The first WSP Hawk baby fledged yesterday afternoon (June 2nd), only a few hours after I had left the park.
I spent all day in the park today to see how the fledgling was doing and to see how the other bird still in the nest was faring.
The nest Hawk was peacefully preening when I arrived:
I spotted Rosie sitting on NYU’s Silver Center, looking down. I figured she was probably looking over the fledgling in the trees below her so that’s where I went.
I found the fledgling navigating among some branches:
The fledgling looked great. It was boldly climbing and jumping about in the foliage. It would cry out once in a while (especially when a squirrel charged it once) but it seemed to be getting the hang of the new environment.
Pollen like a fine mist when the fledgling stepped into some blooms:
The fledgling settled in so I went to check on the baby in the nest.
I saw Bobby paying it a visit:
He soon joined Rosie on NYU’s Silver Center.
She was prepping some food for the fledgling:
Bobby reentered the nest and took food out of it:
He took it to Silver:
Taking it out of the nest may have either been a ploy to encourage the baby still in the nest to fledge or was simply to stash food for the fledgling.
Rosie took her bit of food:
I didn’t see where she dropped it off but I saw her on a corner further back from Bobby.
A couple of Finches sat near her:
The nest baby got up a few times to jump and flap:
Rosie:
A rain storm fell on the park a few hours later.
The nest baby got full of energy again:
Rosie visited the little bird on the ledge for a couple of minutes.
It flew back and forth along the ledge and I really thought it might go for it and fly out but nah, no dice.
It really started to pour (as you can see in the photo below). At one point it looked like NYU President Sexton held the blinds back so a young woman could photograph the leaping Hawk:
But the move intimidated the bird and it stopped moving until the blinds were closed again.
I was without an umbrella so I grabbed the first available cab and went home.
A fellow Hawk-watcher visited the park later on and reported seeing the fledgling perched on a window sill for the night. The baby on the nest stayed put and retired there for the night.