Spring is right around the corner

Winter is on its way out and the Tompkins Square hawks are making progress on their new nest.  On Monday, both hawks were busy collecting sticks and doing construction. 

Below, Dora selects (with her left talon) the stick she wants.



She gets both talons on it and gives it a tug.



It snaps easily and she takes it to the nest.



Meanwhile, Christo opted for a slender branch covered in buds.  He took it from the SE corner of the park and I'm not sure what type of tree it came from.



Below, Christo is on the left as Dora peeks out of the nest.



Christo poses in the nest.  It's really starting to take shape.



This is how the nest looked back on October 23 (photo taken from the other side).  When the leaves come in on the tree, we may have a hard time seeing the birds.



Later, Christo and Dora hung out on top of the Boys Club on Avenue A. 



I missed them mating by about half a second. I saw them mating two more times that afternoon, but wasn't quick enough to catch it with the camera.  It doesn't last long!

Dora, flying with the sun behind her:



Just before sunset, Christo caught a rat and called for Dora to come and get it.





She answered after a few minutes and dove down to retrieve the gift.



After a quick dash and grab, Dora took her dinner to a taller tree to eat in peace.



In other Manhattan hawk news, Morningside Hawks has observed some interesting hawk activity around Grant's Tomb.

And over at Washington Square, the NYU hawk cam is showing quite a bit of junk inside the nest, as seen in the screenshot below. 

I'm hoping the birds remove the plastic bag and bottle top before laying eggs.  It shows how our litter directly affects wildlife.