Urban Hawks

May 15, 2007December 21, 2020Owls

Monday, May 14th

I got there just in time for the fly out. The owls have found even more protected places on the tree, so it’s getting harder to find them before the fly out.

At fly out there were a few soft calls, the parents did some head rubbing and the fledgling took lots of small flights.

The period after the initial fly out was disturbed by an aggressive flash photographer. What should have been an opportunity for our group to study hunting behavior along the Pool was interrupted by multiple flashes.

May 14, 2007December 22, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John Babies

The St. John nest has at least two eyasses.

The adult male on the Cathedral, near the Northwest parking lot.

The look to be about the same age as the chicks we found last year at this time.

There are two eyasses in this pictures, being feed by their mother. I know it’s tough to make them out. I’m sure as they get bigger it will get easier to see that there are two eyasses in the nest. (Of course there could be three, but two is most likely at this point.)

The adult male arrives to continue feeding the eyasses.

I exit to see the Eastern Screech-Owl fly out in Central Park.

May 13, 2007December 21, 2020Owls

Sunday, May 13th

Jean and I were the only owl watcher for the evening. I could only find two in the tree this evening. Fly out was fast with movement quickly east. There was some calling and then it was quickly over the drive where we lost them. Most of the trees are now fully leafed out, and it is becoming much harder to follow the owls as they make their way into the North Woods.

May 13, 2007December 22, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Sleepy Evening

I arrived around 6 p.m. to find both parents off the nest and the nest absolutely quiet. No sign of the eyas(ses) while I was there from about 6 p.m. until about 7:30 p.m.

The father stayed in one spot, about twenty feet from the nest the whole time I was there. The mother shifted spots. First she was on West 110th, then the southeastern Plant building chimney, then the ornament on the Plant building, which we’ve nicknamed the urn.

The adult male on the Cathedral in a spot about twenty feet from the nest.

The female on the southeast Plant chimney.

She flies down to at least 116th Street surveying the area and then returns to the “urn” at the southeast corner of the Plant building. This is only 15 feet from where she had been on the chimney.

Here is a pictures that relates his position to that of the nest.

The mother in the warm light of the setting sun.

May 13, 2007December 22, 2020Inwood Hill Park Red-tailed Hawks

Inwood Hill Park, Week 4

The adult female and two eyasses were visible on the nest when I arrived but one eyas was almost fully hidden by a branch. The Red-tailed Hawks seemed very relaxed, and enjoying the warm sunlight on a cool afternoon.

After I had packed up, the adult male arrived and circled the nest. The adult female, then took off and joined him. I lost both adults as they flew north.

Like the Highbridge nest, more and more leaves are in the way of the nest. Future photographs have to be from the path below the nest.

May 12, 2007December 22, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John on Saturday

I spent about an hour at the nest on Saturday. I was able to see brief glimpses of the eyas(ses). The nest seems to be one or two inches higher than last year. This is making it much harder to get a clear view.

They’ll be getting taller each day, so by next weekend it should be easy to figure out how many kids are in the nest. But for now, we just have to wait.