Weekend hawklights

Now that all three Tompkins Square hawks have left the nest, I find myself missing being camped out on the corner of Ave B & 9th Street.  I spent nearly two months there, watching the birds and socializing with neighbors.  I took it for granted that I could walk out there at any time and find 3-5 hawks waiting and posing all in one place.

This is the last shot I took of Dora flying off the nest on July 1, taking some leftovers into the park.  Hawklet #3 is there and would fly out the next day.



Empty nest syndrome aside, it's great to see the three youngsters explore the park.  They're getting accustomed to trees, having spent their entire lives on an air-conditioner.  I find it interesting that all three birds fledged to the buildings across 9th Street and seemed to prefer rooftops to treetops.

The young hawks are getting good at flying and are discovering the other creatures of the park.  They are especially interested in squirrels.





Run!



The three siblings are still hanging out together.  At this point, I really can't tell them apart.





Kids will be kids...no biting your sibling!



This one could be #3.  I'm not 100% positive, but it was laying around in the trees on Sunday and was still practicing jumping and flapping.  It also looked a bit fluffier than the other two, but it's almost impossible to tell.







The best time to see all the hawks together now is at feeding time.  Dad Christo gathers the kids into one area and brings food to them.  You can hear his high-pitched call to dinner as well as whining from the fledglings.

For photos from the final week of the Nest Cam, check out Francois Portmann's website.


See more hawk photos on my Flickr page:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1

Previous hawk posts.