Unisphere 2008

By D. Bruce YoltonOther Red-tailed Hawks

Thanks to a text message from Lincoln Karim, I went out to the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows, Queens and was able to find the new Red-tailed Hawk nest location.  It is about minus 30 degrees of longitude from the old nest.  Instead of being near Indonesia, it is now in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.

I had received reports earlier in the season that the nest site was empty.  The nest is in an I-beam, so it must be easy for the mother to hide while brooding and for the eyasses to hide when they are young.

There are at least two chicks in the nest.  In the pictures that follow, the mother captures, eats and feeds a young pigeon to her eyasses.  Readers beware.

The Unisphere
On the left, East Africa, the nest is in the center, and the adult female is on the right.
The adult female perches on a light around the perimeter of the Unisphere plaza.
The adult female hunts at the bottom of the Unisphere. 
There are a number of nesting pigeons, and she grabs a juvenile pigeon.
After eating a great deal, she takes a piece to the nest after a few stops to gain altitude.
Landing on the nest.
My first sighting of an eyas.
Two eyasses
Two young heads
The adult female on Cuba.