Home decorating

In between love sessions, Christo and Dora have been tirelessly working on their nest in Tompkins Square. 

Below, you can see the layers of the nest.  The hawks have now built up a bowl of sticks on top of the base of leaves.  Christo has been peeling bark from trees for the inner lining.


Christo proudly exhibits his work.

Below, Dora expertly snips a stick from a branch.







 

Meanwhile, Christo collects a branch from the redwood tree next to the men's restroom.







I have to wonder if he chose this branch of seeds for a reason.  I don't know anything about redwood seed properties (do they smell good or deter insects?), so am open to any theories.









Maybe he's making a bead curtain...

See more photos here.

Sexy time in Tompkins Square

Christo and Dora put on quite a sexy show this last weekend in Tompkins Square.  They mated every so often and continued to work on their nest.  Some highlights below.

Christo gets ready to pounce...



Christo's talons appear to be stabbing Dora in the back, but a fellow hawk-watcher informed me that he curls his toes so she doesn't get hurt.  All the wing-flapping is not so much showing off as it is trying to maintain balance.





Dora looks really thrilled.





Note how Christo's tail is swung way out to the side.



His curled talons are visible here.







You can see that Dora (on the right in both photos) is developing a brood patch – that dent on her chest – in preparation for sitting on eggs.



Here is some video of Christo and Dora mating, which was unfortunately shot on a dark cloudy day, but you can at least hear the sound (Christo shrieking) and see how long it takes.  Spoiler: 6 whole seconds!




Urban Hawks also has some photos and video of Christo and Dora from this last weekend here and here.

See many more Christo and Dora mating photos here.

Mating ritual

Hawk mating season is in full swing in Tompkins Square.  On Friday, I found Christo as soon as I entered the park.  He was perched in a tree near the Temperance Fountain calling to Dora to come and get the rat he'd just caught.



He took the rat over to a big branch and mantled it as Dora made her approach.



After passing the rat off to Dora, Christo continued to gaze at the meal he'd given up...









So long, lunch!









Dora took the rat over to Avenue B where Christo perched above her and watched her eat it.



As soon as she was done with the meal, Christo pounced.







The whole affair took about four seconds.



It's a real treat to see the hawks go through their natural ritual of gift-giving, eating, and then mating.  Afterwards, Christo often busies himself cutting sticks and working on the nest.  They repeat this cycle several times a day, so it's a great time to observe them in the park doing things we'd likely never see outside the city.

More to come...

Love is in the air

What better way to spend a snowy holiday (Presidents Day) than with the hawks in Tompkins Square?

Christo seemed content watching the snowflakes fly by.



Dora was looking serene.



Here's some video of Dora chilling out.



All was calm until Christo flew in to join Dora on her branch...



Then, without even a hello...



A fellow hawk-watcher had caught the pair mating in the park the previous Friday (February 12), but this was the first time this season I've caught them in the act.







Two seconds later...


Christo on the left, Dora on the right.

On a side note, there's been a clever blue jay in the park mimicking hawk sounds. I've heard jays make the high-pitched hawk scream before, but this jay makes the mating/food sound. It's so convincing, I fell for it the first time I heard it and went running around looking for the hawks. During the snow, the con artist jay perched about twenty feet from Christo and made the mating call. Christo ignored it, but I found it fascinating.

Dora in the cold sunshine

This last weekend was extremely cold, but Dora the hawk was very active around the park.  I saw more of her than I have in some time, and she perched closer to the ground.  Normally, I see her in the tall trees or on church crosses, but this time she came down to some low trees behind the park offices.



One of her recent favorite perches is this cellphone tower on Avenue A & St Mark's Place, where she often dives at pigeons.



Dora also visited her old nabe, the top of the Christadora House on Avenue B & 9th Street.



Back in the park, she found a stashed pigeon in a tree.  You can see its pink feet sticking out in front of her leg.







After nibbling on that, she flew off to another tree where she ate a stashed rat.  These could be gifts left for her by Christo, as it was Valentine's Day it's the start of the mating season.

Flying with a full crop:





I hope to see more of Dora up close like this in the coming weeks as nesting time approaches.