Two chicks confirmed for Tompkins Square hawks

Two chicks are confirmed for Tompkins Square Park red-tails, Christo and Amelia. Could there be a third? We'll have to wait and see.

Hatch was noted on April 20, although it's possible hatching could have started earlier. Since then, the parents have been observed feeding at the nest, but I have been unable to see any babies until today.

Below, Amelia feeds a bright red piece of something to a fuzzy white chick.



Nom! Nom! Nom!



The second chick is barely visible to the left of the one in the foreground. Its dark beak can be seen to the left of the vertical stick that is poking up towards Amelia's chest.

 

This nest is deeper than the one the hawks used last year, so it's been difficult to see what's going on up there. As the chicks grow and get curious, we should be able to get better views of them peering over the edge.

So far, all seems well for this hawk family.

Happy Earth Day! Hatch time in Tompkins Square

Good news! The Tompkins Square hawks have had at least one hatch over the weekend.

I believe a hatch started or occurred on Saturday, April 20. The behavior of parents, Christo and Amelia changed that day - she kept fussing around in the nest and sitting up higher, indicating something was going on underneath her. Christo also made two food deliveries to the nest.  There had been a heavy rainfall the night before, and Christo brought in several pieces of bark, possibly to create a new dry layer in the nest.

This evening, I watched Christo again deliver food to the nest, but it was raining, so Amelia was reluctant to get up.

Meanwhile, the Washington Square Park hawks have had a hatch and you can watch the nest activity on the live NYU hawk cam. For more details and updates on the Washington Square hawk family, check out Roger Paw's blog.

Stay tuned!

We're on hatch-watch in Tompkins Square

We're on hatch-watch for red-tails, Christo and Amelia, in Tompkins Square Park. Assuming Amelia laid her first egg on March 13, we can estimate hatch time will be in the next few days.

This has been the scene for the last five weeks (Amelia on the nest):



This evening, I found Christo on the nest when I arrived at the park.



As Amelia swooped in, Christo was barely visible peeking over the edge of the nest.



Amelia had to maneuver her huge wings through all the tiny branches of the ginkgo tree. Note the leaves are beginning to unfurl. Soon, it will be much more difficult to get a clear view of the nest.



A short while later, a blue jay harassed Christo, taking advantage of him as he preened.



Meanwhile, more spring migrants are appearing in the park, like this pretty little Swamp Sparrow.

 

You can see all the recent bird sightings in Tompkins Square on eBird. The next few weeks should see an increase in bird species as they migrate north for the breeding season.

Gearing up for osprey nesting season in the NYC area

It's that time of year when Ospreys make their way back north to their nesting grounds, but not everyone is welcoming them home.



A great place to safely observe ospreys without being intrusive is Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens. Over the weekend, I spotted four pairs as they worked on their nests and went fishing.

I watched one individual who kept flying back and forth over the water, then diving in at specific points. It would fly one way, dive in and get completely submerged, then flap its way out of the water and fly back the other way, diving in again about a hundred feet from where it started.



It repeated this about ten times before gulls chased it out of the area.





Later in the day, the ospreys flew close overhead and I could see them much better. Their lanky black and white wings are so beautiful when they glide through the air.





This is a pair - one individual in the two shots above, and a second individual below.



There are a few nest platforms at the refuge that can be seen well with binoculars or a scope. Look closely at the nest pictured below - I believe that's a shirt hanging off the right side.



And as I watched, the osprey cleared some junk out of the top of the nest and flew away with it. A little spring cleaning to spruce up the nest in preparation for eggs.




Be sure to check out my favorite live Osprey Cam, which documents a pair, Iris and Louis, just outside of Hellgate Canyon, near Missoula, Montana. Iris is estimated to be about 24 years old, making her one of the oldest ospreys in the world. She's an incredible creature and they're both fascinating to watch.

Pigeon: it's what's for dinner

Red-tails, Christo and Amelia, are still brooding eggs in Tompkins Square and everything seems to be going as it should. I'm estimating hatching should happen in the next couple of weeks.

In the mean time, there's not much hawk activity to see except when they trade off shifts on the nest. Below, Amelia soars over me on her way to stretch her wings and get some dinner.



Dinner was previously prepared and delivered by Christo, who caught a white pigeon.



Before delivering the pigeon, Christo took the front half for himself, saving Amelia the meaty bits.



He left dinner on a branch for Amelia to pick up while he took over brooding the eggs. Below, Amelia pauses before tucking into her meal.



A little stretch first:



Fanning her beautiful tail:



Outside the park, there are still some young red-tails around, such as this one seen in Stuyvesant Town. Judging by its bulging crop, it recently ate a big meal.



And with spring bird migration under way, there are more small birds passing through the area, like this cute little Chipping Sparrow that was foraging on the lawn in Tompkins Square.



To plan for the best time to see spring migrants, check out Birdcast, which uses radar and weather information to predict bird movements across the continent.

Spring shower for Amelia

This has been the scene recently in Tompkins Square:



That's Amelia, barely visible in the nest as she broods her eggs. The nest looks to be rounder and deeper than last year's model which was oblong and seemingly shallow.  This is the first nest Christo and Amelia built together, so it's interesting to see that it is slightly different than the one Christo previously built with Dora in the same tree.

While Amelia spends most of her time in the nest, Christo can be found nearby on some of their favorite perches, like the cross at St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A and 10th Street.



On Sunday, I caught the two hawks peering down into the nest. I wish they could tell us how many eggs are in there.



As I watched, Christo took over egg brooding duties and Amelia flew over my head.



She landed on the roof of St Brigid's church on Avenue B and proceeded to take a bath in the gutter.



We previously saw Amelia do this last July when the weather was particularly hot.



Shake, shake, shake!





Looking thoroughly wet:



Amelia took a big stretch before flying back to the park. She flew around and relaxed for about an hour before returning to the nest.



Meanwhile, other signs of spring are appearing in the park. Spring bird migration is underway and this little Field Sparrow stopped in to forage on the lawn.



The sparrow was accompanied by a flock of Dark-Eyed Juncos. These birds remind me of the end of winter, so I'm always happy to see them.