Red-tailed Hawk landing on nest, Bobst Library, NYU, New York City

Bobby’s pigeon and Rosie attending to the nest – March 3rd, 2013

A Hawk-watching friend who was in the park before me today let me know Rosie was perched on scaffolding at Two Fifth Avenue:

We watched her for close to half an hour before Bobby showed up and flew to Judson Memorial Church’s cross:

He had part of a pigeon body with him. A small, downy feather was stuck to his beak so he might have just been eating the pigeon beforehand.

He soared in many circles directly across the park square from where Rosie sat. It was obvious he was showing her he had food.

He brought it to a new perch (NYU’s Kimmel Center):

Looking at Rosie:

At a different part of the roof:

He kept Rosie in sight:

He soared in circles again, toting the pigeon:

Looking at Rosie:

He brought the pigeon to a new perch:

He is the small dot on the right-hand side of NYU’s Education Building roof:

Now on the left-hand round antenna:

Now on the corner of NYU’s Silver Center:

He kept his eyes on her:

Rosie finally roused and flew after two hours of perching at the same spot:

She flew to a part of Two Fifth Avenue’s roof:

Bobby flew off his perch and went right to her.

Flying past One Fifth Avenue:

I kept my ears open for the sounds of them mating but didn’t hear anything.

Bobby soon flew up and circled their building:

He then went northeast, away from the park.

Rosie rose from the roof, carrying construction material in her beak:

She took it right to the nest:

Assortment of construction material (rope and coated wire):

A Sparrow near me was gathering nest material of its own (fluffy, downy pigeon feather bits):

The feathers were so light, the Sparrow dropped most of them.

Rosie flew out of the nest after fifty eight minutes.

She flew behind the buildings lining the east side of the park, heading southeast. I thought she might have gone to a regular nest-material-gathering terrace so I looked for her there.

There she was, gathering material from the potted plants:

It’s pretty funny how often the Hawks go to that terrace for material when they could just drop down into the park trees for twigs.

She perched on the railing then dropped down to another planter for material:

A bit in her beak:

She flew out of the nest after ten minutes:

She flew due east from the park.

I then went home.

I heard later that she and Bobby roosted together at the same rung of the Red Roost Inn, just as they had done last night and the night before.


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