African Lions
I’m slowly going through my pictures from my March Africa trip. I’ve finally gotten to my Lion pictures. These are from the Mala Mala Game Preserve in South Africa and the Qorokwe Camp in the Okavango Delta of Bostwana.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 80
I went to Central Park late in the evening and spent about two hours with Flaco as he hunted for Brown Rats. He caught something, as we heard squeals but either it escaped from him or he ate it very quickly, as we didn’t see the prey when he flew up to a tree. He was continuing to hunt when I left for the evening.
Governors Island Red-tailed Hawk Nest
I finally had a chance to go out to Governor’s Island and see the new and very active Red-tailed Hawk nest. It has two eyasses and is easily seen as it is fairly low. It’s much easier to watch than the Coast Guard tower location that had been used in past years.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 77
Thursday night with Flaco was enjoyable. He’s roosting now in a Tulip tree just south of the tree he had been roosting in for weeks. As he did the night before, he few to his old roosting tree about half an hour before his full fly out.
At fly out he went to a few trees along the drive both south and west of the construction site before flying into the site. He spent at least an hour in the site. He would disappear from sight, but then reappear periodically one of the two excavators, the walls or on a pallet of wood. It was unclear if he caught a rodent.
He then flew up to the compost heap, hooted for about two hours and made two unsuccessful hunting attempts. (Although I’m sure he was able to catch something later after the park closed at 1 am!) He perched for an hour near one of the dumpsters and was unfazed as two Conservancy trucks and a NYPD car when under him after 11 pm.
While I was unable to watch Falco eat, a bonus for the evening was hearing an Eastern Whip-poor-will call multiple times from the Loch. I would never have been in the park so late to hear it, if it hadn’t been for Flaco.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 76
On Wednesday night, Flaco was roosting in a tree a bit more upstream from his usual spot, but about half an hour before fly out flew to his normal roost tree. Construction work was still in progress at the new rink/pool site, when Flaco flew out. He went to a few trees around the site, and a high one up near the ridge trail. He went to the trees at 106th and Central Park West before going to the Compost Heap.
He then hooted until around 11:00 or so, when he dove across the drive. Moments later he was hooting from one of the Black Locusts and had a Brown Rat. He moved around from tree to tree, hooting and displaying the Brown Rat. It was thought he was displaying that he was a good hunter to any potential mate. He finally ate the Brown Rat around Midnight.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Night 75
Flaco was in his regular roost tree on Tuesday. At flyout he went to three trees before skipping the construction site and going directly to the compost heap. Within an hour he caught a Brown Rat and took it to a tree. He was having a bit of trouble with the high winds, but after hooting for a bit, ate the rat fairly quickly.
