Urban Hawks

June 17, 2006December 20, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Riverside Church Peregrine Falcons

Seven blocks north and a few blocks west of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is Riverside Church. A pair of Peregrine Falcons have two fledglings there, who on late Saturday afternoon made the worst racket imaginable begging for food.

Adult Peregrine preparing food for a fledgling. It rained feathers.

The adult on the Interfaith Center, which everyone refers to as the “God Box”.

June 17, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Empty Nest

At around 10:20 a.m, the second fledge occurred leaving the nest empty for the first time in over two and a half months.

I missed the fledge by about 15 minutes, but Barrie Raik was there to photograph the event. She has graciously provided these three photographs of the fledge. The feldgling left the nest and landed in a tree on Morningside Drive. I was soon mobbed by some catbirds and the adult female with the help of some prey, moved the feldgling to the Cathedral.

The adult male keeping a close eye on the new fledgling.

The adult female was perched on the Archangel Gabriel.

…flying off to 114th Street and Morningside Drive.

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

Still Won’t Budge

The second eyas continues to stay on the nest, although it’s finally looking like it wants to fledge.

Soon, the adult female moves to the Archangel Gabriel statute.

Leaving the eyas on the nest, first to doze off for awhile and then later in the day, to engage in more wing flapping.

The adult female moves to 301 West 110th Street.

Although the fledgling could be heard most of the afternoon, we only were able to see it after about 6:00 p.m.

June 15, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Still Waiting

The eyas on who is still on the nest seemed to be in no hurry to leave on Thursday evening.

Nor do the parents seem to be in a hurry to get the eyas to fledge. Food continues to be regularly delivered to the nest.

The fledgling spent a good portion of the early evening perched within 20 feet of its sibling.

The fledgling then moved over to a cross on the eastern portion of the Cathedral.

As I left for the evening, the adult female was on 301 West 110th, which has new scaffolding.

The adult male was on St. Luke’s in the warm glow of the setting sun.

June 14, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

I Won’t Grow Up!

The second eyas refuses to fledge. Its sibling left on Sunday, but it still remains on the nest.

We had lots of discussions up at the nest tonight, about dates (I had originally estimated the fledge date would be June 15th), if the first had fledged too early, and if there had been three chicks with one dying prematurely could these two hawks be four days apart in age, etc.

The delayed fledging of the second eyas and the return of the fledgling to the nest the first night make this a very unusual fledge.

I arrived around 6:20 p.m. to learn that there had been a very noisy encounter with a pair of Peregrine Falcons. The action was over, however, and everything seemed peaceful when I arrived.

It alternated between being very active and preening.

It looks like Thursday might be its fledge day.

The fledgling alternated between the London Plane trees on the west side of Morningside Drive and the chapel roofs.

There are still lots of downy feathers falling off each day.

The adult female alternated between St. Luke’s and…

As we left, we saw the father on 110th Street below Morningside Park.

June 12, 2006December 20, 2020St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

1 Down, 1 To Go

After work I made my way up to the Cathedral, and I was delighted to see so many friends from the 5th Avenue and Central Park South nests mingling with the locals from Morningside Heights.

Almost as soon as I arrived the fledgling left a tree and moved onto an angel statue at the top of the St. Savior Chapel roof.

The fledgling’s sibling is still on the nest.

Ellen Rockmuller reports seeing two eyasses in the nest early Monday morning (90% certainty), so it’s likely the fledgling returned to the nest to sleep last night.

The father leaves a nearby tree and moves to a favorite St. Luke’s perch.

The mother after flying to the St. Luke’s building at 114th Street, returns to the nest.

There’s a bird foot on the prey. Is it part of a pigeon?

The fledgling moves to a London Plane. It is almost impossible to see.

The mother leaves the nest and makes a sweep south before returning to a tree near the fledgling.

She then moves to a cross on the east end of the St. Savior chapel roof.

When I left after 8 p.m. the fledgling was in a tree close to the nest, the eyas was still on the nest, the adult male was in the same tree and the adult female was on the St. Savior chapel cross.