Category: St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Brown Heads At The Cathedral

The eyasses continue to grow up at the Cathedral.  Two of the eyasses have brown feathers on their heads now.  They’re still a ways from fledging, but they’re growing up fast.

The mother on the Archangel’s wing, rather than the trumpet.
All three eyasses.
There fuzzy gray down is almost all gone.
They’ve begun to use the Morningside edge of the nest, which means one must walk half a block to photograph each angle.  I guess as they get more active, we’ll have to be more active too.
The father on the left, and the mother on the right.
St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Confirming Three at St. John’s Cathedral

I was able to confirm that we have three chicks at the St. John’s site this weekend.

The eastern edge of the nest is being used by both the parents and the eyasses now.  So, you have to check from two angles one from Morningside Drive, and one from 113th Street.
The mother on the Plant building of St. Luke’s. (The building is named after a person with the last name of Plant rather than being from physical plant.)
The mother moves to a spot close to the nest on the Cathedral.
Yes, I’m going to make you run up and down Morningside drive to find me.
You can see all three eyasses here.
All three are here too.
Here too.
All three are here too, but finding the third is like playing Where’s Waldo?
They’re growing up nicely. Activity is also increasing. If you haven’t visited the nest this season, now is the time.
The mother leaving the nest.
She quickly came back with a branch.
She then left and the kids settled down, so I went off to Green-Wood.
St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Brief Visit To The Cathedral

I had a late work meeting, so I could only spend about 30 minutes at the Cathedral.  One of the parents was on the Archangel when I arrived, and was soon joined for a few minutes by the other parent.  Their backs were turned to me, so it was hard to make a solid identification.

Then one of the eyasses decided to defecate and move around the nest for about five minutes.  Other than these two events, the nest was quiet.

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St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Two or Three

The evening started quietly with the mother on the Archangel, and the nest quiet.  Then the father came in and did a feeding with food which was already in the nest.  Afterwards the eyasses were full of activity, and at one point it looked like we had three babies in the nest.  We’ll know for sure in a few days.

The mother on the Archangel
Dad comes in to do a feeding.
The kids perk up.
Wing development continues rapidly.
Losing down.
Although this looks dignified, the eyasses don’t have much motor control yet and fall down a lot.  They’re still at the toddler stage.
Three eyasses are visible.  One flapping, one with its back to us behind the hand, and one on the right
The mother moves a little closer to the nest.
The father in his parking lot rodent hunting mode.
St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Cathedral Activity Increasing

The Cathedral eyasses are becoming more and more active, so visiting the nest is more rewarding. 

The father on St. Luke’s.
An eyas getting fed.
Not too clear, but you can see an eyas on each side of the mother.
They’re still fuzzy, but are getting much bigger.
A wing of one eyas and then the head of another.
The father on the Archangel.
The mother took a break, couldn’t be found for about half an hour, and then was found on a building on 110th Street below Morningside Park.  She’s in the golden light of the late evening sun.
St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John Babies

The St. John nest has at least two eyasses.

The adult male on the Cathedral, near the Northwest parking lot.
The adult female on St. Luke’s
The look to be about the same age as the chicks we found last year at this time. 
There are two eyasses in this pictures, being feed by their mother.  I know it’s tough to make them out.  I’m sure as they get bigger it will get easier to see that there are two eyasses in the nest. (Of course there could be three, but two is most likely at this point.)
The adult male arrives to continue feeding the eyasses. 

I exit to see the Eastern Screech-Owl fly out in Central Park.