Dora in the cold sunshine

This last weekend was extremely cold, but Dora the hawk was very active around the park.  I saw more of her than I have in some time, and she perched closer to the ground.  Normally, I see her in the tall trees or on church crosses, but this time she came down to some low trees behind the park offices.



One of her recent favorite perches is this cellphone tower on Avenue A & St Mark's Place, where she often dives at pigeons.



Dora also visited her old nabe, the top of the Christadora House on Avenue B & 9th Street.



Back in the park, she found a stashed pigeon in a tree.  You can see its pink feet sticking out in front of her leg.







After nibbling on that, she flew off to another tree where she ate a stashed rat.  These could be gifts left for her by Christo, as it was Valentine's Day it's the start of the mating season.

Flying with a full crop:





I hope to see more of Dora up close like this in the coming weeks as nesting time approaches.