Spring bird migration is underway and there are a lot of colorful little visitors passing through the city. Below are some recent highlights from Tompkins Square Park, La Plaza Cultural community garden, Central Park and Green-Wood Cemetery.
Blue-headed Vireo:
Palm Warbler:
American Goldfinch:
Ruby-crowned Kinglet:
House Finch (male):
House Finch (female):
Blue Grosbeak:
Chipping Sparrow:
Eastern Kingbird:
Black-and-white Warbler:
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler:
Dark-eyed Junco:
Hermit Thrush:
Eastern Towhee (female):
Common Grackle:
As the trees bloom and insects increase, we should see more interesting birds in the weeks to come.
Join us as we chronicle the lives of East Village red-tailed hawks, Christo, Amelia, and Dora, as well as other New York City wildlife.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Brooding time in Tompkins Square
At last, Christo and Amelia have at least one egg!
On Friday, April 20, the hawks were observed sitting low in the nest and making nest-exchanges throughout the day, indicating they are sitting on eggs. No one can see into the nest, so it's impossible to know how many eggs are in there. We have to pay attention to the hawks' behavior.
Hooray, Amelia!
This is all that can be seen from the ground (hawk tail sticking up on the right):
It takes around 28-35 days for eggs to hatch, so if we count April 20 as Day 1, that puts hatching at May 17-24. Since no one can see into the nest, we will not be able to see the eggs hatch, but we will know something is up when Christo starts delivering food to the nest.
The hawks will continue mating until all the eggs are laid, and then maybe for some time after that.
The next month will be kind of dull for hawk-watching as one hawk will be down in the nest most of the time. The best time to see them is when they do a nest-exchange or when Christo goes hunting.
This is Amelia on Saturday when she was taking a break atop St Brigid's church.
I've noticed she likes to perch on the church towers as well as the cross. She is the first hawk I've seen do this, so if you see a hawk on one of the towers, it's most likely her. Christo prefers perching on the cross.
After a traumatic spring for the hawks, I'm happy they've finally settled in.
On Friday, April 20, the hawks were observed sitting low in the nest and making nest-exchanges throughout the day, indicating they are sitting on eggs. No one can see into the nest, so it's impossible to know how many eggs are in there. We have to pay attention to the hawks' behavior.
Hooray, Amelia!
This is all that can be seen from the ground (hawk tail sticking up on the right):
It takes around 28-35 days for eggs to hatch, so if we count April 20 as Day 1, that puts hatching at May 17-24. Since no one can see into the nest, we will not be able to see the eggs hatch, but we will know something is up when Christo starts delivering food to the nest.
The hawks will continue mating until all the eggs are laid, and then maybe for some time after that.
The next month will be kind of dull for hawk-watching as one hawk will be down in the nest most of the time. The best time to see them is when they do a nest-exchange or when Christo goes hunting.
This is Amelia on Saturday when she was taking a break atop St Brigid's church.
I've noticed she likes to perch on the church towers as well as the cross. She is the first hawk I've seen do this, so if you see a hawk on one of the towers, it's most likely her. Christo prefers perching on the cross.
After a traumatic spring for the hawks, I'm happy they've finally settled in.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Christo and Amelia highlights from this week
There's no real update on the Tompkins Square hawks this week other than to say Christo and Amelia are still working on the nest, mating and hanging out together. As of today, there are still no signs of eggs.
This is Amelia, chilling in the last light of the day on Wednesday.
Christo, performing a fly-by.
Christo shows off his powerful legs...
...which he uses to catch prey like this pigeon.
And this rat.
Wednesday evening, Christo caught four rats in a row, which he took back to Amelia who waited on a branch near the Krishna Tree. Below, Christo is on the left, Amelia is on the right, and a rat is in the middle.
Are you going to eat that?
Amelia takes the rat.
She ate it, but discarded the stomach. The hawks don't eat this part and they will kick it over the side of the perch - one reason never to stand beneath them while they eat.
The NYPD later parked their cruiser right on top of the stomach.
Christo (below, right) finishes off the last rat drumstick.
Dinner over, sexy time!
Amelia gazes up at Christo atop the cross at St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A and 10th Street.
Isn't he just dreamy?
You can see more recent photos of the hawks on my Flickr page.
This is Amelia, chilling in the last light of the day on Wednesday.
Christo, performing a fly-by.
Christo shows off his powerful legs...
...which he uses to catch prey like this pigeon.
And this rat.
Wednesday evening, Christo caught four rats in a row, which he took back to Amelia who waited on a branch near the Krishna Tree. Below, Christo is on the left, Amelia is on the right, and a rat is in the middle.
Are you going to eat that?
Amelia takes the rat.
She ate it, but discarded the stomach. The hawks don't eat this part and they will kick it over the side of the perch - one reason never to stand beneath them while they eat.
The NYPD later parked their cruiser right on top of the stomach.
Christo (below, right) finishes off the last rat drumstick.
Dinner over, sexy time!
Amelia gazes up at Christo atop the cross at St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A and 10th Street.
Isn't he just dreamy?
You can see more recent photos of the hawks on my Flickr page.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Immature red-tail visits East River Park
As the Tompkins Square hawks have been stealing the spotlight lately, I haven't had a chance to post about other hawks in the area. As it's migration time, many hawks have been passing through the city and I caught up with this young (immature) red-tail who appeared to be enjoying itself out at the running track at East River Park.
The track is currently being renovated, so it's fenced-off and full of construction materials.
The hawk seemed to be very interested in the squirrels that were running around the area, although I didn't see it catch any prey. When I see a hawk in a location like this, I do worry about rodenticide, which is a real threat to hawks in the city.
A lot of immature red-tails have been spotted in the neighborhood recently. A quick way to tell if a hawk is a young bird is by the eye color (immatures have yellow eyes, as seen above, and adults have brown) and by their tails (immatures have brown tails and adults have red).
The track is currently being renovated, so it's fenced-off and full of construction materials.
The hawk seemed to be very interested in the squirrels that were running around the area, although I didn't see it catch any prey. When I see a hawk in a location like this, I do worry about rodenticide, which is a real threat to hawks in the city.
A lot of immature red-tails have been spotted in the neighborhood recently. A quick way to tell if a hawk is a young bird is by the eye color (immatures have yellow eyes, as seen above, and adults have brown) and by their tails (immatures have brown tails and adults have red).
Sunday, April 15, 2018
March for Science 2018
Below are some photos from the March from Science 2018 rally held in Washington Square Park on Saturday, April 14.
See more photos from the rally here.
Previously.
See more photos from the rally here.
Previously.
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