Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks Archives - Page 18 of 25

July 29, 2007December 15, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

888 Adult Female

After the rain stopped on Sunday, I heard the 888 Fledgling begging for food, but could only find the mother. She moved from the Locust Grove to the Ballfields while I was there.

July 21, 2007December 17, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Late Afternoon Around The Ballfields

The 888 fledgling is being encouraged to do some hunting by her parents. But she’s not doing that great at hunting yet. It takes practice and she’ll get the hang of it soon.

Here she is perched on the northern side of the ballfields. I’m calling her a she because of the size of the band Bobby Horvath used to band her, a 7D. This is the largest size used for Red-tails, so the odds are 99% that she’s a she. Her band number is 1207-98290.

The more I learn about Bobby Horvath, the more I admire him. Last Wednesday, he was involved with an Osprey rescue where with the help with a friend, two good samaritans and a ladder borrowed from a local fire house, he freed a young fledgling who had gotten caught in rope and fishing tackle that its parents had used to build the nest. The bird dislocated its hip hanging upside down and thrashing to get free, so Bobby has been nursing it back to health.

She then moved to the southern edge of the ballfields.

She picked up what looked like leftovers and began to eat them. She perched on a fence post near the playgrounds and attracted a crowd of about thirty.

Afterwords, she flew back one of her favorite trees near the Ballfield Café and tried to take a brief nap.

July 19, 2007December 23, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Southwest Central Park

The Southwest corner of Central Park has gotten noisy. The 888 Seventh Avenue parents are trying to wean the fledgling from feedings and are trying to get it to hunt on its own. As a result, the fledgling spent over an hour begging for food Thursday evening.

The father keeping watch over the fledgling, but ignoring the calls for food from the fledgling.

The fledgling flew to ten different perches and made a few hunting attempts. Growing up can be hard work.

July 15, 2007December 22, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Sunday with the Central Park Fledgling

I only had an hour to visit the park on Sunday. But I did get to see the 888 Fledgling.

She was in a tree right next to a dugout. Hundreds of park visitors waliked right past her.

She has a band on her right foot. Banding has been done for over one hundred years in the United States. It’s exciting that we finally have a banded fledgling in Manhattan. If we could possibly band more of them, we might be able to figure out the habits of Red-tailed Hawks born in the city. Do they end up in other urban areas? Do they disperse for a season or two and then return after their “walkabout”? It would be great to learn more about the habits of urban Red-tails.

Although, the pure white feathers are fewer each day, there still is some pure white fluff.

July 14, 2007December 23, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Saturday with the Central Park Fledgling

Saturday with the Central Park fledgling was a quiet afternoon of a bird resting in the hot weather followed by some fun in the early evening.

The fledgling taking it easy for the afternoon watching baseball and softball games. A real North American.

She stayed in two trees for about four hours.

I went up to see if I could find Pale Male and returned to find the fledgling who had a squirrel trapped under a rock.

The squirrel was able to out wait the fledgling, who flew away.

and ended up in a tree in the middle of a playground. She’s the small speck, just to the left of Hampshire House.

The perch may have been in the middle of crowds of people but it was American Robin free.

After a bit, she made a trip west trying first for a squirrel

And then sat in a tree with a view of one of her parents on a Central Park West and 66th Street apartment building.

After awhile, she went after a flock of pigeons, and we lost her.

As I left the park, her parent was still watching over her.

On a high rooftop on Central Park West and 66th Street.

July 12, 2007December 22, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Charlotte and the Fledgling

I arrived around 7:30 to find American Robins and the 888 Seventh Avenue having a minor war. Junior had taken a Robin nestling, and the adult Robins were going after him. He moved north and south. While others looked for the fledgling, I looked for Junior but found Charlotte instead.