An Orange-crowned Warbler has been in Central Park near Belvedere Castle. The light was making it difficult to photograph the bird, but I got to add a new bird to my Central Park bird list. As often happens when lots of birders gather, two hard to find birds were also spotted while we waited for the Orange-crowned Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Today was the first day, all three owls spent the evening outside, roosting on a tall Willow. The Fledgling was in the center, protected on each side by a parent. There were lots of owl watchers this evening, Chris, Marie, Jim, Noreen, Jean and myself along with some park visitors.
I couldn’t stop by the owls for the fly out this evening, but since they were now visible in the daytime, I went to see them on my way home from the northern Manhattan hawk nests. I ran into Jean and showed her the new tree. Only Herringbone, which everyone in our group now agrees is the male adult, was visible.
I went by the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on my way home from Inwood Hill. As usual for this nest, you couldn’t see the sitting hawk.
I went down to 110th and saw a hawk on 301 West 110th Street. It looked all wet. It hasn’t rained for two days. Did the nest fill up with water during the Nor’easter and are they incubating the eggs on a water logged nest? Or did the hawk just take a bath somewhere?
Update: Reports from other hawk watchers over the last few days is that both hawks have looked dry. So, the verdict is that all is fine with the nest.
I went up to Inwood Hill Park, in addition to Highbridge yesterday. Although the female was sitting much higher on the nest, I didn’t see any baby hawks. Neither did Robert B. Schmunk who was up there at the same time.
On Saturday evening, I saw that Alice Danna had also been up to Inwood Hill Park (but earlier in the day), and had seen two eyasses with one of the rangers (via Donna Browne’s Palemaleirregulars blog.)
So, I gave it a second try on Sunday and was able to confirm Alice’s report. I didn’t see two eyasses, but the mother’s behavior would make me believe that there was more than the one eyas.
This makes the two “old school” tree nests in Manhattan a success, while we don’t yet know the fate of the three “new school” building nests, 5th Avenue, St. John the Divine and 888 7th Avenue. So the current score is Old School 2 – New School ?.
Below are pictures of the Inwood Hill Park female and her eyas(ses?) There would be no sign of an eyas and then a head would pop up for a few seconds. It was impossible to tell if it was the same eyas or multiple eyasses.
I’m happy to report that the Highbridge Red-tailed Hawk nest has at least two eyasses.
