Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Tompkins red-tail fledgling is still with us

The Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk fledgling is still with us as of this fourth week of September, officially making him the first of Christo's kids to stick around this long.  He did hatch a month later than chicks in previous years, and he did have a set-back with illness, but I really didn't think he'd be with us this long.  At this point, every day with him is a bonus.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

I've seen the fledgling perched on the cross of St Nicholas of Myra church at Avenue A and 10th Street, and eating lunch with mom Amelia on the roof above Mast Books on Avenue A and 5th Street, but I don't know if he's ventured much further from the park than that. He still seems perfectly happy to stay in the park where he continues to entertain his adoring fans.

Hawkwatchers

I caught him perched on the cellphone transmitters on the roof of the park bathrooms the other day just after he'd had a bath.

After the bath

Shaking it off...

After the bath

The park squirrels continue to bully and intimidate the young hawk, but one of them finally suffered the consequences and became a meal.

Tompkins red-tail fledgling eats a squirrel

On Monday, I watched as the fledgling caught a monster rat near the basketball courts.

Tompkins red-tail fledgling catches a rat

Ta-da!

Tompkins red-tail fledgling catches a rat

The rat put up a struggle, but this was the fatal bite to the neck.

The fatal bite

Tompkins red-tail fledgling catches a rat

The hawk experienced some difficulties lifting his heavy catch, but he managed to take off and carry it to a nearby tree.

Tompkins red-tail fledgling catches a rat

A short time later, eating rat spaghetti...mmm!

Tompkins red-tail fledgling eats rat spaghetti

Apparently the giant rat wasn't enough, because after eating, the fledgling went and caught himself a second one. He's doing very well catching prey.

Tompkins red-tail fledgling with the 3rd rodent of the afternoon

The hawk is still very much a kid and plays with his food.  Below, he chest-bumps a mouse before eating it.

Tompkins red-tail fledgling chest-bumps a mouse

I have no idea how long the fledgling will stick around the park, but I hope he stays as long as possible.  He's become a familiar and joyful fixture there, and makes so many people happy.


See more recent hawk photos on my Flickr page.





Monday, September 17, 2018

Raptor Fest 2018

Here are some highlights from Raptor Fest, which took place this last weekend in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Spectacled owl:

Spectacled Owl

Screech owl:

Screech Owl

Screech Owl

Kestrel:

Kestrel

Kestrel

Bald eagle:

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed hawk with a bee:

Red-tail and bee

Great horned owl:

Great Horned Owl

Peregrine falcon:

Peregrine Falcon

Eurasian eagle owl:

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Rough-legged hawk:

Rough-legged hawk

Gyrfalcon:

Gyrfalcon

Gyrfalcon


See more photos on my Flickr page.






Monday, September 10, 2018

Save the date - Raptor Fest this Saturday

Rough-legged hawk

Raptor Fest 2018 is coming up this Saturday, September 15, from 12:00pm - 3:00pm at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, hosted by the NYC Park Rangers.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get up close to falcons, hawks, owls and other raptors in a fun and casual environment. There will be aerial demonstrations and educational activities.

For more information, see the event listing on the NYC Parks Department site.




Friday, September 7, 2018

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling continues to improve

The Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk fledgling, who is believed to be suffering from West Nile virus, continues to improve, although he is still not quite right. The good news is he has made it this far, proving he is strong.

The two images below are from September 3 when the hawk was having one of his slow days.  He bathed in the stagnant water on top of the men's room, then rested on the roof for about 20 minutes.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

His lack of energy and the way he kept closing one eye were signs he wasn't feeling 100%.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Despite his lethargy, the hawk is still improving, has been hunting, and seems to have a good appetite. Parents, Christo and Amelia, are looking after him and provide him with supplemental food, like this mouse (below) caught by Christo.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling with a mouse

The mouse fell to the ground, so the fledgling had to retrieve it himself.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling with a mouse

He still prefers low perches like fences and benches, and doesn't seem bothered by the presence of people.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

The fledgling is still just a kid, and is often seen sparring with squirrels, who relentlessly taunt him.

Red-tail and squirrel

This squirrel is so confident it will get away, it doesn't even drop the acorn in its mouth!

Red-tail fledgling and squirrel

Red-tail fledgling and squirrel

Despite playing around and acting like a toddler, the fledgling is beginning to look like an adult, and I hope he grows into a magnificent raptor.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling




Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Update on the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

I've been waiting to post an update on the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling until I had more information about his health.  The consensus seems to be he is suffering from West Nile virus and seems to be pulling through it. However, there is no way to know for certain that West Nile is the culprit without doing blood tests.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

The fledgling has been displaying signs of illness since August 24, and may have fallen ill a couple of days before that.  A second attempt was made to capture him last week, but he was too wily and eluded the NYC Urban Park Rangers and raptor rehabber, Bobby Horvath, from Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR).  Thanks to Bobby and Rangers Jill and Johnny who spent the day in the park trying their best to net the little guy. As this is a wild bird, there's nothing anyone can do unless he comes close enough and allows himself to be caught.

One way we can tell the hawk is not well is by looking at his eyes.  He either perches for long periods of time with his eyes completely closed, or he partially closes them, as seen in the photo below.

Still not quite right

Other symptoms are clumsiness, loss of balance and being lethargic. This is a normally energetic hawk, so sitting for hours without making a sound is not consistent with his usual behavior.

The good news is he will probably pull through.  He's a strong hawk and a fighter. He appeared the worst on Saturday, August 25. Since then, he's had good days and days where he doesn't look very well, but none have been as bad as that Saturday. At this point, I can just hope he stays out of trouble and continues to improve.

Despite being ill, the fledgling has had no trouble catching prey.  He's also receiving food supplements from his parents.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling with prey

Something unique about this fledgling is his affinity for walking and crawling under fences, as seen below.  I've seen him do this several times now and cannot explain it. If there is a fence, he'll go under it rather than fly over.  I'm hoping he grows out of this habit before he disperses.

Squeezing under a fence

I was happy to see the hawk drinking fresh water this weekend rather than ingesting fetid water from the roof of the men's room, but he's still doing that, too.  The pool on top of the bathrooms could very well be the source of mosquitoes that carry West Nile.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

Although this fledgling spends a lot of time walking around on the ground and playing in the bushes, he does know how to soar.  I caught him flying above the skateboard area last Friday turning circles high in the sky.

Tompkins Square red-tail fledgling

You can see more recent photos of the fledgling and his parents on my Flickr page.

In related news, we recorded another hawk podcast with the eminent neighborhood blogger, EV Grieve. This episode is a follow-up to the one that aired at the beginning of summer. You can listen below, or visit the post on EV Grieve.





This episode was recorded on August 24, and as soon as I left the studio, I went to the park where I discovered the fledgling was sick.  At the time of the recording, I had no idea anything was wrong.

Thank you to EV Grieve for the continued interest and support of our local hawk neighbors.