Sad news: one of the Tompkins Square hawk fledglings has died

I'm heartbroken to report that one of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings was found dead on a fire escape on Avenue C Sunday morning. It's not known exactly what happened, but the situation looked a lot like one we saw in 2022 when a fledgling had to be rescued from a fire escape after displaying obvious signs of illness. In that case, the theory was it had been weakened by rodenticide poisoning, and died just a few hours after being rescued. 

In this case, the hawk was already deceased when found, and I'm hoping the person who collected the body does the right thing and hands it over to the Urban Park Rangers so they can send it to the DEC for necropsy. In the 2022 case, the hawk was sent to the Wild Bird Fund, where it died, and the body was disposed of rather than sent off for testing. Consequently, we were never able to determine the cause of death. If both of these hawk deaths were caused by rodenticide, we need to know as it is a public health issue. 

I don't know which of the three fledglings this was. After the hawk was taken away, I went to Tompkins where I found one of the other fledglings and dad, Charlie. I had to leave the park due to weather, but will continue to search for the third fledgling this week.

In the mean time, below are some photos of the fledglings and parents, Amelia and Charlie, taken over the last few days. 

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Fledgling perched on one of the towers of St Brigid's church on Avenue B: 

This fledgling caught and ate a rat in the park, then spent the rest of the afternoon chilling on a nearby fire escape.

This fledgling spent time exploring the decorative rooftop of the Newsboy's Home on Avenue B.

This fledgling takes off from a rooftop railing on a building further south on Avenue B.

At sunset the other night, I found this fledgling perched on a rooftop vent at the Earth School on Avenue B.

Back in the park, one of the fledglings perched on a fence as it hunted rats in the enclosed flower garden.

The front door of the Christodora building can be seen in the background.

Having no luck finding rats in the bushes, the fledgling flew further into the park and perched in a small tree in another garden area where rats have previously been found.

I love how the colors of the hawks blend into the summer leaves.

I couldn't get the whole scene in the frame, but this young hawk is running along the fence of the handball courts along Avenue B.

These hawks bring so much joy to so many people...when times are stressful, it's really heartening to come into the park and be uplifted by them.

At sunset on Wednesday, this fledgling decided to check out the view from a rooftop on 9th Street and Avenue B.

Dad Charlie is still providing food for the fledglings, although their dependence on their parents is lessening. He and mom Amelia have been spending more time away from the park and can often be found perched atop Most Holy Redeemer church on 3rd Street. From there, they have a view of the park and the neighborhood.

Although it's no longer nesting season, I recently found Amelia collecting leaves for some project she's working on.

This is her taking a break in her favorite locust tree.

Finally, Charlie soars overhead.

If/when I get an update on the fledgling who died, I will post it here.