Riverside Hawks

Red-tailed Hawks can build multiple nests and choose one at the last minute.  So, on Saturday when they spent much of their time in the lower eighties, and visited the nest they built after last year’s fell which two blocks north of the Boat Basin Café, it made me wonder if their final nest selection hasn’t been made yet.

In any case, while I was there they kept me on my toes, moving from 79th to 95th and went to both sides of the highway.  It took a lot of energy to keep up with them!

090228RVRT01
090228RVRT03
090228RVRT05
090228RVRT06
090228RVRT07
090228RVRT08
090228RVRT09
090228RVRT10
090228RVRT11
090228RVRT12
090228RVRT13
090228RVRT14
090228RVRT15
090228RVRT16
090228RVRT17
090228RVRT18

Next Exit Please

Thanks to great detective work by Nina Wolf and other birders in Riverside Park, the new nest site of the Riverside Hawks has been discovered.  I was able to confirm the nest location on Saturday, but wasn’t able to see the hawks in the nest until Sunday morning.

The nest is on a traffic island at the next exit north from their old nest.  It is on a strip, that due to heavy traffic, is cut off to humans, dogs and raccoons.  Best of all, there are a row of benches for any and all hawk watchers to sit on!

Update: March 22nd.  The Hawks ended up choosing a nest site a few blocks north of the Boat House Café.  This is not unusual.  Hawks may build an alternate nest, and then not use it.

090221RVRT02
090221RVRT03
090221RVRT04
090221RVRT05
090221RVRT06
090221RVRT08
090221RVRT09
090221RVRT10
090222RVRT12
090222RVRT13
090222RVRT14
090222RVRT15
090222RVRT16
090222RVRT17
090222RVRT18
090222RVRT19
090222RVRT20
090222RVRT21
090222RVRT22
090222RVRT23
090222RVRT24
090222RVRT25
090222RVRT26
090222RVRT27

Sunday at Riverside

Here are some pictures of the female of the Riverside pair, hanging out on the streetlights above the West Side Highway.

Update: I received an email from Nina Wolf, that the hawks have been breaking off sticks around 84th Street and flying north.  So, this may be a sign that their new nest is farther north than last year.  If anyone knows of the new nests location, please drop me an email.

090215RT01
090215RT02
090215RT03
090215RT04
090215RT05

Riverside Hawks

I haven’t been over to lower Riverside Park since last Spring.  I was there in the late afternoon on Sunday and saw both the male and female. 

The male spent most of his time on top of two tall buildings, either a popular perch on a water tower at around 80th or the south tower of the Normandy apartment building.  His eye color has darkened since last year, as was to be expected.

090201RRT01
090201RRT02
090201RRT03
090201RRT04
090201RRT05
090201RRT06
090201RRT07
090201RRT08
090201RRT09
090201RRT10

The female of the pair, whose broken beak looks to be recovering nicely, spent most of the afternoon moving from street light to street light over the West Side Drive.  She landed in a few trees, but seemed to enjoy the views and warm sunlight offered by the street lights.

090201RRT11
090201RRT12
090201RRT13
090201RRT14
090201RRT15
090201RRT16
090201RRT17
090201RRT18
090201RRT20
090201RRT21
090201RRT22
090201RRT23
090201RRT24
090201RRT25
090201RRT26

I didn’t see either hawk hunting or feeding while I was observing them.  Nor did I find any sign of a new nest.   I’d expect we’ll find the nest in the next few weeks.  The hawks hormones will be kicking into overdrive by the end of the month.

As I was on my way home, I saw the outline of one of them roosting in a tree south of 79th Street in the park area between the highway and Riverside Drive.

Let’s hope this year goes better for this pair, after the tragic poisoning of their offspring in 2008. This pair will certainly have learned from last year. I suspect they’ll find a more stable place to establish their new nest. 

However, second generation rodenticides are still being used by buildings bordering Riverside Drive.   It’s too bad that these birds seem to be better at learning from their experiences than the humans in their territory.

New York Magazine Article

Jesse Green wrote a nice article about the Riverside Hawk pair in this week’s New York Magazine. Lincoln Karmin had the majority of photographs, but the magazine used three of my photographs to fill in the story.  So, it’s been a good year for me, with a book jacket, an audio appearance on N.P.R., pictures in The New York Times and New York Magazine and an over subscribed lecture for the Parks Department.  I may just have to give up calling myself a "beginner birder".

Jesse Green’s article entitled The Hudsons: They’re the hawks who stole Riverside Park’s heart. And then broke it does a good job of explaining the events that occurred this year.

Like any magazine story, there are some minor errors and omissions.

  • The female of the pair was also young.  She was most likely three years old, while the male looked to be two years old.  While this is just a guess the statement "After all, she was older, by a few years; he still had the bright eyes and
    playful habits of the adoring younger male." most likely isn’t accurate.  They are most likely a year apart in age.
  • The story continues the "Pale Male dynasty myth" that all new hawks in the city must somehow be related to Pale Male.  Lincoln Karim called the adult female the daughter of Pale Male, which was next to impossible, since she was young and Pale Male hasn’t had offspring for four years. I would suspect that any scientist would tell you that chances that either hawk was an offspring of Pale Male is under 5%.  But without the myth, how could a writer name drop, Paula Zahn and Mary Tyler Moore?  So the myth is conveniently included in the story even if it isn’t true.
  • The poisonings may have occurred due to the pest control at the Boat Basin Café, which was in the process of re-opening for the season when the eyasses died.  A number of feral cats, which hung around the café died around the same time.  I don’t think this aspect of the story has ever been fully explored.

The story ends with a quote, "Perhaps they’ll find a better spot, where they will be made more welcome."  I think this pair was welcomed by everyone in the neighborhood, so that isn’t the issue.

The issue is that we need to change our perspective.  New York City isn’t just a man-made world, where we can forget about our impact on nature.  It has always been, and continues to be part of the natural world.  Although it might be missing a few mammals, New York City, including Manhattan contains a full range of animal and plant species which need to be protected.

For city birds this includes:

  • Changing building designs and zoning laws to ensure bird safe buildings.  NYC Audubon has published a great document entitled, Bird-Safe Building Guidelines, which explores this problem and its solution in detail.
  • Limiting the types of poisons and the amounts used in outdoor locations.  In many cases, poisons are used in place of proper sanitation and garbage collection.  This is a complicated issue that doesn’t have easy answers.  In an urban environment, rats and mice must be controlled. "How can we do it without impacting raptors?" is the tough question.
  • Educating the public about wide variety of species in the city to help raise awareness and create a political constituency.  San Francisco’s Commission for the Environment recently banned specific type of poisons from being used outdoors after hawks died in public parks.  We need the same political support for our environment here in New York City.
  • Understanding the importance of supporting veterinarians and rehabbers, who help injured and infected birds. This year, a record number of raptors needed care, especially from the disease Frounce, which is passed on to hawks from pigeons.  These unsung heroes depend on the public’s financial support.  These important caregivers are having their resources stretched thin by the expanding populations of raptors in the city.  If you love hawks in the city, find a veterinarians and rehabbers who needs support and donate time or money to them.

Riverside Nest Falls

This morning, the Riverside Red-tailed Hawk nest fell down.  A sign posted to a railing near the nest stated that the nest fell at 10:45 a.m. and two eyasses were recovered and set to Audubon.

The toxicology results of the first eyas recovered should be returned in about two weeks.  This will help determine what occurred last Friday.

Both parents were on the The Normandy at 140 Riverside Drive this evening.  One on each tower.

051308rt01
051308rt03
051308rt04
051308rt05
051308rt06