A fellow Hawk-watcher who was in Washington Square Park a few minutes before me texted me to report he first spotted Rosie on a building before she chased some pigeons and landed in a tree.
I was worried sick for her and was hoping she was not sick from what might have been a poisoned rat (mentioned in a previous post) so hearing that someone found her doing well was a great relief.
I was en route to the park when I received my friend’s text but I had been delayed by the sight of a Red-tailed Hawk in the Lower East Side chasing pigeons.
It landed on an air conditioner after a few passes:
There are lots of Red-tails in the LES nowadays so I don’t think this was Bobby visiting the East Side.
The Hawk looked like it was going to stay put so I left it and rushed over to the park. I got there in time to see Rosie in her tree:
Hello:
She looks almost identical to Bobby when in her winter plumage, especially with the two white streaks of feathers along her chin (that I like to call mutton chops). But her body shape, redder head feathers at certain angles in the sun, and overall look help distinguish her from him.
Rosie chased a couple of pigeons while heading south out of the park. My friend and I followed her but couldn’t find her.
We returned to the park area and my friend soon spotted her on an NYU flagpole outside the eastern side of the park.
She was sitting on the pole for so long, I easily became distracted by a Woodpecker near me:
Falling for Woodpeckers has screwed me up in the past and this time was no different because I missed photographing Rosie jump off her pole while I was checking my Woodpecker photos.
Rosie flew over the park, landed on a balcony at the apartment building at Two Fifth Avenue then south out of the park again.We searched for her along West 3rd Street (a block south of the park) and spotted her flying in low circles over the buildings a few times until we lost her again.
I spotted Rosie on the Judson Church cross soon after we returned to the park:
She flew over the park square and headed right to One Fifth Avenue:
My friend pointed out Bobby flying east out of the park so I looked too but in that split second we missed where Rosie wound up.
My friend then did some amazing spotting and saw Rosie sitting on a lower level than usual on One Fifth.
Spot the Hawk:
We watched her relax and preen and digest. Her crop was full so it was clear she was up there enjoying the sun and her meal. But we were freezing cold so I left after another hour when I could no longer take the cold and the wait to see if she would move.
Evening update: A fellow Hawk-watcher reported seeing Bobby and Rosie roosting together at the Red Roost Inn this evening.