Red-tailed Hawk landing on nest, Bobst Library, NYU, New York City

Warblers and nest switches – April 13th, 2018

It was a warm day in Washington Square Park today (close to 80 degrees). There were a few migrating Palm Warblers flitting about when I first arrived:


I had been in the park for an hour when all of a sudden I saw Bobby all tucked in like a bullet as he dove low over the trees and toward the nest.

He hopped onto the ledge then switched places with Sadie:

She brought a bit of pigeon with her:

It looked like she dropped the pigeon onto the cross base. She wiped up her beak:


She flew south of the park then returned to the tower 15 minutes later:


I found out that NYU has been the owner and maintainer of the tower for years and that it is not a part of Judson Memorial Church. I inquired about the cross and was told that it should be replaced in a few months, after the bell tower undergoes some restoration.


Sadie returned to the nest:


Bobby promptly took his leave:

He flew into the western trees and it looked like he grabbed a pigeon in mid-air and took it west out of the park. I was hoping to see a plume of plucked feathers in the sky to pinpoint where Bobby was but it was not to be. I waited another half hour for his return before I left.

Today’s Hawk action might have looked like part of a serene scene but with the warm weather there were tons of people out and about and lots of musicians of different genres playing in their respective park spots. It was pretty festive today and everyone seemed to be in good spirits, ready for summer!


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