Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks Archives - Page 22 of 25

Saturday Marathon

I ran all around New York City on Sunday. Although spring hasn’t officially arrived, the city’s hawks are quite busy.

First stop was 888 Seventh Avenue. I saw both CPS Red-tailed hawks flying around 888 Seventh, but they both went past it. I found them on 1740 Broadway. It’s great to see them being so urban, but watching them this season is going to be tough.

Then it was off to the Cathedral Church of St. John to see how the Red-tailed Hawk pair was doing up north. The female of the pair was checking out the nest, which looks nicely refurbished.

I went back to the nest later in the afternoon and saw the male of the pair soaring over Morningside Park.

The female Red-tail left the nest and went in the direction of the projects at 103rd, so I walked down to see if she was on the Fredrick Douglas Houses. No luck finder her, but since the Monk Parakeets were in the neighborhood, I walked west.

The Monk Parakeet pair was busy ripping the nest apart. James O’Brien, who had joined me for part of the afternoon, thought it was spring cleaning, since many of the sticks lying on 103rd were full of feathers and poop. I got a note from Rebekah Creshkoff who reports seeing a third Parakeet near the nest an hour earlier. So, it might be possible that a second couple is moving in. Another early spring mystery.

After lunch, I went to see the Red-headed Woodpecker at Morningside Drive and 92nd Street. While I was there, two Red-tailed Hawks flew overhead.

Pale Male was on a 5th Avenue railing, He made a swift dive after a pigeon, failed to catch it, and went over to his favorite security camera on the Met.

She flew off to the weather station on the American Muesum of Natural History, before flying southeast.

Next I went to see our 86th Street winter guest, who will either leave soon or stake out this area of the park for the summer.

I was going to leave the park, but Jean Dean ran into me and encouraged me to stay and watch the lunar eclipse.

The timing of the moonrise meant that we saw only about half of the eclipse. We saw the pale red moon in full eclipse, and then saw it slowly return to full brightness.

I left before it was fully over. I had dressed for the warm day and not the chilly night!

February 25, 2007December 22, 2020Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Has the CPS nest been relocated?

Lincoln Karim reports that he has seen the Central Park South pair bringing sticks to 888 7th Avenue. So, it’s likely that the nest will be in a new location in 2007.

Charlotte and Junior on the Essex House sign around Noon.

The major buildings in the neighborhood as seen from The Pond.

The old nest building Trump Park (the nest is out of view on the west facing side), and the possible new site on 888 Seventh Avenue. 888 is across the street from Carnegie Hall and is between 56th and 57th Street.

We’ll know in a few weeks where the nest will be for sure. Anyone have a high western view from Carnegie Hill tower? If you do, get out your binoculars and send in a report! The possible nest location is on the lower row of vents, 12 stories from the top. From the row of windows one lower than the vents, go five windows from the left, then go up to the lower row of vents. You’ll see a beam rather than vent. This is the opening being use by the hawks. [*Update: It looks like there are multiple entry and exit points.*]

If they have moved the nest, should we start calling them the Carnegie Hall Hawks?

February 24, 2007December 22, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Saturday Hawks

On Saturday, I started out at the bottom of the park.

…moved north. He must have a perch around 65th and Central Park West, but I can’t figure out where.

Heading north, Pale Male was on a streetlight above the east drive, around Cleopatra’s Needle. He quickly took off after a Cooper’s Hawk.

When we caught up to him, he had prey. Did he snatch if from the Cooper’s Hawk? It all happened quickly and just out of view.

After calling for Lola, who didn’t arrive to share the leftovers, Pale Male landed on a 5th Avenue window.

After about fifteen minutes, he landed in a tree that would be his roost for the night.

November 26, 2006December 20, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Highbridge Park, Broadway Bridge and Columbus Circle

James O’Brien (yojimbot.blogspot.com) hosted a Harlem and Washington Heights bird watching walk on Sunday.

From his 145th Street apartment, we could see this Red-tailed Hawk on an apartment building to the south, who…

We walked through Highbridge park on the upper path. We saw a Red-tail or two in the distance but unlike our previous trip, no Cooper’s Hawks or American Kestrels.

We then took a brief subway ride to Broadway Bridge, which is a car and subway draw bridge at the upper end of Manhattan. The bridge is home to two Peregrine Falcons.

Just after we arrived the pair of Peregrine Falcons hassled a Red-tailed Hawk perched on top of an apartment building just east of the Marble Hill train station. This hawk may be one of the Inwood Hill Park Red-tails.

The Red-tailed Hawk did all it could to puff up and look as big possible.

Soon the Peregrines moved out of sight to the north.

The Red-tail reappeared from the southeast before flying out of sight. For a period of time it appeared to have a smaller bird pursuing it, possibly a Kestrel.

On my way home, I got off the 1 train at Columbus Circle and looked for the Central Park South hawks. One of them was on a building between 8th and 9th Avenues on 58th Street.

Soon a second hawk appeared and both of them flew around Columbus Circle.

They both landed on a corner of the Time Warner building.

They flew between the Time Warner, Trump International and the new Zeckendorf buildings.

All in all, it was a great day for raptor watching.

November 25, 2006December 17, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Five Red-tailed Hawk Saturday

On Saturday, I had a slow start. I started in the Ramble trying to chase down the White-crowned Sparrow without much luck. I then walked to Turtle Pond and found a cute group of Buffleheads among some Mallards and Northern Shovelers.