Rose on Central Park Pond.
Happy Valentine’s Day. A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk and juvenile Red-tailed Hawk visited Washington Square Park today. I did not get to see the Cooper’s Hawk but a fellow Hawk-watcher with excellent bird-identifying skills did and told me about it when I was at the park tonight.
The juvenile Red-tail was spotted at the eastern side of the park. It had recently landed by the time I got to it. Another fellow Hawk-watcher had informed me that this Hawk flew to its tree from the west.
Rosie was seen earlier but she disappeared when flying south behind Bobst Library.
The juvenile:
View from the other side:
The juvenile didn’t look like either of Pale Male’s kids or Bobby and Rosie’s kids.
It was at the cusp of roosting time and the natural lighting was quickly disappearing.
The juvenile flew to a tree further south:
It perched in a tree just outside Bobst Library (where Bobby and Rosie have their nest):
The juvenile was flying from tree to tree:
All of a sudden I heard a loud chirping noise and saw who I presume was Bobby chasing the juvenile from its perch. I couldn’t tell if it was Bobby chirping angrily at the juvenile or if it was the juvenile chirping in fright/protestation.
In either case, Bobby (or Rosie) chased the juvenile south to north, then east to west in the park:
Bad photo but it shows both Hawks in the middle during this action:
The adult Hawk flying to the western trees while chasing the juvenile:
Bobby perched in a tree. The juvenile flying from north to south at the western side of the park:
Bobby, watching:
Bobby flying toward where the juvenile was now perched:
Bobby landed in a tree.
All of a sudden Rosie flew from behind me to near where Bobby was:
Rosie landing:
Bobby in his tree:
Rosie and Bobby may have missed seeing it because the juvenile was huddled in a tree near me:
Rosie:
Bobby:
He flew in the direction of the Red Roost Inn but did not tuck in. Instead, he continued his flight but disappeared in the darkness.
Rosie watched him, turned, and then spotted the juvenile:
She flew toward it:
The juvenile, scared off its tree, flew away from the park and down MacDougal Street (the street along the western side of the park).
Bobby returned, flying to one of his favorite evening roosts:
Rosie flew off her new tree, toward Bobby, then flew down MacDougal herself:
She’s always had a mystery roost down that way but no one has ever found it. We’ve seen her roosting on a couple of different fire escapes between the park and her mystery roost but she was not at any of those fire escapes tonight.
I and a friend gave up looking for her and returned to Bobby before leaving for the evening:
