Urban Hawks

December 3, 2006December 25, 2020Other Birds

Sunday Monks

I spent Sunday morning with the two Monks of Amsterdam Avenue.

The nest is under the air conditioner on the top floor.

The nest with the Monk’s fire escape perch on the left.

At times one would sing loudly while the other went to break a branch. It seemed that the louder and longer the song, the longer the branch that was brought back. Anyone want a free Ph.D. thesis idea?

By the time I left they had started an arch over the nest.

Periodically, the pair would stop and cuddle.

December 2, 2006December 25, 2020Other Birds

Just before Thanksgiving, Marie Winn posted an article detailing the discovery of Monk Parakeets on Amsterdam Avenue by Rebekah Creshkoff. Donna Browne followed up with pictures and a few reports on her blog last week.

Brooklyn has had Monk Parakeets (aka, Quaker Parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus) for decades. Steve Baldwin’s website, www.brooklynparrots.com documents their history in the city.

Monk Parakeets are native to South America, and there feral populations in North America are controversial. A good discussion of the issues can be found at the Institute for Biological Invasions.

I arrived around 11:30 to find lots of nest building activity taking place. The nest is below a window air conditioner and is occupied by a pair of Monk Parakeets.

There is a fire escape a few feet away and the birds stop there on their way into the nest.

A great number of tree branches were broken off and taken to the nest.

Monk Parakeets are the only parrots that build woven nests with branches.

This was no casual nest building, but a full scale project

For about fifteen minutes the nest building was interrupted for berry picking.

This was a neat discovery. The berry was picked from the tree by the stem and then eaten

A brief rest before going back to nest building.

Taking another break from nest building. (By the way, don’t worry about these Parakeets this winter. There is a feral population of Monk Parakeets in Chicago!)

November 26, 2006December 20, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Other Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks

Highbridge Park, Broadway Bridge and Columbus Circle

James O’Brien (yojimbot.blogspot.com) hosted a Harlem and Washington Heights bird watching walk on Sunday.

From his 145th Street apartment, we could see this Red-tailed Hawk on an apartment building to the south, who…

We walked through Highbridge park on the upper path. We saw a Red-tail or two in the distance but unlike our previous trip, no Cooper’s Hawks or American Kestrels.

We then took a brief subway ride to Broadway Bridge, which is a car and subway draw bridge at the upper end of Manhattan. The bridge is home to two Peregrine Falcons.

Just after we arrived the pair of Peregrine Falcons hassled a Red-tailed Hawk perched on top of an apartment building just east of the Marble Hill train station. This hawk may be one of the Inwood Hill Park Red-tails.

The Red-tailed Hawk did all it could to puff up and look as big possible.

Soon the Peregrines moved out of sight to the north.

The Red-tail reappeared from the southeast before flying out of sight. For a period of time it appeared to have a smaller bird pursuing it, possibly a Kestrel.

On my way home, I got off the 1 train at Columbus Circle and looked for the Central Park South hawks. One of them was on a building between 8th and 9th Avenues on 58th Street.

Soon a second hawk appeared and both of them flew around Columbus Circle.

They both landed on a corner of the Time Warner building.

They flew between the Time Warner, Trump International and the new Zeckendorf buildings.

All in all, it was a great day for raptor watching.

November 25, 2006December 17, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Five Red-tailed Hawk Saturday

On Saturday, I had a slow start. I started in the Ramble trying to chase down the White-crowned Sparrow without much luck. I then walked to Turtle Pond and found a cute group of Buffleheads among some Mallards and Northern Shovelers.

Then I saw a hawk flying south of the Beresford. It was Lola, the Fifth Avenue female.

She landed on a water tower on south side of West 77th Street. The building is just west of the New York Historical Society. After about 15 minutes, she flew due east.

I thought she had gone to the Model Boat Pond, so I walked there. When I arrived I saw that Pale Male was on a building two blocks south of the nest location. (Lola may have stopped in the Ramble for a late lunch.)

Pale Male posed for pictures and then flew off towards the Met.

It was such a nice day, I thought I would look to see what the Central Park South hawks were up to. Charlotte was on the Essex House sign.

The nest still looks to be in good shape.

The Essex House boiler could use an overhaul.

Soon Charlotte went NW and circled around and then above the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

Then she landed on the top of a construction crane on a new building being built on Central Park West between 61st and 62nd.

Junior soon joined her. If I got it right, she’s on the top and he’s below her.

Having seen four of the six building-breeding Manhattan Red-tailed Hawks, I went up to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. My luck ran out, as I was only able to see the male of the Cathedral pair. However, five out of six isn’t that bad!

The Cathedral nest looked to be in good condition as well.

November 24, 2006December 20, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds

Friday in the Park

I made it to the park on Friday! Finally, a sunny day where I didn’t have to work. I spent a few hours trying to photograph a White-crowned Sparrow without success. I did see it a few times, but just as I tried to take a picture it would be scared off by a passing tourist.

Lola spent at least an hour in the afternoon on the NE tower of the Beresford.

Mute swans arrived on The Lake a few weeks ago. They are very good at getting food from tourists. I wonder if they spend the summer on an urban lake in Canada?

November 18, 2006December 16, 2020Owls

Fall Owls

On Saturday, the first owl of the fall season was spotted in Central Park, a Long-eared Owl (LEOW). (I was working, so I didn’t get to photograph LEO.)

I did make it the park around dusk to look for Eastern Screech Owls (ESOW). Unfortunately, I suspect that there may no longer be any surviving ESOs in the park. These owls were reintroduced to the park in 1998 and 2001-2002 and have not been fairing well. Screech Owls fly at low heights and easily run into cars. (The original decline in Eastern Screech Owls occurred about the same time as the carriage paths in the park were turned into roadways.)

I suspect the fall owl season will consist of viewing migrating Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls, and confirming the disappearance of the Eastern Screech Owl from Central Park.

December Update: At least two Eastern Screech Owls are in the North Woods! I’m happy to be wrong!