Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings are now two months old

The Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings are now two months old and are looking great.

They're learning quickly, improving their flying and navigation skills.

I love the patterns on their feathers. Note the toe and talon sticking out in the lower right.

I've been finding two of them close together a lot. Getting all three in one shot has been a challenge.

As always, I'm impressed by their flexibility, especially their necks. The hawk below on the right is getting a better look at its sibling by turning its head around and upside-down.

Note the difference in size of these two. They could be male (smaller) and female (larger), but I can't know for sure.

There's a lot of dropped food around the park, so be careful where you sit. This one scavenged a dead rat from beneath some flowers.

I love the color of the young hawks' eyes, which is a minty green. As they age, their eyes will turn brown.

And here is that scavenged rat from the flower bed...

All three are looking good and appear to be doing well.

Meanwhile, the hawks' parents are keeping close eyes on all the fledglings. This is Amelia the other day perched on the top floor of the Christodora, watching over one of her kids in the park below.

Amelia took off and was replaced by dad, Charlie, in the same spot. After he located all three fledglings, he delivered food to each one.

More to come...

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings enjoying lazy summer afternoons

Our fledgling red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park are getting the hang of flying and landing, balancing in trees, and figuring out how to be raptors.

This is one of them in flight along Avenue B. 

Looking good!

The three young hawks are getting to know their neighbors, especially the squirrels.

Mom and Dad are still providing food to the fledglings so they can focus on their flying skills. As they are well-fed and content, there's time for relaxing in the warm afternoons. This young hawk is just chilling on a branch.

The young hawks need their nap time as well. Below, one fledgling rests in a bed it made of leaves while its sibling nibbles at it, encouraging it to get up.

Relenting, the sleepy hawk got up and joined its sibling on a nearby branch.

Here is one of the fledglings with mom, Amelia.

They are soon joined by another fledgling.

After a few minutes (with no food to be had), one of the fledglings takes off.

All three young hawks currently have peachy-yellow chests which can help identify them. The pattern of brown spots is unique to each individual.

Looking very serious...

The fledglings all have heavy dark splotching across their bellies, and brown spots on their legs. Their eyes are also a lighter color than the adults, who have brown eyes.

Keep an eye out in the park for people with binoculars who are likely looking at the hawks.

 

 

Tompkins Square hawk fledglings exploring trees and (not) sharing meals

The Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings are quickly honing their flying skills and are becoming more familiar with their environment.

On a recent afternoon, I found one of them at the top of some trees. 

The fledgling (below, left) had its eyes on mom, Amelia (below, right).

When it saw her, it tried to make its way up to where she was perched.

Hey, Mom!

The pair stayed up there for a while, watching the activity in the park.

Later, Amelia (below, right), delivered some pigeon dinner to a branch where one of the fledglings (below, left) came to take it from her.

All mine!

The commotion attracted the attention of another fledgling, who joined its sibling on the branch.

The first hawk, however, was not going to share and did its best to block its sibling from getting any of the food.

The hawklet on the right eventually dragged the pigeon to another branch where the other fledgling couldn't reach it.

There's a notable size difference between these two, with one being significantly larger than the other. Below, the hawk on the left appears much smaller than the one on the right. It's possibly they are male and female.

The fledgling on the right also has a lot more brown speckles on its chest, which is helpful when trying to identify them individually.

More to come...