Urban Hawks

July 22, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

St. John Fledgling

On late Saturday afternoon, there was a break between rain storms to go up to St. John the Divine. The fledglings are now good fliers, so finding them is difficult. I found one at the top of a tree 20 feet inside Morningside park, east of the nest site on the Cathedral.

While looking for the second fledgling, I saw one of the fledglings, not sure which one, soaring from 110th Street up to 118th Street above Morningside Drive. It was an impressive sight.

Last year, the Central Park South fledglings learned to hunt before they took off and started to soar high with their father staying close by. So, I wasn’t expecting to see a high flying St. John the Divine fledgling flying this high so early on. I keep being reminded that each nest and fledgling is different.

July 22, 2006December 27, 2020Other Birds

Rainy Saturday

It’s been raining in New York, so I was unable to go out birding on Friday. Today, there was a small window between rain showers to see how the Green Herons were doing. The hatchlings seem to be doing just fine, spending most of their time sleeping.

July 20, 2006December 20, 2020Other Birds

Wednesday Evening with the Herons

When I arrived the hatchlings were alone on the nest. A parent arrived after about twenty minutes, feed the chicks, and then tucked them in for the night.

If you look carefully, you can see all four chicks.

One chick gets the biggest catch of the day!

July 18, 2006December 20, 2020Other Birds

Good News!

For those who have been worried that the upcoming summer and fall construction projects in Central Park will interfere with the Green Heron nest, I wanted to pass along some good news. The Parks Department is fully aware of the Green Heron’s nest and construction/gardening project timetables have been revised to minimize the impact on the area around the nest.

As birders and photographers, we also need to do our part. Those of us who know where the nest is located need to keep our distance and minimize our impact on herons. Although my pictures may look like I was close to the nest, I was about 150 feet away from the nest to minimize impact on the herons. Please stay a safe distance from the nest and keep the noise levels down when observing them.

July 16, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Sunday in Morningside Park

Sunday, I went up to Morningside Park for about an hour around 7 p.m. I found Robert Schmunk, who blogs at bloomingdalevillage.blogspot.com with one of the fledglings at the base of the stairs that go up to 113th and Morningside Drive. The fledgling was only about 20 feet off the ground.

The wings are outstretched to help the hawk stay cool in the summer heat.

Now that we’re birding in the lower portion of the park, we’re meeting new folks from the neighborhood. They’re beginning to get to know us and have begun to help us find the young hawks. Tonight, a kind gentleman pointed out the second fledgling in a willow tree over the small pond in the park.

The pond, which is smaller than an Olympic sized swimming pool, supports an amazing array of wildlife. Tonight it had a family of Geese, two Double-Crested Cormorants, a first year Black-Crowned Night Heron, and a few mallards.

Soon the hawk in the willow flies south to join its sibling over by the steps that led up to the Cathedral.

After a few minutes both hawks move east. One flies low and then goes over the fence at the east side of the park. The other lands in a tree just inside the park at 113th.

Robert and I both try and figure out where the young hawks have ended up. We’re unsuccessful and both call it a night and go home.

July 16, 2006December 20, 2020Other Birds

Green Heron’s Continued

I must say that the little heron chicks have me hooked. The first two pictures are from Saturday and the rest are from Sunday.

Please be careful not to disturb the herons if you visit the nest. A group of birders at around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday made a great deal of noise and two of them walked down off the western path to within 15 feet of the nest. One of the parents, who had been feeding the young, puffed up to a large size, raised its crown and flew off the nest for 15 minutes. The parent didn’t return to the nest and resume feeding until the birders left the area.

This exchange of parents took only a few minutes.

Before the exchange had taken place, the hatchlings were already eager for food.