It’s been a lot of fun learning the habits of the St. John the Divine Red-tails.  Each day we discover a little more about where they perch, where they hunt, and the timing of their movements and feedings.

On Monday, we found a new perch for the mother.  It’s a little higher than the nest, about 15 feet south of the nest.  The mother can swoop down in a second or two to the nest. It can be a little hard to see her from 113th Street, by she can easily be seen if you walk down Morningside Drive.

I had my camera on burst mode which takes a frame every 1/5 of a second.  She managed to make it from the edge of one frame and completely into the nest in less than 1/5th of a second.  The distance was about 4 feet.  She’s quick. 

The other discovery was the difference in appearance between the two siblings, now that both are showing themselves more fully.  The difference of just a day or two in age is dramatic.