Summer Friday’s allowed me to get out of work early and go up to the Cathedral around 2 p.m.  I was the only one hawk watching when I arrived, and looked high and low for the hawks.  I searched the Cathedral exterior from Morningside Drive and 113th Street, the St. Luke’s building, the Cathedral grounds, and Morningside Park but came up empty.

I parked myself on a bench overlooking Morningside Park, hoping to at least see the parents fly over the park.  I started drinking some iced tea, relaxing on a hot, humid summer day, and then looked up.  I was pleasantly surprised to see both fledglings within 10 feet of each other. Finally, I could hawk watch from a bench!

The fledglings, who have become difficult to tell apart, stayed in the tree until the early evening when their father brought them a rodent for dinner.

When dinner arrived one of the fledglings, who I assume was the precocious first fledgling, went directly to the Cathedral to be fed.  The other fledgling, who I assume is the second to fledge, still seems to be having troubles gaining altitude and took a sensible route.  It went downhill (south) to cross the street and then worked its way up north.

As I was leaving, Fledgling I was eating the rodent, which looked to be a rat. It was then joined by its sibling, Fledgling II, who looked to have gotten a bite or two before Fledgling I mantled over the prey.   Robert Schmunk reports that Fledgling II got second pickings later in the evening.