Thursday, July 28, 2022

The second Tompkins Square hawk fledgling has passed away

I'm heartbroken to report I just received word that the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling who was rescued yesterday, passed away last night at Wild Bird Fund.

The cause has not been determined yet, but from what I observed, I am speculating (strongly) that it was rodenticide poisoning. I'm hoping WBF sends the hawk to the NYSDEC for a necropsy, which would give us a definite answer.

This loss of this hawk follows the death of its sibling on July 4, which appears to be from frounce, but tests have not provided a confirmed cause of death yet.

Looking back, these are other local hawk deaths either determined to be, or likely to be, caused by rodenticide poisoning:

These are just the hawks I have personally seen pass away. There have been many more around the city.

People always ask me if we can tell if the fledglings are male/female. Short answer: not really. Longer answer: if we just go by size, which is not always accurate, females tend to be larger. I have speculated this trio was made up of two females and a male, and it's my guess that the surviving fledgling is the male (who I also believe is the first fledge). This is merely a guess on my part.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

One of the Tompkins Square hawk fledglings rescued by park ranger today

There's troubling news out of Tompkins Square Park, where one of the red-tailed hawk fledglings had to be rescued earlier this evening.

The hawk was found perched on a fire escape with its eyes closed and looking weak.


Its appearance was much more concerning than just a normal afternoon nap. Unfortunately, we've seen this look before and it is not a good sign.
 

The hawk remained mostly motionless while observers contacted the NYC Urban Park Rangers for assistance.

In this photo, the hawk looks like it's stretching, but it's actually struggling to balance on the rail, and you can see it is resting its upper body on its talons. The wing that appears to be stretching is actually drooping. The hawk's head feathers are ruffled as it is stressed.



The hawk became so weak, it sat down on the platform of the fire escape.



This face breaks my heart.


Sergeant Dan of the Urban Park Rangers arrived and quickly assessed the situation. In the photo below, he checks on the hawk from the window and the hawk didn't react to his presence.


Using a net, Dan quickly caught the hawk, who did not resist.


Removing the hawk from the net:




A closer look shows blood dripping from the hawk's mouth. I am speculating the hawk has rodenticide poisoning, but we will not know for certain until tests are done.


A volunteer took the hawk to Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side, and we are currently waiting for an update. When we know anything, we'll post it here.

As the fledgling was being rescued, its sibling soared overhead, making a couple of circles, then flying over Avenue A. There is now just one fledgling of the original three in the park.
This latest misfortune follows the loss of a fledgling on July 4. We are still awaiting the official cause of death, but the initial report was it most likely suffered from frounce, which comes from eating infected doves or other birds.

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Fledgling hawks beating the summer heat in Tompkins Square

It's that time of year when the city turns into a tropical humidity fest and the air feels heavy and sultry. Our resident red-tailed hawks are not immune to the heat and must take care to stay cool. They will often spend the hottest hours of the day resting in shady trees, but will also take opportunities to cool off in water.

Hawk siblings chilling in a puddle

Late one evening, well after sunset, we observed the the young hawk siblings find relief in a large puddle.

Fledgling red-tailed hawks in a puddle

In this video, one of the fledglings takes a few sips of water, then shimmies down in the puddle to cool its underside.


This video shows the other fledgling taking a few big gulps of puddle water.


And this video shows a fledgling in the chill zone while the band InCircles can be heard in the background.


Not even a frolicking squirrel can convince this hawk to move out of its relaxation pool.

Fledgling red-tailed hawk watches a squirrel dash by

The hawks generally get the water they need from the food they eat, but when it's hot, they do enjoy drinking it directly.

Fledgling red-tailed hawk drinking from a puddle

Fledgling red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square

Fledgling red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square

Fledgling red-tailed hawk in a puddle in Tompkins Square

Fledgling red-tailed hawk in a puddle in Tompkins Square

The hawks are no strangers to the park sprinklers as we've seen the youngsters play in them in the past when the weather gets hot. Last year, one of the fledglings took an extended shower, allowing itself to get thoroughly soaked. In 2016, a fledgling played with a stick while prancing around in a sprinkler. That same year, a fledgling joined some children in a playground puddle.

