Dragonflies

Dragonflies are my favorite insect and I eagerly await their final form each summer. Below are a few highlights.

Variegated Meadowhawk (female): 

Eastern Pondhawk (female):

Eastern Pondhawks mating (male on left):

I think this is a female Saffron-Winged Meadowhawk:

Roseate Skimmer (male):

Eastern Amberwing (female):

Autumn Meadowhawk (male):

Blue Dasher (male):

Blue Dashers are the most common dragonfly I see in the NYC area, and they are the most cooperative for photos, so I always come away with more photos of them than any other.

Female:

Female with two different colored eyes:

Male:

Mating (male on left):

Seeing the dragonflies mate and lay their eggs in water is bittersweet as I know that's the end of the life cycle. It's also a sign of the changing seasons and fall is not too far away.

 

At least one fledgling red-tailed hawk still hanging out in Tompkins Square

Heading into Labor Day Weekend, here are the latest photos I have of one of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings. As kids go off to school, the young hawks also embark on their own learning journeys as they leave the area and explore the world. I'm never sure when a fledgling hawk sighting in the park could be the last for the season, so each encounter is special.

This fledgling seems to really like the southwest quadrant of the park as I've been seeing it there regularly. There are plenty of pigeons and squirrels to chase in that area.

Here, the hawk perches near the remains of a pigeon left behind on a branch. 

This pile of brambles on the lawn east of the chess tables has been a popular perching spot.

Later, the same hawk flew up to a fire escape on 7th Street.

And then took off to go roost for the night as it started getting dark.

 

Catching up with some other fledgling red-tailed hawks around the city, I found one perched on an ornate tower in Queens (below, right).

Here is one flying along the A subway line.

This is the same hawk heading for Jamaica Bay with the JFK air traffic control tower in the background.

Hawk migration will be picking up now for the next several weeks, so we should start to see more red-tails, Cooper's, and other types of hawks moving through the city.

 

 

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling catches a rat

I was fortunate to have a visit with one of the Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk fledglings the other day. It appeared on the west side of the park late in the afternoon as it actively hunted for rodents.

Not finding what it wanted on the ground, the hawk flew up into a tree.

I love the alert and curious look it has on its face. The young hawks always look like they're fascinated by everything.

The hawk took a short break to do some sunbathing on a branch.

After a few minutes, it was back to work, and the hawk flew over to the Don Roberts garden where it resumed its quest for rats.

Success!

 

The hawk caught a rat in the garden and flew it across the plaza in front of the Krishna Tree. I was too slow on the shutter button, so this photo is slightly out of focus. The hawk was flying so unexpectedly low and fast, not even the dog in the background had time to react as it flew by. 

Up on a branch in the Krishna Tree, the hawk briefly posed with its dinner.

If you ever wanted to know what a rat tail looks like turned inside-out, well, here you go...

A squirrel (out of frame) startled the hawk, causing it to raise its wings and hackles.

The squirrel proved to be too much of an annoyance, so the hawk picked up its meal and flew it to another tree.

Venturing outside the neighborhood over the weekend, I saw this young red-tailed hawk as it flew along with a flock of starlings.

More to come...