Category: TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Northwest Central Park Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks, TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

St. John, then Wild West

My afternoon of bird watching started at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Over the last few days, many birders have watched a pair of Common Ravens (not so common for Manhattan) work on a nest on the shoulders of St. Andrew. (This is the site of a long time Red-tailed Hawk nest that was abandoned when construction of a building started nearby. The pair moved to another spot on the Cathedral and eventually moved to the Columbia University campus.)

So, when I looked a the nest, I was very, very surprised to see a young Red-tailed Hawk sitting in the nest. It will be interesting if the ravens reclaim it, or if they will move. (Update: Birders report the ravens have reclaimed the nest.)

Afterwards, I went down to 102nd and Fifth Avenue to look for the pair that had been there all winter. I could not find them. Others have also lost track of them. They may have a new nest location but I couldn’t find it. This is a real mystery, as they had been seen copulating often on a building at 104th and Fifth Avenue.

Lastly, I went to see the Wild West Playground hawks. They had an exchange (switching brooding duty) before I had my camera out, so I only go pictures of one of them hunkered down on the nest.

86th and WEA Peregrine Falcons, 927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Northwest Central Park Hawks, San Remo/Pinetum Red-tailed Hawks, TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Spring Is Coming

Some updates:

  • The Peregrine Falcons at 86th and West End look to be doing fine. The male hunted for the female this afternoon, and they made an exchange of food above the Broad Nosh Bagel shop on Broadway. She ate the prey on the church tower ledge. I read her band number and it is 77/BV, so she’s the same female as previously. She is from Du Bois Library, at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she hatched and was banded in 2019.
  • The El Dorado Peregrine Falcon pair have been seen often. Where they have a scrape is unknown. Keep an eye and ear out for where it might be.
  • The Peregrine Falcons at Riverside Church are back after a year off for construction.
  • The Red-tailed Hawk pair, with a new nest in the Wild West Playground in Central Park at 93rd, just off Central Park West, has the female sitting on the nest. Female hawks sometimes sit on their nests a few days before they lay eggs, so we’ll have to watch some more to figure out what’s going on. Anyone with an apartment higher than the nest may have a great view.
  • The San Remo pair are back to building a nest high up on the towers again. And a raccoon is still using their old nest to sleep in.
  • Octavia has been seen often along Fifth Avenue around 77th Street in the afternoon, on window she and Pale Male used to share.
Northwest Central Park Hawks, Other Red-tailed Hawks, TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Museum of the City of New York

There is a pair of hawks again at the Museum of the City of New York at 103rd and Fifth Avenue again. The previous female died just before nesting began last year. So it was nice to see the male bring a rodent to the female, which she ate on top of the Arsenal North, just to the north of the nest building.

There is also a new nest at 93rd and Central Park West, just inside the park. So, we have at least two active pairs in the park.

After Valentine’s day, we start to see hawks copulating and nest building. Send me an email if you have news of other hawk pairs in Central Park or Manhattan.

TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Museum of the City of New York Nest

On Thursday afternoon, I got to see the male visit the MCNY nest a few times, and watch the pair copulate twice in a tree just inside the park.

The male had a small rodent, which he offered to the female. She wasn’t interested in it, so he ate it. This is very typical of Red-tailed Hawk behavior. Before copulating, the male often offers a snack!

TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Museum of the City of New York Red-tailed Hawk Nest

The Terrence Cardinal Cooke Red-tailed Hawk pair have moved their nest to the Museum of the City of New York Red-tailed Hawk Nest at 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. It is tucked into the southern corner of the southern pediment of the building on the Fifth Avenue (western) side.

Red-tailed Hawks can make an alternate nest and then choose to use another site at the last minute, but this looks to be the one they will use in 2023. The female should begin using the nest soon.

TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Terence Cardinal Cooke Red-tailed Hawks

It looks like the pair that used this nest have had enough of the construction and have moved their nest. Tahj Holiday has seen nesting activity by the pair at the old church at 96th and Central Park West.

The old nest had a juvenile hawk sitting on it when I was going to see Flaco. Four other hawks were dive bombing this hawk. I think they were all juveniles, but couldn’t be sure. It was an interesting sight.