Just seeing the two of them together is special. And during this time of year, seeing them near each other usually means one thing...
Mating time!
Afterwards, it's usually stick-gathering time. Here, Dora collects a twig from a tree.
And takes it to the nest.
Christo goes to cut a stick with his beak.
Someone recently asked me if the hawks always cut the sticks with their beaks, or if I've ever seen them break branches with their talons. It's an interesting question that I've not considered before. I'm not sure that I've ever seen them use their talons, but I'm sure it could be done that way. I have seen them switch from carrying sticks in their beaks to their talons, and vice versa.
I also once saw Christo sit on a branch which broke under his weight. As he and the branch fell, he caught it with his talons. It was an awesome move, but I think it was an accident.
Saturday afternoon, Christo caught a pigeon near the Farmers Market on Avenue A, which attracted a large crowd of spectators.
He calmly stayed on the ground for several minutes, contemplating his escape route.
In the end, he opted to take a long flight over the grass as people were lined up along the fence.
You can see here he is still only about six feet off the ground after the long take-off.
Christo took the pigeon to the big elm near the Temperance Fountain and called to Dora. When she didn't respond, he flew it to a tree closer to where she was perched.
There, he proceeded to prepare her meal as she came over and watched.
When Christo had plucked the pigeon to her liking, Dora took it to a branch near the flagpole where she finished off the meal.
After the big dinner, she rested as the sun went down.
To be continued...
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