It was a gray then rainy, stormy day in New York City today. The rain came earlier than expected so I only had a few minutes of dryness to enjoy when taking my initial photos of the hawks in Washington Square Park.
The sound of an angry peregrine falcon overhead nearby caught my attention and sure enough, the falcon was yelling at a red-tailed hawk circling just above the tree tops. It was Bobby’s new friend and potential mate. She landed on one of her now regular perches at the western side of the park:
The peregrine perched on the Judson Memorial Church cross:
Bobby flew to the cross to reassert his claim to the perch. The peregrine loudly swooped at him but its bark was louder than its bite and it never made direct contact with him.
Bobby’s friend is pretty much settled in and it’s obvious he’s allowing her to move in.
She perched in a tree and scanned the ground for prey:
It was already raining at this point (you can make out some rain drops in the following photos).
She spent about a minute in the brush before taking off with a large rat:
Head shake:
I turned to check on Bobby’s location but he had left the cross. I didn’t see where he went.
Her crop was becoming visibly engorged. She cried out loudly between some bites. It was not the long drawn-out screech but the faster-paced, pleading-sounding call. Her voice is strong, bold, and loud.
Discarding the unsavory stomach:
Crying out again:
Her feathers were getting pretty soaked:
I wondered if she was calling out to Bobby. She was looking pretty full and had stopped eating so I enjoyed imagining she was calling to him to retrieve the uneaten part of the meal. He never did answer her calls or come by though. Or maybe she was restating her claim to the territory to others in hearing distance?
More calling:
It was quiet and peaceful in the park because the rain drove the crowds out.
She brought the body to another tree:
The peregrine was back on the cross:
She flew behind the arch to a low building top along the park:
Part of the arch visible on the right:
I lost sight of her as she flew to another building facing the park. It was pouring rain at this point anyway so I was forced to find shelter where I could safely put my camera gear away and head home. The forecast called for steady and heavy rain the rest of the day so I knew that was it for me. It was a pretty lucky day of hawk-watching nonetheless!