There was concern Thursday afternoon about one of the Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk fledglings as it had been observed perching on a fence for over an hour and didn't seem to be behaving right.
I believe this is Fledgling #3, the youngest of the trio.
NYC Urban Park Ranger Rob Mastrianni came to the rescue, quickly netting the hawk as it perched on a fence. After a quick examination, he called Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabiliation (WINORR) and decided the hawk should be taken to rehab for further evaluation.
It wasn't clear exactly what was wrong with the hawk, but it appeared to have a problem with one of its wings and could not fly very well.
Despite that, the hawk remained alert and displayed some energy as it nipped at Rob and flapped its wings several times.
I'll post more photos - and possible video - next week when I know more about the hawk's condition.
In the mean time, a huge thank you to Ranger Rob and Bobby Horvath from WINORR who wasted no time responding to the situation on the hottest afternoon of the hottest day this summer. Rob has rescued several of our fledglings, most recently just last week when one ended up in an air shaft on 10th Street.
And Bobby has cared for countless city raptors, including our Dora, who is now a permanent resident of Long Island.
Below are some highlights of recent fledgling antics in the park.
This one took a bath in the pool and dried off on the ladder for a while. This is one of the older siblings, but I'm not sure if it's Fledgling #1 or #2.
This one climbed around in some bushes, looking for critters.
The same hawk then went and tried to pick a lock on a gate. Everything is a toy for these curious young birds.
On the prowl in a tree:
Carrying a piece of wood across one of the lawns:
Learning to balance on unstable branches:
Exploring the area behind the bathrooms:
All the fledglings have enjoyed using the scaffolding around the field house as a jungle gym. Workers inside the construction area told me they've enjoyed watching the hawks as they demolish the famously horrendous restrooms.
This fledgling appeared to be hunting cicadas around the base of a tree, periodically posing on the trunk as the insects made their way up the bark. There's always something for the hawks to investigate.
Stayed tuned for updates on the hawk rescue...
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