A few Hawk-watchers and I ventured out to Washington Square Park at the start of a new heat wave to check on the fledgling.
A fellow Hawk-watcher found her almost two hours after I had arrived. She was sitting on a window facing the eastern side of the park:
A near slip:
Mama Sadie circled above 10 minutes after we found the fledgling but it wasn’t clear if she knew where the fledgling was:
The fledgling flew across the street and into a park tree:
It was a bit clumsy going:
She flew back across the street to the previous building 7 minutes later:
Her right talons got stuck in part of the sill and she flapped about and even hung suspended from one leg for a few seconds before managing to break free and land on the ledge below her:
It was stressful to watch but she seemed ok. She settled down and preened for 40 minutes before settling down for a nap. She would cry out sometimes but her call was very quiet.
She’d get restless, lift her head, change position, then settle down again.
Stretch:
It was very hot out and the park was packed:
One of her downy feathers floated away down the street. I walked alongside it hoping to catch it when all of a sudden a noisy Sparrow flew out from the trees, grabbed the feather in midair, then turned back and took it back to the trees!
An archaeologist attending to the construction site where crypts were recently discovered under the street told me and a friend that she had nicknamed the fledgling Stephania Hawking after Stephen Hawking. I think that name rather suits the intrepid fledgling. 🙂
The fledgling stretched out her wings, immediately reminding me and a friend of Rosie when she struck a similar pose.
I had been at the park for 6 hours and tore myself away.
A couple of Hawk-watchers informed me that the fledgling returned to the trees some time after I had left and had even migrated to a tree further south (and closer to the library).
I heard that all three Hawks were seen together on eastern buildings tonight and that the fledgling was flying very well.