Charlie vs. a squirrel

I found Red-Tailed Hawk, Charlie, in Tompkins Square the other day being tormented by a squirrel. He started out in one tree, got chased out by a squirrel, and flew to another tree where a second squirrel confronted him.

He tried to intimidate the squirrel into leaving him alone.

The squirrel, however, didn't back down easily.

The park squirrels are very territorial and possessive of their trees. They don't want the hawks around and will do everything they can to get the birds out of their trees.

Always willing to join the fray, a Blue Jay snuck up behind Charlie to help remove him from his perch.

Annoyed, Charlie, threatened the squirrel with his talons, but ended up flying to another tree.

In the new tree, Charlie quickly discovered it, too, had its own resident guardian squirrel.

This squirrel seemed to tease the hawk, crawling along the bottom of the branch where Charlie couldn't reach it.

I have to wonder if all the animals in the park know each other. Or, at least, recognize each other. They live in a small area and the squirrels stick to their own territories. Maybe these two have had previous interactions.

It's worth noting it's the time of year when the hawks molt, so Charlie is looking a little ragged around the face.

Here is a post from a year ago showing Charlie going through his summer molt. And this post from 2024 shows Christo looking especially rough.

 

Harassment by squirrels wasn't the only annoyance for Charlie on this same afternoon. He took refuge on the cross of St Brigid's Church, but the Blue Jays found him there.

This particular jay was really persistent.

As always, the hawk displayed a lot of patience and tolerance of the bullying. When they are perched, there is not much a hawk can do when mobbed by smaller birds who are more agile. I've noticed the Blue Jays will keep up their pestering for a while, but will eventually give up and go away, often returning later if the hawk is still there. 

 

Bald Eagle mobbed by Kingbirds

Last week, I posted some photos of Red-Tailed Hawk, Amelia, being mobbed by a Northern Mockingbird. I've always thought Mockingbirds to be the gutsiest of all the small birds when it comes to assaulting raptors. A recent experience, however, has changed my mind. 

I now declare Eastern Kingbirds masters of mobbing.

I was hiking on a rainy day when I heard a Kingbird calling, followed by the cries of a young Bald Eagle. It turns out the Eagle had committed the crime of perching in the Kingbird's tree. 

A pair of Kingbirds harassed the Eagle until it flew out of the tree, at which point they followed and aggressively bit the Eagle on the back and head.

This was the first time I'd ever seen the golden crowns of the Kingbirds (visible in the photo below), a sign they were really riled up.

This was one of the most exciting bird observations I've had, so I was annoyed that it happened on a dark rainy day with bad light, but I'm happy to have been able to get these photos even if they aren't the best quality.

In the end, the Kingbirds chased the Eagle far from their tree, which they returned to, victorious.

 

On the same day, I found an adult Bald Eagle being bullied by a Mockingbird. 

It was interesting to note that the Mockingbird approached the adult Eagle from behind and bit its tail rather than going for the head. Maybe the Mockingbird recognized that this was a more experienced and threatening enemy than the young inexperienced Eagle. 

 

Eventually, the persistent Mockingbird won this battle as well, driving the Eagle off its perch and out of the area.

 

 

 

Mid-summer Tompkins Square hawk round-up

July is almost over, and the Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawk fledglings are spending more time outside the park, which makes them more difficult to find.

At least one of them, however, is still making regular appearances in the park. 

This particular individual was actively chasing after squirrels near Avenue A on a recent afternoon. 

I like how the young hawks can so easily blend into the streetscape.

I was watching the hawk from across the lawn when it flew and landed right in front of me. I couldn't believe it and had to back up as it was so close.

On its way to torment some squirrels...

The three squirrels on this tree scattered when they saw the raptor approaching. 

Failing to catch a squirrel, the hawk grabbed a piece of wood and took off with that instead.

Looking for its next target...

One of the other three siblings:

This fledgling caught a pigeon and found a private space in a garden to eat it.

Meanwhile, this fledgling tried its luck with rodents along 10th Street.

And this fledgling gets a face full of feathers as it plucks a pigeon on the ground.

Each year, our time with the hawks seems so short. They hatched in late April and only came out of the nest the second week of June. In general, they embark on their migrations in August, but we've had some in the past stay through September. You can see information about previous hawk seasons on my Tompkins Square Hawk Archives page.