Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Christo and Nora get a power-wash in the rain

Red-tail Christo is still working tirelessly on his nest in the ginkgo tree on the east side of Tompkins Square.  Nora has been spotted in the nest as well, but I have yet to see her gather sticks or engage in any other activity.

Christo in the ginkgo nest

During a brief moment of sunshine over the dreary weekend, I caught up with Christo as he broke sticks from trees on the east side of the park.

Christo breaks a stick

Christo breaks a stick

Christo with a big stick

Nest-building is hard work.  Fact!

Christo

On Sunday, I found both Christo and Nora atop the cross of St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A and 10th Street during a deluge.  It's hard to see the rain in this photo, but it was pouring. 

Christo and Nora in a rain storm

People sometimes ask me where the hawks go when it rains and my answer is they go nowhere.  From what I've seen over the years, the hawks take advantage of the rain and enjoy power-washing their feathers.  Afterwards, they often perch in a high place and let the wind dry them off.

Below are some short videos of Christo (on top) and Nora (on the right) enjoyng Nature's spa treatment.





This video was taken at a slightly different angle.



Eventually, Nora flew off and Christo came down into the park where he landed on the central lawn and inspected an old wet dead rat.

Christo finds an old dead rat in the rain

Christo finds an old dead rat in the rain

Christo took a few bites of the rat before a dog got too close and spooked him.



After the sun returned...

Christo

I'm hoping for better weather and more nesting activity in the next couple of weeks.





No comments:

Post a Comment