I spent an hour and a half watching the Washington Square Park Red-tailed Hawks as well as a Cooper’s Hawk (or two) and a Peregrine Falcon.
The first Red-tail I saw was Bobby as his shadow moved over the trees and into the nest:
He spent 10 minutes working on the nest then flew out and landed on the Judson Memorial Church cross:
He was on the cross for a minute before he flew off and headed south. I waited by the nest in the hopes of catching him return to it but it wasn’t working out so well.
I noticed one of the pigeon flocks flying in a panic in the park square 10 minutes later so I knew a raptor was around. I moved down the street and saw the cause of the pigeons’ distress: A Cooper’s Hawk!
It was circling the sky a block south of the park:
It flew behind the Bobst Library (site of the nest) and out of sight. A few seconds later I saw a Peregrine land on one of the NYU buildings a few blocks south:
It is the same building I first saw Sadie perch on last year in this post.
The Peregrine was resting so I looked around for one of the Red-tailed Hawks. I glanced to my left and spotted Bobby on a water tower down the street from the nest:
I had to wonder if he was there all along!
He jumped off his perch then flew behind Bobst:
I saw Sadie and Bobby fly behind and above Bobst three minutes later, one following the other.
Sadie:
Bobby:
They both flew east of the park:
I saw a Cooper’s Hawk circle above the western side of the park 4 minutes later, scaring up the pigeons again:
It flew north and away from the park.
Bobby landed on a regular southwest perch a few minutes later:
Bobby sunned for 7 minutes before flying south for the last time during my visit:
There was a new plastic bag in the nest later in the day which I hope will either blow away or the Hawks will soon neatly incorporate into the nest:
