Bobby relieved Sadie from egg-warming duties just as I arrived in Washington Square Park. Sadie flew east of the park:
Did you ever see a levitating Blue Jay?
There were several loud Jays in the park. One of them collected a peanut that someone left out for the squirrels:
Sadie returned to the park to sit on an NYU building diagonal from the nest:
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker woodpecker dug for bugs in a few trees around me:
“Dover” the pigeon was walking around doing his thing:
Sadie hopscotched to a few other perches on the building:
She returned to the base of the water tower and started to tug on a rope:
It was securely attached to the beam so she was out of luck:
That solved part of the mystery of where the Hawks may be finding rope for the nest; on various rooftops and construction sites.
She gave up tugging and preened for a while:
Returning to the nest:
Both Hawks flew north of the park together. One of the Blue Jays yelled loudly when the Hawks returned to the nest:
Bobby left the nest and landed on a building a block behind the library:
Spire of the World Trade Center tower in the background:
He eventually returned to the nest:
Watching Sadie take off:
He followed her again and circled with her over the park:
Bobby then returned to the nest to incubate the eggs:
Watching Sadie fly over the park:
Sadie flew over the buildings then continued northward:
I was only in the park for an hour and a half but got to see some great, unexpected action!
“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!”
Thanks, Roger_Paw.
These Hawks are always full of surprises. I figured they were getting their rope from construction sites but this was the first time I got to see one of them in action trying to do so.
Wow! What a fantastic set of photos! I almost feel like I am there too. Those Hawks are really beautiful and the idea of them taking roost in that very urban area is so interesting. Judging from the other wildlife pictures there are many snacks around for them and their chicks to come. Thank you for sharing the beauty of these majestic creatures.
Thanks, Elizabeth! There are many rats and pigeons in the park the Hawks catch for the young. They will on occasion get a squirrel or sparrow too. 🙂
Yes, that is the nature of the beast…life is truly a pecking order and one life sustains another. I have a question…How long are the Hawks able to leave their eggs without them cooling off? My broody hens take a 20 minute walkabout, have a dustbath, eat some grass and they are back on their nest. Is it the same for Raptor eggs?
I’ve seen the Hawks leave the eggs for around 20 minutes in past years and there were no ill effects on the eggs. The eggs hatched and the youngsters did just fine. I used to get worried at the longer breaks in the early years but it turns out ok. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your chicken anecdote; that was very cool to learn!