Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Hawk-o-rama weekend - Part 1

I spent some quality time this last weekend with some juvenile red-tailed hawks who have been wintering on the Lower East Side.  These are young hawks that the resident adult red-tails, Christo and Dora, prevent from entering Tompkins Square Park.  Instead, they hang around the periphery of Christo and Dora's territory.

This winter, there have been many juvenile red-tails in the city and several in the neighborhood. I can think of at least six individuals, but there are likely more.  I caught up with two, who I wrote about earlier this month.  They are great examples of differing feather patterns.

I've been calling this one White Chest because of its broad white chest, pale legs and face.

Juvenile red-tail with prey

Juvenile red-tail

By contrast, the hawk below has a dark head, prominent belly band and heavily speckled legs. I've been calling it Speckles, but other people in the area have been calling it Bad Boy because of its hunting skills.

Juvenile red-tail

Juvenile red-tail

This hawk also has a very distinctive tail.  There is obvious feather damage, possibly from eating prey off the ground, or roosting against a brick wall.  The tips of the tail feathers are a very dark gray that matches the tips of its wings. 

Tail damage

The good news is the ratty tail will be replaced when the hawk molts in summer.  Over at Washington Square, Roger Paw has a shot of Bobby, the resident male red-tail, who also has a ragged tail.

White Chest and Speckles have been hanging out together for some time. I first saw them sharing a meal on January 7, but they've been around much longer than that.  I'm curious about their relationship - could they be siblings or just migration companions?  I've seen them each catch and eat their own food.  However, I've also seen Speckles catch prey, then leave the leftovers for White Chest.

Below, Speckles is on the left and White Chest is on the right.

Two juvenile red-tails

Below, Speckles and White Chest watch a foraging squirrel.  I was hoping to see some hunting teamwork, but the hawks didn't end up going after the squirrel.

Two red-tails and a squirrel

You can really see the difference in their markings in the photo below.  Speckles is fluffed up in the cold, otherwise White Chest appears to be the larger of the two.

Juvenile red-tail pair

White Chest on a fire escape.

Juvenile red-tail

Juvenile red-tail

Speckles on a fire escape.

Juvenile red-tail

Here is another view of that funky tail.  You can also see the dark primary feathers on the left wing.  That color matches the edges of the tail feathers.

Juvenile red-tail with tail damage

And here are those speckled legs.

Juvenile red-tail

Juvenile red-tail

Coming at me...

A big yawn at the end of a busy day.

Yaaawwwwn!

More fun hawk posts to come...

Monday, January 30, 2017

Sapsucker in action

At the end of my previous post, I showed a photo of sap wells in a holly tree made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  I returned to the holly yesterday and found the artist in action.

Here she is:

Sapsucker

Sapsucker

This time, I took a little video:



The artist poses with her handiwork:

Sapsucker

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Seeing red

In the dreary heart of winter, it's nice to see a pop of color.

This brilliant red male cardinal was foraging in a local community garden when I heard his chipping call.

Cardinal

He's got quite the Mohawk!

Cardinal

In a nearby tree, a radiant orange female responded with her own calls. They might not have liked me stumbling into their little bit of paradise.

Cardinal

Cardinal

Meanwhile, this male yellow-bellied sapsucker was much more curious, getting very close and appearing to check me out.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 

At the entrance to Tompkins Square Park at Avenue A and 9th Street, a sapsucker has left sap wells in the trunk of a holly. 

Evidence of a sapsucker 

It's worth revisiting the holly to see if any sap is flowing and if any other birds are sipping it. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Christo & Dora: Nest #4

It looks like red-tails Christo and Dora are going ahead with using their newest nest in Tompkins Square.  They've been working on it each day and, as far as I know, have not been seen at the previous nest in the ginkgo tree at all.

Below, Dora is in the nest while Christo looks on from below.

Dora in nest #4 as Christo looks on

Dora and Christo having a meeting.

Dora and Christo in nest #4

Dora trimming twigs from the nest tree (I believe it's an elm).

Dora working on nest #4

Christo peering out.

Christo in the nest

I will say, I do not like this choice of nest location, and here is the main reason why:

Dora in the nest and two invaders

Above, Dora is in the nest while two squirrels investigate.  This particular tree is home to several squirrels.  I don't know how many live there, but I saw eight on the trunk at once a few days ago.  This is also the same tree where, in 2014, Christo was intimidated by a gang of squirrels and all but fell out of the tree.

Last weekend, I saw Dora go on the attack when a squirrel ventured into the nest.  On Christmas day, there was a mortally wounded squirrel on the ground directly beneath the nest that I believe had a bad encounter with a hawk and subsequently fell (no one saw what actually happened).  Christo has been known to catch squirrels (examples: here and here.)

Hawks naturally prey on squirrels, but squirrels can also do serious harm to the hawks.  Squirrel teeth are razor sharp and our Tompkins Square squirrels are pretty bold and tough.  In addition to seeing a group of them go after Christo in the tree, I also witnessed a squirrel "war" over a tree on the east side of the park a couple of years ago.  About 30 squirrels swarmed the ground and went to battle another group who were defending the tree.  It was like a sea of squirrels and they all made a hissing sound I've never heard.  At the time, I looked around to see if anyone else was witnessing the crazy event, but the only other person present was sleeping on a bench.  Anyway, it was a bit terrifying and I've never seen it happen again.

So, I'm just nervous about the hawks nesting in this particular tree.  They are going to have to be extra vigilant to guard the nest (squirrels can prey on eggs and chicks), and the squirrels will need to stay safe by avoiding the nest.  I'm really puzzled why Christo and Dora didn't decide to reuse last year's nest in the ginkgo, as it seemed to work out perfectly.

I wish they could give us a clue to their thoughts...

Dora and Christo
Dora on the left, Christo on the right.

Below are a few more hawk pics from the last week or so.

Dora and Christo hanging out on cellphone transmitters on Avenue A.

Dora and Christo

Dora and her swishy feathers in the wind.  She often looks disheveled while Christo has a sleeker appearance.

Dora and her swishy feathers

Dora with something on her head.  Ha.

Is there something on my head???

Dora showing off her beautiful wings and tail.

Dora

Christo.

Christo

Dora scouting out a roosting place at dusk.

Dora going to roost

Dora and Christo on their lookout post atop St Nicholas of Myra at Avenue A and 10th Street.

Dora and Christo 

I will update on the nest as I know more.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Women's March NYC

Below are some photos I took at the Women's March in NYC today.  There is a link at the bottom of the post that goes to the full set.

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

Women's March NYC

You can see all of my photos from today's march here.