Nighthawks

Forget those boring old day hawks - we have nighthawks!

Christo the red-tailed hawk has been making a habit of roosting in a tree in the SW corner of Tompkins Square Park for the last couple weeks, so I sat on a bench nearby this evening to wait for him to show up.  While waiting, I saw what I thought were swifts and swallows flitting around about 20 feet above my head.  After seeing a bat in the same spot last week, I decided to try and capture these fast insectivores.

Upon closer inspection, I realized these weren't swifts, but nighthawks.  And they were accompanied by dragonflies.



I think this might be a female...





These birds are extremely quick and hard to catch with the camera in the semi-dark...



Next time you're in the park at dusk, look up and see these birds zipping around, and be glad to know each one is capable of eating 500 mosquitoes in a single day.

See more photos here.

Afternoon on the Hudson

Floaters...

At a window

Let me go to the window,
Watch there the day-shapes of dusk
And wait and know the coming
Of a little love.

- Carl Sandburg, "At a Window"

After dark

Tonight in Tompkins Square...

Winding down

It looks to be a time of transition in the Tompkins Square hawk world.  I've not seen the older two fledglings (or mom Dora) in several days.  This doesn't mean they're not around, but to my knowledge, they've not been in the park.

The one I believe is the youngest, or Number Three, made an appearance on Saturday on the east side of the park...



...where it caught a mouse...



...played with its food...



...and dropped the mouse on the ground three times before finally eating it.  Five-second rule??



Then, just like that, the hawk vanished somewhere over Avenue B and I've not seen it since.

However, it looks like dad Christo has been spending the last several nights roosting in the park.  I take this as a good sign - perhaps if he is lording over his territory, he plans to stay.

This evening, he grabbed a quick dinner along Avenue A before settling into his nighttime perch near the chess tables.

 


See more hawk photos here:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1 

Previously. 

Less boring hawk update

After several days of minimal hawk interaction, one of the Tompkins Square fledglings made my day when it spent an entire afternoon buzzing around the park.



I have no hard proof, but I believe this one is the youngest, Number Three. My guess is based on the size of the bird (the third one looks bigger than the older two) and its personality and behavior. It also makes sense that it might still be in the park as it has been slower to develop and is still being fed by dad Christo.

After eating a pigeon snack, it put in a little workout in the ball court...



...and caught up with a couple of friends.



Then off to frolick on the fire escapes across from the park on E 7th Street. This reminds me of the last days on the nest.



Let's try a little balance beam...



...onto the vault...



Stick the landing!



I hope we continue seeing the young hawks around the park before they fly off into the world. They're now just over three months old and ready to soar.




See more hawk photos here:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1 

Previously.

Boring hawk update

It's kind of a dull time for hawk watching this week.  As the fledglings gain independence, they spend less time in Tompkins Square and more time exploring other areas.

People have asked me how long the hawks will stay in the neighborhood and the answer is I don't know. I've consulted my birder friends who tell me the young hawks could leave the area by the end of August.  It depends on how well they're able to feed themselves.  At least one of the young hawks is still being fed by Christo, as I caught them both in the park Monday night around 7pm.  

This is Christo delivering a rat to one of the fledglings a few days ago.



Over the weekend, I didn't really see much action in the park, but there was some drama in the sky over the Lower East Side.  I spotted these three hawks wildly swooping around each other and I'm guessing they are Christo, Dora and a juvenile, but I couldn't be positive at that distance. 



Two of the hawks seemed to chase off the third, then they spent quite a long time tangling with each other and flying in tandem.  This is what makes me think they were the two adults.









Tonight, as the rain started around 7pm, I visited Christo in the park.  I've found him there during the last several thunderstorms, so maybe it's his preferred place to wait out the rain.

His reaction:

 

See more hawk photos here:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1 

Previously.

Saturday afternoon

On the East River...

In the press

This week's issue of The Villager newspaper has a nice feature on our Tompkins Square hawks.  You can check it out here.  Thanks to Zach Williams for a great write-up!

Lazy days of summer

There's not much exciting hawk news to report from the last few days.  Summer plods along and the three young hawks continue to hone their hunting skills.

Their relationship with squirrels is one I continue to try and understand.  Squirrels are formidable, but can still be caught.  They know they can out-run and out-maneuver the young hawks, so seem to have no fear.

This fledgling caught a pigeon in a tree only to be harassed by the resident squirrel. 



One of the siblings chased this squirrel around on the ground (to the delight of a group of school kids)...



...but in the end opted for salad.



Even dad Christo is out-sized and out-muscled by this potential meal.



After being chased out of that tree, Christo settled in a neighboring one, only to be bullied by a pesky blue jay. Ugh!



Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
You’ll wish that summer could always be here

-- Charles Tobias

 

See more hawk photos here:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1 

Previously.

Summer fun

Just another summer day in Tompkins Square...



Let's race!



Someone wants to join the conversation...



Free pigeon delivery on Avenue A...



This is a shot I've been working hard to get for a long time.  A problem I never expected to have is the hawks are always flying right at my face and I can't focus on them.  This time, I managed to catch the bird coming at me from a long way off, so I had time to focus on it as it came towards me.  Now the challenge is managing to do this a second time...



This one pretty much sums up the day:  happy satisfaction.

 

Side note:  For a while now, I've been saying the hawks like the music (loud punk bands) in the park.  I have no scientific proof of this, only personal observation.  So, I was amused this weekend to see one of the juvenile hawks sit in a tree right over the stage on Saturday as the band Transgendered Jesus played.  On Sunday, Christo flew across the stage during a set by Penguin, then sat in a nearby tree for three more bands before moving right over the stage to take in the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a shot of the hawks and the bands together, but they were there...


See more hawk photos here:

City hawks 3
City hawks 2
City hawks 1

Previously.

Summer Friday