal for a newly hatched eyass, but it was clearly a feeding with Octavia ripping up meat, turning her head and gently giving the meat to the eyass. Together all of this means we had a hatch within the last day!
Nice to have the Fifth Avenue nest back on a regular schedule! Great News!
We should be able to see the eyasses next weekend. The feeding starts at about 8:00 on the video.
I’m looking forward to the 2015 Red-tailed Hawk nest hatches in Central and Morningside Parks. We have three confirmed nests in Central Park, a pair seen frequently in the NE section of the Central Park, and our Cathedral hawks have a new nest location exposed to the elements.
With any new season, I look forward to discovering new aspects of urban Red-tailed Hawk behavior.
Three Central Park nests is fantastic news this year. But one has to wonder about locations and why these three nests are so close together? Do these three Red-tailed hawk pairs benefit by having protected flanks from the other pairs? Does this outweigh any issues over food contention, etc.? Or did the new nest locations have nothing to do with the other nest locations? It will be interesting to see when other raptor species fly over the park, if the Red-tailed Hawks work together to escort them away. And which pair will tale over the Locust Grove.
The Beresford Apartment nest will have new fledglings who will have to cross Central Park West to end up in Central Park or maybe even Teddy Roosevelt Park. Which buildings will they perch on the first few weeks? The Museum of Natural History? Or like many Red-tails, will they try to get as high as possible the first week and end up back on the Beresford? Where will the parents take them to hunt? South to the calm lawn south of The Yard? Or up North?
How will the exposed nest do at the Cathedral of Saint John? Will it be as productive as St. Andrew had been?
And is there a forth pair nesting near the park? Almost all of the experienced hawk watchers in Central Park saw a pair of hawks all winter around the Conservatory Garden. In April, many of us have seen a single hawk in the park, who flies over to Madison Avenue between 100th to 106th. Is there a nest tucked away a block from the park or in the public housing east of Madison?
I’m looking forward to learning more about Red-tailed Hawks this season. How fantastic is it that one of the best places to study Red-tailed Hawks is in the middle of Big Apple! New York City truly is one hell of a town.
