We had several days of a heat wave which curtailed my ‘Hawking’ until today. I switched things up and first searched for Bobby at Cooper Square because I had seen him having a fine time hunting there on August 19th but neither he nor his mate Sadie were there.
I next went to Washington Square Park and soon saw one of the Hawks sitting on NYU’s Silver Center building!
I was happy to see the Hawk back at Washington Square Park. The two adults had been spending so much time north of the park lately so it was nice to see one back ‘home’.
I think it was Bobby but it was tricky determining which Hawk it was because both Hawks are molting now and their coloration has slightly shifted until their feathers grow back in.
An Osprey flew over the park:
Some of the park foliage has started to shift colors too as autumn approaches:
An hour passed and the nearby construction crew below the Hawk resumed work after a break. The noise from debris loads being deposited into a truck was very loud and did not go unnoticed by the Hawk:
The Hawk got roused out of its lull but did not leave the perch.
I noticed some light green material on the Hawk’s ankle. It looked light and wispy like part of a plastic shopping bag or construction material:
The material doesn’t look like it’s impeding any movement so hopefully it will be nothing to worry about and that the Hawk will pick it off once it becomes annoying enough. (*UPDATE Sept 2nd: I saw both Hawks today and this material was gone from Bobby’s leg so all’s well. I got clear images of Sadie’s legs too and they were free of material too.)
Scratch:
Off and away an hour and 20 minutes after I first spotted it:
I searched for the Hawk but didn’t see it again.
Gorgeous potted flowers spilling out past its fence and over the sidewalk:
I saw one of the ‘house on top of a house’ buildings I meant to add to the “Hawk hide-and-seek tour” post but had forgotten where it was located until today:
Thanks as ever for the journal entry and photos. It looked in the photos of the hawk just before taking off from its perch that the green material might have already fallen off its left claw/leg. Does that seem right?
Thanks, Carole! I had zoomed in on the original images (the post images are a bit smaller) and the material was still on the Hawk’s leg as it flew.
*September 2nd update: If you see this comment again I want to let you know I saw both Hawks today and the material is gone!
Really nervous about that plastic on his foot. I sorrowfully remember poor Violet, who tended to her chicks until her leg was so infected/swollen with a constricting item that she had to be caught and then euthanized. Do please keep a sharp watch (and telephoto lens) on Bobby to ascertain that the foreign object is gone. Thanks!
I saw both Hawks today and the material is gone! Yes, I too was more worried than I let on about this. I’m relieved all’s well!
Dear Bobby…Hope he can loosen that material from his leg/foot.
We all remember that tale of sweet Violet and of the attempts to save her leg and her very self, to no avail.
The ravages of cast-off plastic and refuse tells a sad tale.
The picture of the gorgeous Petunias (?) tell of a happier fate of nature left alone.
In the past , I loved to pot w/ Petunias as they are so resilient in the heat or cool, hot sun or gray skies
Thanks for “watching” our dear Hawks and letting us peek into their lives through your lenses.
Hi, Jeanne. I saw both Hawks today and there was no material on their legs! Quite a relief.
Thank you for that news.
What a wonderful relief.