I made a brief visit to Washington Square Park this evening and found the fledgling on a building in the southwest corner of the park and the adult male on 1 Fifth Avenue.  Not much was happening so I went home.  Soon thereafter, I got some texts from a friend that the action started as soon as I left with the fledgling coming down into the trees in the western side of the park and getting a visit from its father. Oh, well!

After a few days where the fledgling alluded hawk watchers, it was nice to get a text from a friend that she was quietly sitting in a tree on the west side of the park.  She moved around a bit while I was there and Bobby, her father came in to check on her.  But in general, it was a quiet afternoon.

Today, I after a good deal of searching I was able to find the fledgling and the adults.  My first sighting was a parent going west off of the student center towards Washington Square West.  Then after about ten minutes both adults were on top of an apartment building on the NW corner of the park.  It’s unusual to see them together at this spot, so I hoped the fledgling was nearby.  One of the parents kept flying to a building on the SW corner of the park, so I guessed the fledgling was on one of the western buildings.  But I couldn’t find it, but could hear Blue Jays from the park.  So I went out to Sixth Avenue and from in front of the IFC movie theater could see the fledgling on a railing of the SW building on the park.  It was foggy, so the photographs aren’t great.  But I felt like I had been a great detective to find the fledgling!

The fledgling’s second day included trips back and forth from the Pless Building to trees on the east side of the park, and at the end of the day a journey to the top of the Silver Building.  The fledgling seems strong and confident.  A hawk that is late to fledge may be better prepared for life outside the nest, and this seems to be the case here.

The Washington Square Park eyass fledged early this morning.  As is my habit, I slept late on Saturday morning and didn’t make it to the park until the afternoon.  When I arrived, the fledgling has already been found on top of a platform that used to support a water tank behind the Pless building.  It was cooperative and gave great view before flying to a nearby roof and out of view.  It then reappeared back on the same structure for about 45 minutes.  It then made a good strong flight north, and we could not find it.  I suspect it was on a roof of a building on Washington Square North.

The Washington Square Eyass should have fledged a few days ago, but seems in no rush to leave.  It looks ready to go, except for two primary feathers (5 and 6) on the right wing.  This is similar to the retarded growth of a few feathers with last year’s eyass.

It might take the parents to get this hawk to fledge by teasing it off the nest with food dropped not on the nest but nearby buildings.  We’ll see what happens over the next few days.