I’ve been very busy at work, so I haven’t had much of a chance to get out and hawk watch. Today, I got to see the Washington Square Park nest. As is the case with most brooding hawk nests, there wasn’t much action while I was there. Just a brief check in by the male.
My first stop on Sunday was Washington Square Park, where the pair was copulating on 1 Fifth Avenue when I arrived in the park. With the high winds, they seemed to be in no mood to move, so I went off to Tompkins Square Park.
The Tompkins Square Park nest has moved to Avenue A between 3rd and 4th Street on the north side of the avenue on a top floor air conditioner. The hawks brought twigs to the nest while I was there.
It was above freezing and sunny out, so the part was full of people today. Although I missed photographing the events, I did see the hawks copulate twice. For me, it takes seeing the copulation to feel like a new couple has mated, so this was great.
I followed a hawk out to Sixth Avenue, and off in the distance at the old St. Vincent’s Hospital site was a hawk on a crane. I couldn’t figure out if it was a WSP hawk, or a hawk from another pair. When the Couch’s Kingbird was around I kept seeing a pair of hawks. I wonder if we have a new pair trying to establish themselves in the northwest of the Village?
Just before the snow started today, I was able to watch the new female. She was briefly on the nest and spent some time on a chimney on 3rd Street. The male was on the cross for about twenty minutes.
The video is rather long, but I wanted to let folks have a chance to study the new female’s markings.
I got up early on a Saturday to visit Washington Square Park hoping for a Valentine’s Day love fest, only to have a very, cold morning watching Bobby. His potential mate did arrive in the early afternoon, but only for a brief interval.
My team at the office is doing major upgrade to one of core I.T. systems, and I had to run into the office briefly to offer my support. While I was gone, I get a few texts that the two hawks were sitting together on One Fifth Avenue. Just my luck!
When I got back to the park, there was no sign of either hawk and it began to snow so I gave up for the day.
The pictures on a Spanish tile roof are of the new female. She has light coloring under her eyes, something distinct from Bobby’s features. As time goes one, I’m sure we’ll find more and more field marks to tell them apart.
At Washington Square Park, the female hawk of the pair, Rosie hasn’t been seen all winter. Two days ago, a new female arrived.
I tried to get a glimpse of her after work. She was nowhere to be found. But I did get to see Bobby fly around the park and go off to roost.
