Today was a raptor-filled day (Kestrels, Cooper’s Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks) and I’ll post photos of them in another post soon. This post will entail my visit to Washington Square Park today.
I was walking with a friend through the western side of Washington Square Park during our search for Bobby and/or Rosie. My friend saw what looked like a Cooper’s Hawk chasing a flock of pigeons outside the western border of the park. Fun stuff to start our visit.
Squirrels giving their Hawk warning cry alerted me and my friend to the presence of one of the Washington Square Park Red-tails.
I looked up and saw Bobby flying over the park trees and then landing on a regular air conditioner perch on a building at the southwestern corner of the park:
His brief semi-circle flight from one air conditioner to another made me wonder if he was pointing out his location to Rosie in case she was around. Or maybe he was just looking for leftovers at the new air conditioner. The Hawks leave kills on certain air conditioners and building tops for leftovers.
Bobby had dropped down right next to me and my friends then kept flying. He was hunting and I guess he had just missed catching a rat or squirrel on the lawn near us.
He spent the next ten to fifteen minutes hopping from tree to tree and searching for prey on the ground. He would drop down to the ground to catch something but was unsuccessful at first.
It was around this point when a fellow Hawker thought they saw Rosie flying above 3rd Street (the block south of the park). It could very well have been her hunting on her own.
It was getting late and dark so he had to catch something before going to bed.
I found Bobby at a favorite perching/eating branch. He had caught a big rat in the area still closed off for renovation:
He took the rat body and circled around the same area of sky by the air conditioners, just like before:
He then flew in a larger circle over the western side of the park:
He then swooped around and brought the rat body to the last air conditioner he had perched at. I personally believe he was showing Rosie, if she were around, that he had dinner and where he was leaving it for her.
He then soared over the western side of the park again before heading to their regular evening roost:
Rosie did not join him at the roost this evening. I hope to see her tomorrow if I get the chance to visit (even if briefly).
(Update from Monday the 21st: Bobby and Rosie were both seen in the park. They were doing well. I was not in the park myself but a friend reported seeing them in good form)