St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks Archives - Page 24 of 28

June 11, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Fledge Day

The afternoon started out with a Great Egret flying high over Morningside Park. It concerned the parents enough that both of them returned to the Cathedral.

Then without warning at 12:20 p.m. on Sunday, one of the birds fledged (left the nest for the first time). I was changing shooting locations at the time,
and unfortunately missed capturing the moment.

James O’Brien, who blogs at yojimbot.blogspot.com, was shooting video of the nest, so the moment was recorded. James was kind enough to share these stills of the fledge. (The fledgling is on St. Andrew’s head and the adult female is on the right.)

Like parents who’ve lost their child in a department store, we looked high and low for the fledgling. I love fledge days. The hawk watchers who’ve been standing around for days looking at the nest, all seem to come magically together and work as a team to find and keep track of the location of the new fledgling.

Around 3:40 p.m. Jacquie Connors and James O’Brien, with the help of a squirrel, found the fledgling in a small Ginkgo tree, just across Morningside drive from the nest. We had hunted all around Morningside park, and the fledgling turned out to be within 100 yards of the nest.

My first picture of the fledgling outside the nest.

The Ginkgo tree had really small branches and the fledgling struggled to stay put.

The fledgling looked so perfect with wonderfully clean white feathers.

Preening continued to be a major activity.

Oh, how this reminded me of the innocent faces of last year’s Central Park South fledglings.

The mother returned to the Cathedral, but there wasn’t a feeding of the new fledgling in the afternoon. (Reports are that a feeding did occur in the early evening.)

The fledgling had trouble staying in place. It tried to navigate the top of a tree as though it was a nest, with very poor results.

But for some reason moved back to a thin branch. After a few minutes a squirrel moved past, and the alarmed Red-tail gave out a cry. This happened a few times as the squirrel moved up and down the tree.

As I was leaving the second eyas was alone on the nest.

It should fly out soon and join its sibling in Morningside Park.

I think all of the Cathedral hawk watchers felt like proud
parents today. Let’s toast with some Champagne the success of these amazing parents and their new offspring!

June 11, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Sunday Morning

I had arrived early on Sunday morning hoping to get some good light
after all of the rain.

Using St. Andrew’s head as a perch continued.

The female adult spend over an hour on the nest in the morning.

She watched her children stretch and flap their wings.

She also helped them finish eating a meal. The eyasses can eat on their own, but she seems to be helping them eat the last 20% of the animal.

The adult male flew towards the Cathedral.

The adult female on the Archangel Gabriel.

More flapping with a sibling getting out of the way in the lower right corner.

June 10, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

The Nest and Morningside Park

It was an enjoyable day up at the Cathedral on Saturday. We got to see both parents, around the nest and in Morningside Park frequently. We also had great views of the eyasses who will be fledglings any day now.

The female adult perched above the nest.

An adventuresome eyas out on St. Andrew’s hand.

The mother on 301 West 110th. Does the lower perch hide her from the Mockingbird?

June 9, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Jumping Around

On Friday, the two eyasses were jumping all over the place. They’re now able to hop on to St. Andrew’s head and hand. They’ve also gotten a lot more daring.

I didn’t see the mother this afternoon, just the father briefly on the Archangel Gabriel.

June 8, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

It Stopped Raining

We’ve had a wet week and it finally stopped raining, although it continues to be cloudy and gray.

I’m sorry to say that it has become clear that we have only two eyasses in the nest now. They’re too big for a third one to be hiding. Either my photographs deceived me and we never had three eyasses, or we had a death of an eyas about a week ago.