I spent a couple of hours in Washington Square Park today and saw Bobby Hawk and a few other raptors.
Bobby appeared pretty early in my visit, circling low above the park square making the pigeons nervous:
He did not hunt. Instead he rose higher and higher and circled above the park then disappeared when he flew above the trees I was under:
I found him on Judson Memorial Church’s cross 10 minutes later:
He hopped off after three minutes then flew back and forth from the cross to NYU’s Kimmel Center:
He flew toward 3rd Street (the block south of the park) and disappeared behind the buildings:
I stood by the nest in the hopes he’d return and fly in but that plan was a bust. I did see a pair of Turkey Buzzards flying a bit low behind the Bobst Library though. They scared up that corner’s pigeon flock but the buzzards moved on and headed far northeast:
My stakeout at the nest wasn’t working out for me so I took several steps away and of course watched as Bobby flew in when I wasn’t prepared. At least I managed to photograph his tail feathers when he landed:
He flew out two minutes later:
He made his way around the park before perching in a tree in front of the library.
I caught him right as he was landing:
I’m pretty sure the last time I saw Bobby in a tree was December 19th so I was so happy to see him in a tree again.
He flew off after a minute:
He flew around the park a bit before circling a couple of blocks north of the park and beyond.
I left the park after 15 minutes. I was a block from the park when I looked back toward the park and noticed the park’s plaza pigeons were fleeing something. I then saw a Cooper’s Hawk following them. I only got a sliver of him:
I returned to the park grounds to look for the Cooper’s Hawk but didn’t see it again so I left for good.
A few hours later I received a message from old friend Ranger Rob that someone had contacted Audubon and said Bobby was hurt. Audubon contacted Rob so he drove to the park and saw Bobby on the church cross. Here’s an old post from one of the several times Rob (and the Horvaths) assisted Washington Square Hawks.I was fixing to head back to the park but a fellow Hawk-watcher updated me to let me know it was not Bobby but a third Red-tailed Hawk that had been seen stunned outside NYU’s Kimmel building. My friend watched this third Hawk perching in a tree across the street from Kimmel later. It still looked stunned.Bobby perched on the cross and the two Hawks kept an eye on each other. The visitor managed to fly south of the park and out of sight. Hopefully he’s alright and was just stunned for a bit and not injured.
Bobby visiting Sadie in the nest before flying to the cross then retiring at the Red Roost Inn for the evening:
