Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey Archives - Page 23 of 43

March 20, 2016December 22, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Riverside Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Surprise, Surprise

Thanks to some great detective work by Melody Andres, we now know that both the Grant’s Tomb (1) nest at 123rd Street and Riverside Drive and the 116th Street and Riverside Drive nest (2) are both active with two different pairs of hawks. These are close by to a Peregrine Falcon scrape (3) at Riverside Church, and close to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine nest site (4).

I had always thought Manhattan Hawk and Peregrine nests were like a checkerboard, with each taking different squares, but these three nests are so close together that it defies all that I had believed about nest positioning in the city.

Grant’s Tomb

116th Street and Riverside Drive

March 19, 2016December 22, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Moral Dilemma

Two years ago, a Peregrine Falcon nest box was installed on The Century building at 25 Central Park West. It was installed by the owners without permission of the Coop board on a landmarked building without a permit. At the time, I thought it was outrageous that the owners of the apartment then cried foul, knowing full well that they had intentionally gone behind the back of the Coop, which at the time was having the facade repaired. The box was removed that year by the Coop.

So, I was upset today seeing what must be the same pair hanging out on both towers of The Century today. The falcons certainly seem to be planning on using the same ledge a scrape this year. I hope either the city DEP or state DEC can get involved and mediate a solution. It would be great if this Peregrine Falcon pair could be supported somehow, while the regulations of both the Coop and city’s building department are both respected.

March 14, 2016December 28, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Southern Central Park Raptors

I spent the weekend trying to figure out what was happening with our three pairs of hawks in Central Park.

The Sheep Meadow pair continue to be seen in the SE corner of the park, but don’t seem to have settled on a nesting location just yet.
The pair that tried to nest on the Beresford last year, are bringing twigs to the Beresford and San Remo this year.
Pale Male and Octavia are doing just fine. Pale Male gave Octavia a long break on Sunday afternoon.
A Merlin was a nice extra bonus near the band shell.

March 6, 2016December 20, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Washington Square Park

I made a brief visit to Washington Square Park, and didn’t find the resident Red-tailed Hawks, although there nest looks newly refurbished. I did find another raptor in the park however, a Merlin.

December 31, 2015December 28, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Extralimital, Other Birds, Owls

Everglades Birding

I spent Christmas week in the Everglades. It has been unusually wet, so the birding was limited. However, I did get to see some great birds, including this Red-shouldered Hawk, Great Egret and Barred Owl.

December 26, 2015December 25, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Owls

Merry Christmas

It was sixty degrees in Central Park today. The Great Horned Owl continued to be present and an Accipiter, either a Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen nearby.

After the fly out of the Owl, it cleaned its talons and then broke off a branch and chewed on it. This has happened on previous nights. I’ve looked for any mention of this behavior on the internet and haven’t found anything that gives a clue about the reason for this interesting behavior.