As the days grow longer, Red-tailed Hawk couples who in the fall may have spent much of their time apart, spend more and more time together. Today, the Tompkins Square Park spent much of the after noon close to each other. A sign nesting season is right around the corner.
One of the hawks caught a pigeon on Avenue B around 12th Street. I was surprised the kill was so far north. After eating much of the pigeon, it shared the leftovers with its mate.
With the days getting longer, the two adult hawks seem to be spending more time together. Intruders to the park today included a juvenile Red-tailed hawk, a Cooper’s Hawk and a rare visitor, a Merlin.
The Tompkins Square Hawks and a young Cooper’s Hawk were in the the park this afternoon. There were snow flurries and a tree lighting in the park.
You would think Tompkins Square Park would be quiet in early December, but the resident Red-tailed pair has had to deal with visiting Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks and Peregrine Falcons. It’s a great show and made it a fun visit to the park.
It was a very windy afternoon on Friday. When I arrived the two adults were escorting a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk out of their territory. We lost track of the adult female, but the male came into the park and made two loops around the park and made a trip to the top of the Chritodora House. It’s amazing to watch hawks maneuver in high winds. They move very fast with incredible control.
With thunderstorms expected on Thursday and the end of Daylight Saving Time this Sunday, today was the last day I could go birding after work until the spring. So, I went to Tompkins Square Park and watched Christo (and Dora briefly) hunt in the park. He caught a small rodent but didn’t really get a great meal.
