Hawk chick photos to take you through the long weekend

The three Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk chicks are looking great as they head into the final stages of being nestlings. As they preen away their soft white down, it's possible to guess who is who in age. 

In the photo below, the center chick is most definitely the youngest, still having a full head of white fluff.

The chick on the right looks most likely to be the oldest, while the one on the left looks to be the middle child. As the first hatch was on April 17, this makes the oldest chick six weeks old this weekend.

In this photo, they have switched positions with the youngest now being on the right. It will be interesting to see if we can tell them apart once they come out of the nest.

The one that is presumably the middle chick is rocking the Mohawk look.

The hawklets are getting the serious hawk stare down very well.

The more they exercise, the stronger they'll be when the time comes to take their first flight.

Check out the huge crop on this chick - mom and dad have been feeding them well.

Both parents have been caring for the chicks. Mom Amelia spends time at the nest keeping an eye on them while Dad Christo hunts for food. When he delivers the meals to the nest, Amelia feeds the chicks, but we've seen Christo feeding them as well. In the photo below, Christo is on nest duty while Amelia is off stretching her wings.

After the chicks leave the nest, they will continue to receive parental care until they are able to feed themselves. Until then, Christo will be their primary Grub Hub Delivery Guy.

2022 NYC Dance Parade

We braved the heat and took in the NYC Dance Parade this last weekend, one of our favorite annual events. After a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, it was great to see so many people participating and putting on some fantastic performances. Kudos to everyone involved!

Below are just some of the highlights. You can see more photos over on our Flickr page.

This woman has the most awesome earrings ever. Look closer...it's Prince!

Imagine dancing for miles on hot pavement in these shoes...

The hero of the day was this woman with a garden hose on St Mark's Place who brought cool relief to hundreds of exhausted dancers. It was a dangerously hot day and some of the more elaborate costumes and masks had to be stifling.

This spot was just two blocks from the end of the parade route at Tompkins Square Park, so everyone who passed by here was weary and welcomed the refreshing shower.

Sometimes a bottle of water was the only relief from the heat.

The Dance Parade, along with the Saint George Ukrainian Festival a couple of blocks away on the same day, made for an exciting weekend in the East Village.

Previous Dance Parade posts/photos:

• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2015 Dance Parade party in Tompkins Square Park
• 2014
• 2013

Tompkins hawk chicks are a month old and are changing fast

The Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk chicks are growing fast, and are now able to stand and look over the side of the nest. Their dark brown flight feathers are growing in on their wings, but they still have downy white heads and bodies.

The chicks are a month old now and are starting to get that serious adult look.

In the photo below, the chick on the left appears to be older than the one on the right, who still has more down on his/her wings.

The chicks are starting to show the peachy color on their upper chests that will distinguish them for the next few months.

Taking a look at the wings, you can see the primary flight feathers growing out, and look like paint brushes. The chick will preen away the feather covering, allowing the full feather to unfurl.

You can learn more about feather structure and development in this article on Cornell's Bird Academy site.

Looking at the top of the wing, you can see how much down still covers them. The chick will preen that away as the flight feathers grow longer.

Mom Amelia feeds the three kids.

After dinner, one of the chicks takes in the view.

Amelia leaves the nest, giving the chicks room to spread out and move around.

This is a nice view of the down still on the wings of one of the chicks.

After a meal and a nap, it's time for exercise.

Compare the photo above with the one below, which was taken a week earlier when the chick was still mostly downy, and the flight feathers were just beginning to grow.

The appearance of the chicks will change quickly now. They will soon lose all the fuzzy down and should start exercising their wings more. The next step for them will be exploring the branches outside the nest. Until then, we will enjoy their babyish cuteness while it lasts.