Category: 927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Inwood Hill Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Sunday Hat Trick

I took a visit to three of the Manhattan nests on Sunday and found them all with brooding mothers.  (The fourth nest I know about in Manhattan is located at 888 Seventh Avenue, and its location, makes it difficult to determine if the mother is brooding yet.)

Inwood Hill Park

The Inwood Hill female sitting on her nest.
The male (on right) arrives.
The female takes a brief break from sitting on the eggs.
She preens a little bit.
I thought there would be a nest exchange, with the male giving the female a break, but not this time.
He flies off north.
The blur of his wing is on the left.
She settles in keeping an eye out for all of the noisy Blue Jays that are about.
The male returns, and this time we will have an exchange.
He settles down on the nest.
Then the female returns.
And they swap places.
He’s off in a flash.
She settles down onto her eggs.


St. John the Divine

The female was on Gabriel’s horn shortly after I arrived.
She then returns to the nest.
After her tail is tucked in, you can’t see her on the nest.
The male after leaving the nest ends up on Gabriel’s horn.


Fifth Avenue

When I entered the park, Pale Male was on the SE tower of the Beresford.
I only got to see Lola’s tail for a few moments!

It was a great day seeing three pairs of Red-tailed Hawks thrive in Manhattan, each in their own way.

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds

Sunday on Fifth Avenue

When I arrived on Sunday, Lola was settled down on the nest.  Three Turkey vultures went by flying down 5th Avenue.

One very poor picture of one of the Turkey Vultures.
Pale Male was sitting on a railing of an apartment building around 77th Street.
He flew down and caught a pigeon, which he prepared for Lola.
Then he delivered it stopping in a tree before going to the nest.
I’ve got take out for you.
Switching off so Lola can have her meal.
Pale Male settling down into the nest.
Lola returning to the nest.
Lola landing.
Pale Male exiting.
Lola pops up her head after settling down.  At times, you can’t even see her.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Birds

Saturday at the Oven and the Fifth Avenue Nest

I started out in the area called the Oven by the Lake.

Fox Sparrow
American Woodcock.  There were five at the Oven while I was there.
American Woodcock
Pale Male landing on scaffolding at the top of a building at 72nd Street.
Pale Male on the Carlyle Hotel.
Pale Male being chased by an American Kestrel, who hit him twice.  The Kestrel seems to chase him when he’s around 78th Street.  I spent two hours on Sunday trying to locate the Kestrel without success.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Early Wednesday Evening on 5th Avenue

I arrived a little after 6 p.m. to find that Pale Male had just come in to give Lola a break.

Lola and Pale Male
Pale Male sits on the nest.
An unknown hawk
Lola had settled onto the top edge of a building two blocks north of the nest.  The unknown hawk came and left so quickly that she did nothing.
Lola returned to the nest and Pale Male immediately left.  It was like tag team wrestling.
Pale Male taking out the trash.
I couldn’t tell what it had been.  Pale Male went up to Cedar Hill and made his way back to one of his favorite trees to roost for the evening.
Lola, who you can’t really see, all settled in for the evening.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Red-tailed Hawks

Saturday Hawks

On Saturday, I went to see Pale Male and our 86th Street hawk.

Pale Male was in a tree off the East Drive, having a late lunch.
He then moved to a tree on the path that goes west of the Boat House.  After ten minutes, he moved north, making lots of circles to gain height.  I lost him as he moved above 79th Street.
After a stop on the Reservoir, which had gulls, geese, American Coots, American Black Ducks, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads and an American Crow, it was off to see our 86th Street Hawk.
Two interlopers arrived.  One Red-tailed Hawk, which I didn’t photograph went west at about 96th Street.  This hawk, who may have been chasing the first hawk out of its territory, landed on the south tower of El Dorado…
Before taking off, going down Central Park South, before heading back west at around 83rd.  There are reports of four Red-tailed being seen on Riverside Drive.  I wonder if we have a pair or two, either here for the winter or who are planning on nesting on the west side?

I wouldn’t doubt that this spring, there is a new nesting pair discovered in Manhattan, either by Gracie Mansion, in Highbridge Park, or along Riverside Drive.

Our 86th Street hawk moved around a bit, but seemed undisturbed by the two visiting hawks.
She stayed in a tree near the West Drive as it got too dark to continue to photograph.