Next to the Children’s Playground at Riverside Park, we now have a Hawk Hunting Playground.  An acre of wet muddy soil for the kids to play with sticks and hunt squirrels.  Both hawks are enjoying their school days.  The parents are still feeding both fledglings, but the fledglings should soon be catching some food on their own.

I stuck around to see where the fledglings were roosting for the evening and was able to see the father and one of the fledglings go to sleep in the same tree. 

The two fledglings seem to be adjusting to their new surroundings south of the playground.  The area has a Northern Mockingbird nest, so there are now American Robins, Blue Jays and Northern Mockingbirds mobbing the fledglings at times.

While I was there this afternoon they both got fed, one a pigeon and one a rodent.  Rather than being brought the food directly by the parents, as they did a week ago, the adults are now perching near the fledglings.  Then one of fledglings flies up to the parent and takes the food away rather aggressively.

(The pictures and video below have graphic images of the rodent being eaten.  The video shows the rodent being disemboweled, so viewer discretion is advised.)

On the afternoon of the Fourth of July, the fledglings were east of the Henry Hudson Parkway.  They stayed in a few trees south of a children’s playground.  I hope they roosted there this evening and avoided the crowds and fireworks by the river.

The playground area is a favorite hunting ground of the parents.  Over the last few days, the father seems to be taking a more active role with the fledglings.  We may soon be seeing some hunting lessons.

At least one of the fledglings is crossing the Henry Hudson Parkway on a regular basis now.  It’s a little scary to watch.  Sometimes the crossings are a high flight, but on Friday one of the crossings was a hop up onto a guard rail of an off ramp and then a low flight across the highway.

The fledglings were very active in the afternoon.  Chasing squirrels, playing with sticks and chasing each other.  The boat basin was a hawk nursery school for the day. 

While there were lots of people out on the extended holiday weekend, they generally did a good job of keeping their distance from the hawks.  Thanks everyone!

My afternoon and evening in Riverside Park started with one of the fledglings eating on the ground. 

I then was able to find the father south of the Boat Basin Café.  He was in an area near some trash dumpsters, and caught a rodent.  He ate part of the rodent and then moved north.

When I caught up with the father, he was with one of the fledglings.  Oddly, he didn’t share the rodent with the fledgling, although the kid did steal one bite.  I guess the fledgling was feed earlier, since it didn’t seem too hungry.

The other fledgling was a block north, so both fledglings were accounted for this evening.  I then walked south and found the father in on a lamp post above the café.  He was being scolded by a few Robins, as the sun set.

I went to Riverside Park after the rain on Tuesday evening.  It was wonderful to be the only one there for about 30 minutes.  It was like watching the parents in the winter.

I found the parents first.  They were together on the same street lamp, in the traffic island were last year’s nest was located.  They spent time preening and drying of from the rain.

I then found the fledglings near the river about a block south of the nest.   A downy feather floating down from a tree gave them away.  After about fifteen minutes, the mother joined the kids and they looked like they were going to roost by the river tonight.