2013

I'll say one thing for 2013, and that is I took a lot of photos.  Here are some memories of the East Village from the past year.

Snow on St Mark's:



Madness on E 2nd St:



There were plenty of suspicious characters in Tompkins Square:



Street entertainment on 2ndAve:



I gained ten pounds thanks to this place...



...and another ten pounds at my favorite place in the neighborhood:



Enjoyed a harvest moon:



Drank a LOT of coffee...



And, enjoyed a few sunsets.



May everyone have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014!

See more photos of the EV from 2013 on my Flickr page.

And photos of EV from previous years.

Lessons learned

Two days ago, this juvenile red-tailed hawk went for a giant rat-kill in Tompkins Square, and seemed to fumble its way through the whole ordeal.  With that experience under its belt, it did a much better job today, successfully catching another king rat.



The rat really is gigantic...even the Penske moving guy is impressed.



The whole scene traumatized this girl.  And I love her friend's hoodie...



Yeah, not gonna happen.



All in all, a happy ending for everyone.



See more hawk photos on my Flickr page.

Previous hawk posts.

Red letter day

Taking a break from the hawks, I ventured up to Central Park today to get a change of scenery.  As it's winter and the park looks mostly brown and barren, what a surprise it was to come across an area of the park that had so many cardinals, they looked like red apples on the trees.

The males are brilliant scarlet:







And let's not forget the females, who are a bit more camouflaged:



See more photos here.

Score!

What started as a Mars Bar tribute site is quickly turning into a hawk blog. I can't help it.  Seeing Nature up close and personal in the middle of the city just amazes me.  Besides, the hawks are a lot of fun.

Today's featured juvenile stalked this man for a while, creeping up behind him and watching intently as he tore open a bag of pretzels.  Alas, he wasn't in the mood to share.



It then spent a good deal of time swooping around the immediate area, diving off every possible perch.

 

 



Finally, it made a kill.  I have to say, this was the clumsiest and most unprofessional hawk kill I've ever seen, but this is a juvenile and it's still learning.

It nailed a gigantic rat in some brambles in this stump.  After digging its talons in, the hawk discovered it was stuck, unable to pull the rat out of the tangle.  It also wasn't able to kill the rat right away, so the poor rodent screamed for several minutes while the hawk sat on top of it. 



It then struggled to drag the rat out and ate most of it on the ground before being able to fly away.





The hawk almost seems weighed down by the rat.  Or maybe it just likes to fly low.

 

See more hawk photos on my Flickr page.

Previous hawk posts.

Tompkins Square Christmas spectacular

Today wasn't my best day photographically, but it's Christmas, so let's overlook the technical short-comings and focus (heh!) on the Tompkins Square hawks, who were in fine form.

As I entered the park, I heard a commotion and looked up above the Christadora to see five crows chasing a hawk.  I couldn't get them all in one frame, but here are three with the hawk, and the second crow from the left has something in its beak.  Maybe they were all fighting over the same stocking-stuffer?



It just wouldn't be Christmas without a family argument, and here we have an adult (bottom, right) and juvenile tussling over a fence.  I learned the hard way not to keep the camera zoomed in so close.



I'm not sure who is imitating whom...



...but the hawk would have looked awesome in a Santa hat.



Late afternoon over the chess tables, dinner was served.



Never to be forgotten.



Until next time...



See more hawk photos here.

Previous hawk posts.

Merry Christmas!

Weekend hawk update

I'm developing a real soft spot for this juvenile red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square. I've watched it in the park for the last several weeks and am enjoying its antics.

Saturday was a beautiful day for flying...

 

And prancing around on the ground...



Sunday was a bit lazier - more resting than flying (or killing).  This hawk seems to have a bothersome right foot, which it often pulls up while sitting, as seen here.



My tongue, let me show you it...



Whose tree?  MY TREE!



Meanwhile, watching the action from the tree next door...



And then there was this...a hawk spirit?



See many more hawk photos here.

Previous hawk posts.

The color of December

In my mind, December is the month of endless night.  The sun sets before work is done, the only 'sunshine' radiates from sodium street lights.

This is the color of December.

Arrived

Fly across the city
Rise above the land
You can do 'most anything
Now you’re a 21st century man.

-- ELO

Snowy Saturday in Tompkins Square

A little snow didn't deter the hawks from frolicking in the park.  On this say, I saw the familiar adult and juvenile pair.

This is the young'un:





Fluffed up for the cold...



See you tomorrow!



See more hawk photos here.

Previous hawk posts.