Bobby fights a stranger Hawk, joins Sadie – December 5th, 2018

I noticed that the scaffolding supports located near the Hawk nest are now gone and that the sidewalk scaffolding below the Hawk nest was being dismantled. There are still scaffolding frames in place along the west-facing side of the library (the nest is in the window on the far left):

The north-facing sidewalk shed being disassembled:

Might this be the end of the renovations being done to the facade? This could be the completion of an initial phase considering the permit was scheduled to expire next March but the removal of the supports and scaffolding is all good news for now.

***

I was on the western side of Washington Square Park when I heard a squirrel repeating a Hawk warning cry:

This call is a signal to other squirrels that a Hawk is in the vicinity. The call sounds like a squeaky door opening and closing. I looked among the trees and buildings near me but could not see the Hawk anywhere.

I was getting more perplexed when all of a sudden I saw Bobby sitting on the back of a building located a block south of the park!

The squirrel was really on top of its game to be warning other critters of a Hawk that was perched that far away.

Bobby looked content and found what was apparently a giant heat vent at the top of the building. I normally see the Hawks warm themselves atop chimney-like heat vents.

I moved closer to Bobby’s perch:

The view of the park and arch from where I stood (Thompson and 3rd Street):

Pigeons sat together on the arch as though a Cooper’s Hawk was nearby. Sure enough a Cooper’s Hawk did eventually begin to circle above them, making the pigeons fly in a tight flock together.

Bobby must have seen the Cooper’s Hawk from his perch but he did not react to its presence despite the Cooper hunting in his territory.

Bobby’s perch was the 3rd Street-facing side of NYU’s Kimmel building.

Stretches:

Preening:

Big wing/shoulder stretch:

I watched Bobby sit on his perch for an hour and 20 minutes. He was living it up while I was slowly freezing down below. I have already set a reminder to put my long johns and insulated boots into my winter wardrobe rotation from now on.

The magic moment finally happened when he turned and looked ready to leap:

He flew toward the park.

I knew that he had flown east yet there was a young Hawk sitting on the southwest corner building:

It flew off its perch then headed toward where I last saw Bobby:

The two Hawks then engaged each other a couple of minutes later. From what I could tell, the younger Hawk chased after Bobby (he is in the lower right in the picture below):

The fight was on:

The two did not appear to make contact. The young Hawk flew eastward. Bobby rose high in the sky then dove directly toward the Con Edison building (several blocks northeast outside Union Square Park).

I moved to where I could see the tower and spotted he and his mate Sadie atop it:

I stayed where I was in Washington Square in the hopes one or both of the Hawks would return.

As I waited, the pigeons had reassembled on the arch and the Cooper’s Hawk came back and circled above them again:

It flew low north of the park. Bobby came back to the park mere seconds later.

Bobby flew above the park for a little while then tucked into a dive and headed straight to the western trees:

I then realized that he was chasing a young Red-tailed Hawk out of a tree. He chased the youngster away from the park.

Bobby flew to a water tower. The owl decoy on the ladder may prevent pigeons from landing there but not so with the Hawks!

Bobby stared southwest of the park (toward where the young Hawk fled):

He then returned to the park, landing on the southwest corner building:

A young Red-tailed Hawk flew past along the southern border of the park:

I could not say if this was the same Hawk Bobby fought with earlier or if it was the same Hawk he had chased from the trees.

Regardless, I was suprised that Bobby did not chase it. He would have most certainly seen it. He rested on his building instead:

Flying off and to the park square 10 minutes later:

He circled above the square with Sadie.

She landed on One Fifth while Bobby flew south.

Sadie:

It was a remarkable visit in that there was such a long time of zero action and then nothing but action for the next half of my visit. You can never predict what kind of day the Hawks will have as they thrive in this little patch of the big city.