I enjoyed a quiet and nondramatic visit with the Washington Square Park Red-tailed Hawks Bobby and Rosie. Quiet is good! It meant I didn’t have to worry about people endangering them or encroaching upon their space if they hunted on the small park lawns. Instead, Bobby and Rosie stayed high above on various perches or stuck to soaring in the sky.
Hawk atop Two Fifth Avenue upon my arrival:
It soared over the park and headed in the direction of the nest. I was a block west of the park so couldn’t see where it headed from my vantage point.
After scanning the area for half an hour, Bobby came into view:
Rosie flew to the Judson Memorial Church cross:
Preening:
Rosie soared above the eastern side of the park before landing on a building just east of Bobst Library (which houses the nest):
Bobby shot like a bullet right to the nest (you can see him in the sky above Rosie in the photo below):
Rosie joined him:
Bobby left:
Rosie joined him:
She moved further in. She’s on the right. She looks so much larger than him:
Rosie moved higher up on the cross:
Bobby returned to the nest after sitting with Rosie for about seven minutes:
Rosie soared the sky then perched before returning to the nest:
Bobby:
Spot the hawk:
He flew north out of the park as is his nightly habit.
I waited to see if Rosie would leave the nest. She did and flew to the cross again:
After about twenty minutes she descended to the trees at the western side of the park:
She stalked prey but did not make a go for anything:
She flew over the park and to a building at the eastern side (NYU’s Silver Center):
She landed on the same building perch as earlier in the day before returning to the nest:
She flew to the cross one last time:
After ten minutes she returned to the nest:
It was dark out so I headed in the direction of the Red Roost Inn to see if Bobby had returned to the park and was roosting there for the evening.
As I was passing Judson Church I sensed that I should quickly turn my head and look at the lower part of the tower. It was Bobby, sitting still on a lower tower rung in the dark! I am not one to succumb to “magical thinking” but I did get pretty excited that I somehow sensed his presence in that way. He was facing me; which added to the almost supernatural feeling. I whipped my camera to my eye and took a photo of how he looked at that moment:
Without warning he jumped off his perch and flew overhead and to the trees:
He flew too quickly for me to focus on him. I searched for him in the trees and at the Red Roost Inn (a couple of times) but did not see him again the rest of the night.