Today was a good day for Hawk sightings. A fellow Hawk-watcher reported seeing mama Sadie Hawk this morning while I saw who I think was Juno, her new male beau, in the early afternoon.
I had been searching for a while in Washington Square Park when all of a sudden a couple of pigeons flew in their tell-tail panic mode (as if they were being hunted). I looked up and there was a circling Hawk!
It was missing a few feathers and was in its late summer molt. I referred back to older photos when I got home and I think the Hawk in the photo below was of Juno.
This Hawk had gaps in its right wing and his tail feathers almost identical as to how Juno appeared in the first photo of my July 15th post.
He circled right between me and the sun. I had to look away and of course, when I looked back he was gone!
But here’s a shocker; July 15th was also the last day I saw him and Sadie at Washington Square Park. I’ve seen them a few times north of the park since then (mostly on their Con Ed tower perch).
My Hawking friend has seen them in the park recently so I don’t want you to get the impression they’ve been away from the park grounds since then.
I looked around for Juno but he was long gone. The park creatures quickly resumed their activities.
These sparrows would fly to a lawn, forage, then return to their fence:
I was disappointed to see that the big tree at the south end of Schwartz Plaza had been cut down. Schwartz Plaza is a little lane between the Bobst Library (home of the Hawk nest) and NYU’s Shimkin Hall building.
There was one tall tree and two smaller ones at this location. The remains of one of the smaller trees below:
You can see the tallest tree looking a bit bare in this picture of the Plaza. I bring this large tree up because it was the tree that one of the released fledglings perched in for an hour and thirty five minutes on June 25th.
I asked an NYU gentleman if he knew why the tree was cut down and he said they needed to place a pipe underground at that location so the tree(s) had to go.
Great news about the hawk! I’m concerned about the lovely cherry trees that were around Coles and which were going to be saved and replanted–somewhere. I wonder if this has happened? The blossoms were absolutely glorious in the Spring…some on Mercer street and the others on Bleecker…has any landscaping been done there? I think administrations all over don’t give a fig about such small matters as killing trees…the people at Temple are doing the same thing all over the campus as they build and build and build…
Hi, the building being built at the Coles site is shockingly massive. I walked by it today actually. I didn’t notice any cherry trees around. The structure is still being worked on and it’s clearly too early for landscaping what with all the heavy machinery and cranes all around.
The picture of the sparrows is so special.
Thanks! As soon as they perched there I just had to take their picture!
In a previous posting, Janet explains her absence from the Roger_Paw column.
Me too, Janet…I also have watched since the days of Pip and while nature does what nature is, I found it so difficult keeping in touch daily w/ sadness about our RTHawks.
I love the animal Chanels on the TV, but never tune in on the selections showing the “kills” of the animals.
I think, we know what goes on in our animal world, but to watch it daily, can become heart breaking.
Now, I try and discern the substance of the Roger_Paw postings before I read or watch further.
Are we unrealistic? I don’t think so, but we know what is uplifting for us and choose where we go.
Thanks Roger_Paw for all you do for the health and welfare of WSP critters…those who fly and hop and scratch about.
You present the reality of the life in the park and it is up to us , your audience, to choose what is good and pleasant for us, individually to observe and relive.
It can be heart-breaking indeed, Jeanne. It’s practically impossible for me to follow them and not have some attachment. The rewards of learning what makes these birds tick in the city makes it all worthwhile if you know what I mean. Plus, for example, without these Hawks I wouldn’t have learned how squirrels ‘talk’ to each other in calm times and warn each other when a Hawk is around.
Thanks for all you do! Wonderful detective work figuring that the hawk you spied recently was actually Juno, after comparing an early photo with a recent one with the missing feather(s).Wow, good job. On another subject, what a lovely photo you took of the little sparrows communing on their fence. Is that at all near the Bobst Library?
Thanks, Ann! Yes, Juno was flying over a building about three doors west from the library and the sparrows were on a fence across from that very same building so all pretty close.
Oh,loved that picture of the sparrows! New nomenclature: “a party of sparrows.” 😀😀