I saw Rosie and Bobby in Washington Square Park for an hour and forty five minutes today before they flew far from the park. They disappeared to places unknown to do what I assume they normally do during the time we local Hawk-watchers call “The Witching Hour”. It’s the span of time in the late morning to early afternoon when the Hawks are nowhere to be found. They have been more present and active in the park in the early morning lately.
We had rainstorms yesterday so I could not visit the park until this morning. I got word that Rosie and Bobby were together and hanging out in the trees at the northern border of the park.
Rosie:
Bobby was in a nearby tree, very high up:
Rosie flew from tree to tree:
She saw prey on a lawn on the other side of the park path:
She had landed on what may have been either a rat’s nest or two little rats that happened to be in the grass together because she swallowed both of them one after the other.
She was right on top of her prey and did not have any trouble picking them up from below her feet. She did have to dig into the lawn a couple of times but I think only in order to grab hold of them better.
First rat:
Second one:
She kicked at what might have even been a third rat but she did not catch and eat it:
Scrunch and spring:
She flew back over the path and to a tree near Bobby:
She watched a squirrel below her for a few seconds:
Preening:
Bobby relaxed, preened, then became active:
Rosie:
Bobby:
They looked at each other:
Bobby spent a few minutes twigging, or breaking material off branches for nest material. He didn’t get any good samples so stopped after a little while.
Rosie flew off her tree and south out of the park. The other Hawk-watchers I was with went to try to find her. I stayed behind with Bobby for a few minutes.
Bobby:
A squirrel climbed closer to have a look at him before slinking away:
Bobby settled down again so I left him to search for Rosie as well.
I got word that she was on Judson Memorial Church (across the street from the southern border of the park) but by the time I made it over there, she had already left.
She was spotted soaring high in the sky, further south (relatively speaking, above Bleecker and Sullivan Streets):
She circled very, VERY high up:
She disappeared from view.
After a few minutes I saw who turned out to be Bobby soaring above West 3rd and Mercer Streets until he too disappeared from view:
