Category: 927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Birds

Cooper’s Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk and American Woodcock

I started my Saturday afternoon in Central Park in the SE corner.

I walked north and found this juvenile Cooper’s Hawk among a group of crows below the Zoo.  I ended up being able to follow the juvenile, as it traveled north all the way up to the Oven, where I lost track of the hawk.
When I got to the Model Boat Pond, I could see Lola enjoying the warmth from the vent of a chimney on a building at 79th and Fifth Avenue.
The Cooper’s hawk landed in a tree directly above the hawk bench.
Cold? Just fluff up your down coat.
The Cooper’s Hawk led me to the oven, where there were two American Woodcocks along the small stream that flows into the Lake.  It was one of the few areas in the park that had some unfrozen ground.
In the fall, it’s rare to see an American Woodcock moving about.  You usually see them sitting still or flying when flushed by dogs.  In the cold weather and the snow, we had an unusual treat of seeing them feeding.  They stick their long beaks into the mud looking for food.
Lola was still on the vent, as I left the park.  The Boathouse cafe is closed for remodeling, so there was no hot chocolate to extend my stay!
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Squab Tartar

I got to the park mid-afternoon on Saturday, to find a quiet park due to the sub-freezing temperatures.  I ran into Lincoln Karim at the edge of the Model Boat Pond.  He had Lola in his sights atop the “Oreo” building at 79th Street.  A man came up to us and said, “You might be interested in the huge bird just east of the boat house.”

The huge bird, was Pale Male who was already eating a pigeon.
After awhile, he took off for a tree across the drive, over the Boathouse.
Eventually, he made his way slightly northeast to a tree along the east drive.   He called Lola, who landed across in a tree on the west side of the drive.
Lola sat for awhile, despite his calling before making her way to the leftovers.
She had waited until Pale Male had moved away from the carcass before she moved.
Lola enjoyed her meal.
Pale Male didn’t wait very long after handing off the food to fly away.  He settled into a tree just west of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

New Year’s Eve Day

On New Year’s Eve Day, I started hawk watching on the east side. 

Either Pale Male or Lola was atop the “Oreo Building”.  A Cooper’s Hawk moved from east to west through the Ramble, too quickly for me to get a picture.
Walking through the Locust Grove, I saw the park’s only Red Squirrel.
I walked up to 100th Street without seeing any Raptors.  I ran into Robert, and we walked back to towards 86th Street to see if our “new” adult was going to roost.  On the way there, we saw this hawk perched on a building in the low 90’s.
It moved down to tree level, and made a number of loops slowly moving north.  It stopped a few times and we could clearly see that it was an adult by its red tail.
It moved down to tree level, and made a number of loops slowly moving north.  It stopped a few times and we could clearly see that it was an adult by its red tail.

I continued to 86th Street.

Our 86th Street winter visitor had already settled down for the night.
It will be interesting to see if this hawk finds a mate and stays in the spring or moves on once the weather warms up.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Red-tailed Hawks

Christmas Eve Mystery

On Christmas Eve, we had a mystery.

Around 4:00, Pale Male and Lola are on the Beresford’s southeast tower.
At 4:10, I found this adult Red-tail on a building at 86th and Central Park West.
The bird moves south a few buildings.
Landing on a building at 83rd or 84th.
After a brief stop the hawk flies north, making a number of cries.
I lose sight of the bird, but it looked to be going into the park around 86th.  So, I walked north of the transverse, and two dog walkers pointed to this bird perching in this tree just inside the north 86th Street entrance to the park.
I thought it was Lola, but she slept on the Beresford according to Lincoln Karim.  So, who is this mystery bird? Is it the same hawk I had on the rooftops?  Or the bird that elicited the cries from the rooftop Red-tail?
The Red-tail was in the tree way after dark.  This was a 3 second exposure taken at 5:15 p.m.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Birds, Other Red-tailed Hawks

Christmas Bird Count

Central Park had its 107th Annual Christmas Bird Count on Sunday.  (To accommodate various greater New York locations, the counts are held on various days before and after Christmas.)

The Count is a census which records the number of each species found in the entire park.  There are seven
teams, splitting up the park into sections, Northwest, Northeast, Reservoir, Great
Lawn, Ramble, Southwest and Southeast.  The teams all start at the South Pump House, split up to do
their section’s and then meet back at the Arsenal for lunch and the tally.

The mix of birders included all skill levels, from beginners to experts.   So, if you don’t think you’re qualified for the event, don’t worry.  Join in next year, everyone is welcome.

Marie Winn giving a portion of the Ramble team its instructions.
Our first raptor was this Cooper’s Hawk.  It keep our initial numbers down at the feeders in the Ramble, which was free of birds as long as the Cooper’s Hawk was about. 
(Most of my pictures I took were of the raptors we found.  This, however, is not representative of our day.  My photographs of the day clearly reflect my fascination with raptors, not the full range of birds we saw!)
Our second raptor was a Red-tailed Hawk by the area along the Lake called the Oven.
House Finch
Two Mute Swans
This is the same Red-tailed Hawk as seen earlier.  It looks to be Pale Male, but I can’t be certain.  The morning was cold and this bird had puffed up to stay warm making it harder to make an I.D.
Downy Woodpecker
Sleepy Raccoon
Red-tailed Hawk passing overhead.
Red-tailed Hawk just outside the park on a water tower.
One last look before going to lunch.
Lunch before the tally.
New York City Park’s Commissioner, Adrian Benepe.
After the count, I went out to look for hawks in the Great Lawn area.  I found this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in a tree inside the Diana Ross playground at 81st and Central Park West. 
After about twenty minutes the hawk moved about 20 feet east before moving from tree to tree about 100 feet north.
Then the hawk took off and was chased by an adult hawk up to the top of the Great Lawn.
When I caught up to them, the juvenile hawk was nowhere to be found, but Pale Male was there with a pose that said, “Youngster, this is my territory.”