April 2014 – Roger

Springtime Central Park birding pics from April 28th, 2014

We’re in the middle of a rainy streak in New York City so there isn’t much Hawk-watching to do for another day or so. But a fellow Hawk-watcher who lives near Washington Square Park has seen Bobby out and about and Rosie either warming the babes or sitting at the edge of the nest the last couple of days so all is well with them.

A friend and I, knowing we were due for a few days of rain, took our chance to visit Central Park our last sunny day to see how Spring migration was going.

Without even intending to, we soon wound up at Pale Male’s nest.

We had good timing because he appeared soaring in the sky before we could reach the best place to view his nest from. He was toting food for his new hatchlings. He and Octavia have two babes this Spring.

Continue to the full post… “Springtime Central Park birding pics from April 28th, 2014”

Rosie out briefly to fortify the nest – April 26th, 2014

A fellow Hawk-watcher had seen Bobby circling above the northern border of Washington Square Park a few minutes before I arrived this morning. Bobby looked as though he was hunting the pigeon flock that hangs out there. He flew west out of the park and was gone by the time I got there but that was OK because I got to enjoy seeing Rosie up and about for just under an hour.

She stood up to take a break from warming her hatchlings.

Continue to the full post… “Rosie out briefly to fortify the nest – April 26th, 2014”

Perfect Hawking at Tompkins Square Park – April 24th, 2014

I didn’t intend to visit the Tompkins Square Park Red-tailed Hawks today but a friend (and fellow birder) wanted to run errands in that area with me so off I went. We stopped by TSP and had a great outing watching the resident Hawks over the next 40 minutes. It was an action-packed visit full of hunting, eating, twigging, and a nest switch.

We both saw a flock of pigeons freaking out, flying in panic. I was optimistic that the pigeons may have been fleeing one of the juvenile Red-tails that I used to see in the park but no, it was the nesting male!

He caught a Starling that had been fleeing with the pigeons:

Continue to the full post… “Perfect Hawking at Tompkins Square Park – April 24th, 2014”