Other Red-tailed Hawks

Astoria Fledgling Vs. The Blue Jays

I arrived to a quiet afternoon in Astoria.  One of the parents was on the bridge and the eyas still on the nest was making practice jumps around the nest and up to a bracket on the bridge.

The quiet was short lived however.  The fledgling appeared in a tree south of the tennis courts.  It was immediately mobbed by two noisy Blue Jays.
They kept attacking and dive bombing.
The fledgling lost its grip and slid down the branch.
It ended up in a smaller tree.
The Blue Jays kept at it.

At some point the fledgling had enough and flew south to a residential block of Astoria.  I walked around the block looking for it, but couldn’t find it.  I think it was on a flat roof that wasn’t visible from the street.  With the excitement over, I returned to Manhattan.

Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Lunch Near The Ballfield Café

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.
Other Red-tailed Hawks

Astoria Park’s First Fledge

The Astoria Park nest had its first fledge on Saturday around 2 p.m.  The fledgling went to the equipment depot under the bridge near the nest.  It was the safest place to fledge.  Good choice young one.

While I was there it spent its time hopping from truck to truck.
Caution, flying hawk.
There was a Blue Jay that would come by every ten minutes.
It hit the young hawk a few times.
The first day at school can be tough.
The eyas still on the nest looked on and seemed ready to join its sibling.
One of the parents landed in a tree near the nest…
… and then went to the north side of the bridge.
So, another successful nest in New York City.
Enjoy life off the nest!
Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

North of the Ballfields Feeding And The Parents Perches

I got to Central Park in the early evening after visiting Inwood Hill Park.  I had struck out trying finding the hawk family in Inwood, so I was hoping for better luck at the Heckscher Ballfields.

Our well looked after 888 Seventh Avenue fledgling. 
Relaxing north of the Baseball Fields.
One lone American Robin helped me find her.
The mother came and we saw the father fly north.  She left and returned with a pigeon.  It was hard to tell who actually caught the prey.
The mother left the food on branch, called for the youngster to come for dinner and left.
The parent then flew around the Time Warner Building in Columbus Circle. It was windy, and she gained speed and height quickly.
The mirrored building seems to fascinate this pair.  New York City Audubon has been working to minimize bird deaths from building collisions.  This spring they published an excellent guide for building owners and architects, Bird-Safe Building Guidelines, as part of their Project Safe Flightinitiative.
Here the mother rests on the new Zeckendorf building.
The fledgling’s dinner for tonight was a pigeon.
The fledgling’s dinner for tonight was a pigeon.
The parents are both efficient eaters, but this fledgling is still learning.
She was eating next to a Baseball dugout, and the team playing in Red uniforms were named the Hawks!
The mother on the roof of the new Zeckendorf buildings at 62nd and Central Park West.  This building didn’t exist two years ago, so we’re learning what’s changed this year.
Both parents ended up on near the roof of the N.Y.A.C. (New York Athletic Club).  This is the first time, I’ve seen them perching there.
The mother on the railing.

What a nice way to start the summer, with fledglings playing all over New York City.