Sunday, March 8, 2015

Plan B

Thanks to commenter 3rdSt who alerted us to hawk nest-building activity on the Ageloff Towers on Avenue A and 3rd Street last Friday.

On Saturday, I went to check it out for myself and, sure enough, hawks Christo and Dora were busy taking sticks up to two air-conditioners on the top floor.

Here is Christo on the left flying off a Friedrich unit, while Dora arranges sticks on the right, atop a Frigidaire.

Christo on the left, Dora on the right

They appeared to spend equal time working on each air-conditioner.  If/when the time comes, they will make a choice as to which one they prefer.

Dora:

Dora

Dora

Dora with a stick

Dora on the left, Christo on the right.

Dora and Christo

Christo:

Christo with a stick

Christo takes what looks like a Key Food bag up to the Friedrich on Saturday.  A neighbor told me he was also spotted today flying around the area with a plastic bag.

Christo with a plastic bag

Here he is with a sycamore branch.

Christo with a sycamore branch

The pair take a break on a neighboring a/c unit.  Christo is on the left, Dora is on the right.

Christo and Dora

It looked like the hawks were doing most of their stick-gathering in Tompkins Square Park, but I also spotted Dora cutting sticks from the trees at Village View on 4th Street. Christo brought some from a strip of trees on 2nd Street.

It also looked like they were using the dome of the Most Holy Redeemer church as a rest stop on these stick-gathering trips.  They'd fly in from the north, perch on the edge of the dome, then catch the wind and dive straight for the Ageloff.

Here, Dora flies past the church with a stick.

Dora carries sticks past the Most Holy Redeemer church

And this is Christo, back in Tompkins Square, gathering sticks with is former nesting spot, the Christodora, in the background.

Christo gathers sticks in Tompkins Square 

So, the burning question is, which is best - Friedrich or Frigidaire?

See more photos on my Flickr page.

Previous hawk posts.

8 comments:

  1. Great shots. Looks like Frigidaire is leading as of this morning, saw Dora perched there for 3 hours through rain and shine.

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  2. Ha, my money is on the Frigidaire. I suspect it might have vents on the top that make it easier to anchor sticks. It also looks like it might be more out of the wind than the Friedrich.

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  3. Amazing photos as always. I'd like to know what the plans are for the Key Food bag. Recyclables?

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  4. The high floor is worrisome; there is always a fledgling casualty. Speaking of, a young hawk was taken to St. Marks Vet last week with injured wing. Do you have any updates?

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  5. I had not heard of a hawk being taken to St Marks Vet!

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  6. Ok, it's definitely the Frigidaire. Nest is getting thicker and they are both spending more time there each day!

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  7. By the way, we'll be posting photos frequently at http://red-tailhawk.tumblr.com. Would love for you to check it out.

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