Feeding time in Tompkins Square

With at least one hungry hatchling in the Tompkins Square hawk nest, dad Christo has more mouths to feed.  I found him Wednesday evening preparing dinner - a large rat - behind the park offices.



Sticking his tongue out...



Then it was off to deliver dinner to the nest.  He made sure to give me a nice close look at the rat as he flew past.





I had a hard time getting a good angle on the nest as the sun went down.  In a couple of weeks, it may be impossible to see due to leaves being in the way.  In the photo below, Christo stands guard while Dora does the feeding.  Her tail is just visible sticking out of the nest below the horizontal branch.



To my surprise, Christo didn't react at all when this Peregrine falcon flew overhead.  It circled high above the nest a few times before drifting north.

After dinner service ended, Christo flew to his favorite perch on the flagpole where he was promptly mobbed by a blue jay.



Another day done.