Today was momentous. Both Bobby and his new friend, who I like to refer to as Rosie, visited the nest today. They were even at the nest at the same time for a couple of minutes. It is now safe to assume that they are mates and that we will likely see babies in the spring.
Bobby visited the nest first. I at first thought it was Rosie who went in first but after doing more thorough photo comparisons, it’s more clear that it was Bobby who went into the nest first.
Moments after I entered Washington Square Park, I saw Rosie flying up Fifth Avenue (in my general direction) then land on one of her favorite terrace perches:
She was obviously full from a recent meal. Her beak and talons still had traces of blood on them.
She flew diagonally across the park and out of sight for a few minutes:
While searching for her, I spotted Bobby on a familiar building:
He headed straight for the nest:
He made himself obvious on the ledge, probably to show his new mate where he was and to entice her to come to the nest:
She arrived momentarily:
Twig being moved as part of the nest fortification and revamping:
Bobby and Rosie left the nest and went to the area of the park still under construction.
Rosie:
Bobby in a nearby tree:
Rosie:
She was on the hunt (if only half-heartedly since she didn’t make a strong attempt at anything and she was full anyway):
Bobby still perched overhead:
She flew back to the nest!
This could be a scene from the deep woods:
Third time at the nest:
Fourth time at the nest. The quality of the photo is not great but I wanted to show her arrival:
This was the most fascinating part for me.. she or Bobby had brought clear plastic to the nest. They obviously liked its soft, strong, malleable properties:
Flying away from the nest again:
Fifth time to the nest:
She then joined Bobby who was in a tree at the opposite end of the park (but still in view of the nest):
She did not stay long and was soon back on her way to the nest:
Sixth time at the nest:
Bobby watching it all from his perch:
Rosie on the move again:
Seventh time at the nest:
She had hopped from one air conditioner to another. She retrieved a rat or mouse from the second air conditioner. It would be interesting to see if she routinely stores prey on air conditioners:
Bobby:
He eventually went to the roost for the night:
It became too dark to photograph so I put my gear away. As I was standing at a traffic light along the park (but a few blocks away), I saw the dark shape of Rosie in flight as she flew from a building nearby, over the park, and land on a low perch on One Fifth Avenue. It was a great cap to a great day.