Tompkins hawk fledglings play around together

The Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawk trio is proving to be curious and energetic as they play together around the park.

When there are no dogs on the lawn, the young hawks like to run around and play with things like sticks, rocks, leaves, and random trash. 

The other morning, two of the three siblings played with each other in the grass.

Biting the tail!

I love when they lay in the grass like chickens.

A bit later, two of the three perched together in a tree and scoped out the area.

This one spent the afternoon hidden in the Holiday Tree.

At the end of a long day, one of the kids laid down on a branch for a while. It's normal for them to lay down and even take a nap, especially in the hot weather.

More to come...

Time to give M2 a name?

After we lost long-time resident male Red-Tailed Hawk, Christo, in February, we were quickly introduced to a new male. This hawk picked up right where Christo left off, assisting Amelia in finishing their nest, and providing for her throughout the nesting season. He brought regular meals to her and their three chicks, ensuring they were all well-fed and cared for.

However, from March to May, I didn't get to see much of the new male as he spent the majority of his time hunting outside the park, and his visits to the nest were brief. I wanted to get to know him better before deciding what to call him, and in the meantime, I've just been calling him "M2." 

People have been asking me what to name him and I've been hesitant to decide as I know people have their own ideas about what to call him, and I believe you can call the hawks what ever you want. But for the purposes of this site, he does deserve better than "M2."

 

A fellow hawk-watcher suggested calling him Charlie after jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker, who used to live at 151 Avenue B, across from the park. I think it's a good fit.

This male hawk has incredible flying and hunting skills, specializing in catching birds (the first thing I saw him catch was a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker). Whereas Christo was the master of catching rats, this hawk is adept at catching pigeons (as is Amelia).

This photo was taken the other day when Dad spent some quality time perched in a tree with one of his kids. Since the chicks fledged the nest, he has remained very close to them within the park, providing them with food and just hanging out.

Here he is carrying some food over the park.

Perched on the cross of St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A:

A distinctive feature of this hawk is his eyes. They are bright caramel brown, indicating he is young. Based on this and his behavior during the breeding season, I'm guessing he's 2-3 years old. His eyes will likely darken over time, but for now, they really stand out and make him easy to identify.

I was spoiled by Christo, who made it so easy to photograph him as he perched on fences, park benches, and other low places. This male has been more challenging, so I'm striving to get better captures of him. He is extremely fast, zipping across the park so quickly, I miss him if I blink. His movements are unpredictable, spontaneous, and dazzling.

So, I'm going to refer to this hawk as "Charlie" going forward, but others can call him what ever they want as there are no official rules for naming these birds. 

 

For anyone not familiar with Charlie Parker's music, this is a good place to start. This year's Charlie Parker Jazz Festival will take place in Tompkins Square on August 24.

 

 

Hawk fledglings encounter squirrels, enjoy rat dinner

The Tompkins Square Park Red-Tailed Hawk fledglings are still too young to catch their own prey, but they are practicing and quickly honing their skills.

The other wildlife in the park—primarily squirrels—know the hawks are still inexperienced and clumsy, so they go out of their way to tease the young predators. 

 

I love how the hawks are utterly fascinated by the squirrels. Let's take a closer look at that curious head position...

I've tried replicating this yoga move and just can't...I mean, how??

It's fun to watch the hawks intently study the moves of the squirrels, patiently contemplating how to some day make a meal out of them.  

I've long said the squirrels of Tompkins are different than those anywhere else. They're well-fed, strong, fierce, and have an attitude. They're territorial and will defend their turf, so they don't hesitate to challenge the hawks.

Who could ever find this threatening? LOL.

Meanwhile, another challenger enters the arena.

The arrival of the second hawk caused the squirrels to retreat to the trees.

These two spent several minutes dancing around each other, kicking up bits of wood.

Again with the crazy neck twist:

Later in the day, after time spent playing on the ground, Dad delivered dinner to all three fledglings up in the safety of the trees. He nabbed three rats in a row and was so quick, I couldn't capture the action. But, below is a shot of one of the fledglings picking up the meal Dad brought. It's gruesome, but you can see the puncture wound in the rat's abdomen caused by Dad's talons.

Although the rat's eyes are open, it is not alive in these pics, and was not suffering.

Dinner secured, I left the hawk family to enjoy their meal.