A sizable blizzard passed through the northeast overnight last night. A friend and I ventured over to Washington Square Park to check on the Red-tailed Hawks and to see the park in all its wintery snowness.
We didn’t see the Hawks during our 45 minute visit but I wasn’t too worried; I’m sure they were being smarter than we were and were cozied up at a much less windy location (it was 14 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -4 degrees when we were at the park).
A fellow Hawk-watcher did see one of the Hawks soaring above the eastern side of the park at 3:30PM (several hours after my friend and I had left the park).
Garibaldi Monument,east side of the park:
Some of the buildings across the street from the northwestern side of the park:
Looking toward the eastern side of the park:
Quick peek at the Red Roost Inn:
I was hoping to see some evidence of where the Hawks may have roosted the night before but there was no way to tell if they had stayed at the Inn or not:
Nest with a decent amount of snow in it:
Judson Memorial Church:
Looking at the western side of the park (fountain in the center):
A few of the regular building perches overlooking the western border of the park:
Looking north at the park arch (Two Fifth Avenue on the left, One Fifth Avenue on the right):
Empire State Building seen through the arch:
One Fifth Ave, where the Hawks often perch (top of the arch on the lower left):
One of the dogs enjoying the snow:
Nice clump in its mouth:
The smaller of the two Judson Church crosses:
It was tempting to return to the park around sunset to see if the Hawks were around and whether they hunted for pigeon or squirrel before their bedtime (the snow cover would make it difficult to hunt rats) but it was just too darn cold to head out again.