Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Back at it

After about a week of inactivity, it seems the hawk nest on the Christodora is back in action.

Late this afternoon, I saw the male taking sticks up to the site:

Taking sticks to the nest

His mate showed up and the two birds flew around together, eventually landing on top of the Christodora.

Break out the wine and cue the Barry White music, as things got....sexy!

Sexy time!

I can't get enough of your love babe...

Sexy time!

Can't get enough of your love babe...

Sexy time!

Do whatcha gotta do...

Sexy time!

Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh babe!


See more hawk photos here and here.

Previous hawk posts


Monday, February 24, 2014

Zelda!

[UPDATED] 

I first encountered Zelda the turkey in Battery Park in 2007, but she's supposedly been there since 2003. She's big and beautiful...

Zelda

I ventured down to check on her after Hurricane Sandy, but couldn't find her.  The park employees assured me she was still around, but as the park was rendered a complete mess, I had a hard time searching for her.  Recently, I heard several reports of her living happily again in the park, so I had to go see her.

Zelda

So glamorous...

Zelda

She reminds me of a showgirl, or silent film actress, wrapped up in a velvety gown.  Check out those gams!

Zelda 

As turkeys go, Zelda is up there in age.  From what I understand, the lifespan of wild turkeys is less than ten years.  This brings up an interesting question:  Are our urban birds (hawks, falcons, owls, etc) living longer in cities?  Is it an easier environment or are there other factors contributing to their longevity?

Zelda

I'm hoping the Battery Park renovations will include a habitat for Zelda.  Although she's tolerant of people, she seems a bit shy...the Garbo of birds.

See more Zelda pics here.

[UPDATE October 9, 2014]  Heartbreaking news.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Hawk nest update

I was really hoping for an exciting update on the hawk nest being built on the Christodora.  However, it's been a disappointing few days and it looks like the hawks may have abandoned their efforts.  I've not seen any action at the nest site since February 20 and that's also the last day I saw the hawk pair together in Tompkins Square, which I find strange.

This is the last photo I have of anyone working on the nest:

Adult red tail building nest on the Christodora

And these are the last photos I have of the pair, who stayed in the center of the park until late on the 20th, eating and prancing around in a tree.

Red tail pair in Tompkins Square

Red tail pair in Tompkins Square

Red tail pair in Tompkins Square 

It's possible they found another nesting site, but I do hope they return to Tompkins Square.

See more hawk photos here and here.

Previous hawk posts.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Un-welcoming committee

Not everyone is happy to have hawks building a nest in their neighborhood.

For instance, these two blue jays.

Red tail and blue jays

I couldn't catch the exact moment, but the jay on the lower branch stabbed the hawk in the head with its beak before flying off.  

Red tail and blue jays

I guess we know who won't be invited to the house-warming party!

See more hawk photos on my Flickr page:
City hawks 1
City hawks 2

Previous hawk posts.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Meet the neighbors

Nest-building activity continues for the Tompkins Square hawks.  I had fun today watching them go about their business of collecting sticks, killing things, and frolicking with each other.

I have yet to catch both of them at the nest site at the same time.  So far, they've been taking turns.

Red tail nest on the Christodora

That said, the pair are spending a lot of time close to each other.  Here they are atop St Brigids.

Hawk pair on St Brigids

And in a favorite tree, cutting twigs.

Hawk pair cutting sticks from a tree

Success!

Victory!

As for identifying the two, I can't quite tell them apart yet.  I'm guessing this is the male:

Male?

It is a fairly light colored bird, a bit slender, and stands above the other when they're perched together.  This one has also been very busy gathering sticks.

This is the one I'm guessing is the female:

Female?

It's a bit bigger than the other bird and has darker coloring, especially on the shoulder area of the wings.  Here is the same bird eating a pigeon, which was caught and left in a tree by the other bird:

Female?

Again, I'm totally guessing at the genders and could be wrong.

Stay tuned!

See more hawk photos on my Flickr page:
City hawks 1
City hawks 2

Previous hawk posts.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Movin' on up...

...to the Lower East Side!

It looks like we have some squatters at the Christodora.  Two red tails spent the day carrying twigs up to a potential nest site.

Meet the couple:

Mating pair in Tompkins Square

Gathering nest material from a favorite tree:

Adult red tail collecting twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail collecting twigs in Tompkins Square

All this activity is attracting attention...

Adult red tail building a nest on the Christodora

Adult red tail building a nest on the Christodora

I will jump for joy if their efforts are successful...

Adult red tail building a nest on the Christodora

See more hawk photos here.

And here.

Previous hawk posts.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Nest building

It looks like we might have a nesting pair of red tails in Tompkins Square.  Over the last couple of days, I've seen two adults tearing sticks from trees and carrying them around.

Adult red tail gathering twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail gathering twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail gathering twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail gathering twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail gathering twigs in Tompkins Square

Adult red tail collecting twigs in Tompkins Square

And this is a potential nest site, outside the window of a lucky Christodora resident. 

Possible nesting site

There's already a small collection of sticks on the ledge and, if all goes well, we'll be seeing much more activity here.

See more hawk photos here and here.

Previous hawk posts.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Lovebirds

I caught this pair of adult red tails late this afternoon on Ave A & St Mark's...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lovebirds

Lovebirds

Lovebirds

See more hawk photos here.

Previous hawk posts.

Wintertime love

Winter time winds blue and freezin'
Comin' from northern storms in the sea
Love has been lost, is that the reason?
Trying desperately to be free...


-- The Doors. "Wintertime Love"

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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Weekend hawklights

Looking at hawks a bit differently this weekend...

Here is an adult atop St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A, along with a stalker seagull.

Red tail and friend

Sitting pretty in the tall sycamore...

Adult red tail in Tompkins Square

Diving towards Avenue A...

Adult red tail in Tompkins Square

Up, up and away...

Adult red tail in Tompkins Square

Going, going...

Adult red tail in Tompkins Square

Meanwhile, this lovely juvenile sat very low over Avenue A to the delight of all who passed by.  I love his/her bright eyes.

Juvenile red tail in Tompkins Square

And, off we go...

Juvenile red tail in Tompkins Square

See more hawk photos here.

Previous hawk posts.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Winter blues

Winter is beginning to wear on me.

The drudgery...

Hoboken

The trudging...

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But there are little surprises everywhere...

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Beauty in unexpected places...

Canal Park

And the coldest day might just be the brightest.

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