My personal favorite summer moment was also in 2016 when Christo took a drink directly out of the General Slocum memorial fountain.

Christo drinks from the General Slocum memorial fountain

Then, to everyone's surprise and delight, one of his kids followed suit.

Christo's kid hops up on the General Slocum fountain

Our urban wildlife can benefit from fresh water on these hot days. We've still got 58 days of summer to go...

Friday, July 22, 2022

Tompkins Square hawk fledglings explore neighborhood rooftops

The Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings have been spending more time outside the park, exploring nearby buildings and rooftops.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling exploring a roof

On one sunny afternoon, this one took a sunbath, spreading its wings to catch some rays.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling sunbathing on a roof

Yes, we see you up there!

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling on a roof

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling taking off from a roof

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling taking off from a roof

I love watching the young hawks take to the air, stretching their legs, wings and tail, showing off their perfect feathers.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling taking off from a roof

This antenna is normally a favorite perch for mourning doves. Not today!

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling perched on an antenna

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling perched on an antenna

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling taking off from an antenna

Another antenna on another afternoon:

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling perched on an antenna

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling taking off from an antenna

I had my first sighting of one of the fledglings on the roof of St Brigid's church this last week. It had chased after the pigeons that normally hang out here, but wasn't stealthy enough to nab one.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling atop St Brigid's church

The rooftop is a good place to catch the wind.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling atop St Brigid's church

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling atop St Brigid's church

Both fledglings have been exploring the upper floors of the Christodora building. In the photo below, one of them perches on the ladder while the other is on the contraption at the lower right.

Tompkins Square hawk fledglings atop the Christodora

Tompkins Square hawk fledglings atop the Christodora

Chilling out, relaxing a leg:

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling atop the Christodora

One of the fledglings went exploring several of the patios/terraces of the building.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling playing around on the Christodora

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling playing around on the Christodora

I hope there were residents home to enjoy the view.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling exploring the Christodora

While soaring, this fledgling resembles mom, Amelia.

Tompkins Square hawk fledgling soaring over the Christodora

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Christo encourages his kids to be less reliant on him for food

Our local Tompkins Square red-tailed hawks are not immune to the summer heat, but they are spending most of the hottest hours of the day sheltering in the shade of the park trees.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings

The hawks still have to eat, though, so the fledglings must continue to hone their hunting skills before they can successfully survive on their own.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

This fledgling takes a little stretch while resting in the shade.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling stretching

Meanwhile, the park squirrels still feel safe knowing the fledglings are not yet skilled enough to catch them.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling and a squirrel

On a recent evening, dad Christo delivered a pigeon to the fledglings who were perched high in a tree. As the youngsters scuffled over the food, the pigeon fell to the ground. Until now, Christo would go down and retrieve it for the kids. This time, however, he tried a different tactic.

As the fledglings watched from above, Christo flew down to the grass.

Christo flies down to the lawn

He walked around until he located the pigeon.

Christo locating dropped prey on the lawn

However, instead of picking up the pigeon, he called to the fledglings, notified them of its location, then took off.

Christo takes off

One of the fledglings decided to go down and get the food itself.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Success!

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling picks up dropped prey

The young hawk took the pigeon to a branch to eat while its sibling crept around the tree, perhaps looking to steal the food or get some scraps. In the end, the first fledgling didn't share, so this proved to be a lesson in self-sufficiency.

After dinner, the fledgling seemed inspired to catch some rats.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling perches on a fence

This tree stump in the middle of the grass apparently has rat holes underneath, and the hawk went digging around under the tree roots.

Fledgling hawk looking for rats in a stump

As the hawk poked its head in one side of the stump, rats ran out the other side, which was amusing to watch.

Fledgling hawk looking for rats in a stump

Hmm, where'd all the rats go?

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

The hawk decided to perch on a nearby fence where it could see rats running between garbage cans (this was after sunset, when the rats get active), and back to the shelter of the stump. The hawk made a couple of attempts to catch them as they scurried back and forth, but was unsuccessful this time. This video shows the fledgling on the fence, then flying to the stump.


As the fledglings get better at catching their own food, Christo will continue to supplement them as needed. Eventually, they won't need dad any more, and will be fully independent.

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling

Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling