A new stranger visited Washington Square Park today. It looked like it may have been a second-year juvenile since the tail feathers were still heavy with horizontal bars and reddish-brown but not yet brick red.During its stay I saw it hunt, kill, and eat three prey (two mice and a sparrow).
Bobby and Violet chased it throughout the park in defense of their territory. I am not sure if they successfully ousted it from the park for good or not. It was wonderful to hear the hawks crying out in the sky above the trees.
Sparrow in its claws:
Eating the sparrow:
Spotting prey below:
Caught mouse and good view of the tail feathers:
Flying away with its mouse kill:
Violet, searching for the stranger to chase:
In the photo below, Violet is in the upper-right hand corner while the visitor is on the lower branch and to the left. The photo was taken moments before Violet chased the stranger from that particular area of the park:
Victorious Violet on the arch, scanning her domain:
One of the hawks (I suspect Bobby) in the night roost:
