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

New Year’s Day with Rosie and Bobby – January 1st, 2014

I visited Washington Square Park just before sunset today.

Rosie was relaxed on the Judson Memorial Church cross:

A friend and I watched her for about fifteen minutes before she flew eastward.

Flying by NYU’s Shimkin Hall:

She flew back toward the western side of the park after two minutes:

I had noticed that her crop was full so she had clearly eaten recently.

She flew right to the Red Roost Inn for the night:

She was on the second rung down from the top:

I had heard the sound of squirrels giving out their warning cries in the corner of the park closest to the evening roost when my friend and I went to have a look at Rosie.

We were returning to the park when my friend spotted Bobby in a tree near where the squirrels had been crying out.

He flew from tree to tree, hunting by the Hangman’s Elm for rats.

Rosie watched. She can see much of the park from her vantage point:

Since it was after sunset and around “feeding time” for the squirrels, there were several squirrels running up and down the trunk of the Hangman’s Elm and gathering on the lawn at the base of the tree. They were eating the nuts left out for them (illegally) by the two women who regularly feed them (the two who tried to attack Rosie in the past when she hunted in that area). The squirrels were also drinking from the tubs of water one of the women refills nightly or near nightly. My friend remarked that rats were out running about in the area as well.

Bobby sat on a Hangman’s Elm branch tucked a bit back from the scene, surveying the squirrels and rats from an obscured location. He finally floated down and made a go at a squirrel but it was too fast for him so he turned in mid-air then raised himself to a street sign right outside the park:

I think his turn in mid-air was the closest he ever got to me.

Bobby flew to the park trees again:

Note the squirrel that had climbed up behind him to watch him for a spell:

Bobby eventually caught and ate a rat:

He flew to the Red Roost Inn right after he finished eating:

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