Lunch Near The Ballfield Café

By D. Bruce YoltonSouthern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

The 888 Seventh Avenue fledgling continues to do well in the park.  A good flyer, she still has problems with branching. 

The father arrived with a nestling for the fledgling’s lunch.  I suspect the nestling was a baby robin, but can’t be sure.
The father and the fledgling traded trees for a few minutes.
Until they ended up on the same tree branch.  The father is on the left and the fledgling on the right.
The fledgling ends up dropping the meal, and eats it on the ground.
It gets eaten slowly.  The fledgling seem in no rush.
The fledgling has been banded.  Despite protests by some bloggers against bands, they do not bother the birds.  They allows scientists to study migration patterns and if this bird is injured give those giving help access to its past medical records.
While the fledgling was on the ground, the father kept watch.
I had to leave, but the fledgling continues to be well looked after by its parents.  It should spend the summer in the park learning to hunt and fly, and leave us in late August or early September.