Preparing for hawk fledge time

We're getting close to fledge time for the Tompkins Square hawk chicks. All three are looking great and I hope we get to see them around the park very soon. Until then, here are some photos from last week.

Mom Amelia perches in the nest next to one of her kids who is almost as tall as her. 

The young ones have yellowish chests, which is one way to distinguish them from the adults.

Here are two little fuzzy heads hunkered down in the wind.

This may be the only photo I have of all three siblings lined up and facing the same direction.

Big yawn...

Two of the three siblings:

Mom Amelia on the left, a chick standing, and another lying down in front of them.

Practicing some wing flaps:

This photo shows two chicks and dad Charlie (back right), which surprised me at the time. Both last year and this last spring, I have rarely seen him spend time on the nest. He usually delivers food, then takes off. This time, he brought some dinner and stuck around.

Dad was replaced by mom Amelia (right).

This is Amelia and Charlie perched together on the roof of the Christodora on a cloudy evening. They seem relaxed and to have everything under control.

Looking forward to more exciting updates coming soon.

Quality time with Pileated Woodpeckers

Earlier in the season, I encountered a couple of female Pileated Woodpeckers feasting on insects in a tree.

Their hammering could be heard across the whole forest.

These birds are so striking and charismatic.

These two danced around each other on a branch. I'm not really sure what was going on - they seemed more friendly than aggressive.

This is a third woodpecker seen zipping through the air.

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America, being almost the size of a crow. They're usually the highlight of my birding trips. 

 

 

NYC Wildlife

Taking a break from birds for a minute to highlight some of our urban critters. NYC is a tough place for any animal to live, so these guys deserve some recognition for finding their own way in this challenging environment.

This is a little Opossum in Tompkins Square Park. I have no idea where it came from or where it went after it left this tree.

Look at those toes!

And the teeth!

 

I think it was just yawning. After a few minutes, the Opossum made a face-first vertical descent.

These guys are good to have around as they eat all the nasty things like rotting food, carrion and insects. 

Oh, hello!

Another animal who has a varied diet is the Striped Skunk. I saw my first one ever in Queens, and this pair below in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Green-Wood is also home to this guy, the Groundhog. 

Unlike the Opossum and Skunk, Groundhogs are strictly herbivores.

We're all familiar with this little character, the Gray Squirrel. They come in a variety of coat colors and can be found in almost every NYC park. I think the ones in Tompkins Square are the most amusing. 

 

I mean, what other critter chillaxes like this? 

Chick pics to take you into the weekend

Here are some Red-Tailed Hawk chick pics to take you into the holiday weekend. These guys are about five weeks old and are starting to transform from fuzzy little white bobble heads into "tweens" with dark wings and tails. 

They're still very fuzzy and cute, though. 

This is Mom Amelia keeping close watch over her little guys a few days ago.

Mom feeding her chicks:

Finally, all three chicks visible:

All of the above photos were taken with a telephoto lens from very far away, and have been heavily cropped. The whole hawk family appears to be doing well and things are progressing as expected.

 

More to come.