Urban Hawks

February 23, 2008December 18, 2020Riverside Park Red-tailed Hawks

Sixth Manhattan Red-tailed Nest

Leslie Day (fieldguidenyc.com) alerted the hawk watching community of a sixth Manhattan Red-tailed Hawk nest this week. Located along the northbound west 79th Street on ramp to the West Side Highway, the nest is easily visible from Riverside Park.

When I arrived both hawks were gathering twigs, bringing then to the nest, and rearranging them. They had lots of energy and were very industrious. After an hour, the nest building stopped and one of the hawks caught and devoured a Rock Pigeon. Some rather graphic pictures at the end, so skip this post if they will bother you.

February 23, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Saturday, 2-23-08

Tonight started out with two young raptors, a Cooper’s Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk, playing what looked like tag. One hawk would chase the other and then vis-versa. Along the way, I found a Titmouse eating birdseed left by someone after the snowstorm.

A squirrel was in the male’s normal roost, so we were concerned. Our concern for the male grew as fly out took much longer than usual. The hawks being around, so close to fly out, must have made the owls more cautious.

Both owls flew out from the same cavity tonight. This was the first time we have seen this occur this season. Was it because of the snow in the male’s usual spot, the squirrel or has something happened in the nest?

February 21, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Thursday, 2-21-08

We were right yesterday. We had found the second cavity. It feels great to have finally found her home after all this time.

February 20, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Wednesday, 2-20-08

It was a wonderful evening. After a few nights without owls, I got to see both of them copulate, saw one of them with a mouse and best of all, we might have discovered their nest cavity.

022008esol — It’s a blurry pictures, but I’m sure that the owl is holding a mouse.

February 18, 2008December 15, 2020Owls

Monday, 2-18-08

On a rainy night, no sign of the owls. These one again, off again sightings are confusing but it might just be a function of our strange weather. It was 60 degrees today. Who knows?

February 18, 2008December 23, 2020Other Birds

Ring-necked Ducks

Thanks to a posting by Jack Meyer, pointing out Ardith Bondi’s discovery, I knew to be on the lookout for three Ring-necked Ducks. I found them sleeping on the Reservoir. They woke up after something startled a large group of gulls. This was a new species for my Central Park list.