[Updated] Peregrine Falcon fight and northern Hawks – June 30th, 2019

I was on my way to Washington Square Park when I spotted three Peregrine Falcons circling each other high above the street. A couple of them dove at each other a few times and touched feet but not too harshly. This went on for a few minutes.

If it was a pair of Falcons trying to drive the third one off it wasn’t working at first. The third one stayed in the game.

They all flew further west, toward the park. I saw one of them glide over Washington Square when I was a block away.

Some of the action:

I didn’t get a great shot but this shows one of the close flybys:

Following each other away:

I caught up with a couple of Hawk-watching friends in the park. We split up at first to better improve our chances of finding the Hawks.

I spent a few hours in the park yesterday but saw none of the Hawks. A friend saw one of them on a flag pole but that’s all.

We first searched for the most recently-released fledgling at Mercer and 4th but did not see or hear it.

A Cormorant flew past the One Fifth Avenue apartment building:

Cormorants fly above the city so often, I usually don’t bother to photograph them but seeing them is a nice break from the routine.

I searched a stretch of 7th Avenue for the fledgling that was released on the 16th because I had last seen it in that area on the 19th. Well, I neither saw nor heard that fledgling. As far as I know, no one else has seen that fledgling since then either.

And the fledgling who was rescued from the sidewalk on the 12th and brought to the Wild Bird Fund uptown has been caged in their facility ever since. I don’t have any recent word on its lead exposure treatment or where or when it will be released. UPDATE: I’ve received emails from a couple of sources that the fledgling is now with The Raptor Trust (a bird rehab facility in New Jersey) for treatment and that they will not be returning the fledgling to Washington Square Park.

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I was returning from 7th Avenue when I spotted mama Sadie Hawk sitting on a water tower platform on 5th Avenue and 12th Street. I don’t think I would have spotted her if I hadn’t heard Blue Jays making upset Hawk calls. It was their ‘yelling’ that made me scan the nearby buildings more intently. You have to pay attention to other birds and animals for signs a Hawk is around.

Scrunch and spring:

She circled above the street then disappeared on me. One of my Hawk-watching friends was heading downtown at the same moment and told me they saw her head north.

We all then saw Juno then Sadie land on a building facade further up 5th Avenue.

Juno landing first:

Sadie coming in for her own landing next to him:

It was only when I was closer to the building, 114 5th Avenue, when I noticed their feathers sticking out over the edge of the window sill:

Juno stood up after 10 minutes:

He leapt off then circled further north:

Sadie followed him but I lost her too.

Another look at the sill they were on:

We returned to the park and searched the last area the most recently-released fledgling was seen but got no sign she was around.