Tompkins Square hawk fledglings explore beyond the park

As we round out another week, we continue to follow the progress of the three Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings. They are spending more time outside the park exploring and, just this morning, Urban Park Ranger Rob Mastrianni was called to rescue one from an air shaft on 10th Street. Huge thanks to the resident who noticed and took action, and applause for Rob, who is no stranger to rescuing our fledglings.

There have been three Tompkins hawk fledglings who have become trapped in air shafts, and their dad, Christo, surprised us all when he found himself stuck in an air shaft on 7th Street. Again, Rob came to the rescue.

Recently, I found two of the siblings hanging out together on a rooftop. The one below on the left is Fledgling #3, and the one on the right is one of its older siblings. I'm unable at this point to tell which one is Fledgling #1 and which is Fledgling #2. They're both large and presumed female. Fledgling #3 is presumed male, and it sounds likely he was the one who ventured down the air shaft.  

From the other side, Fledgling #3 is on the right.

Fledgling #3:

Sibling:

Fledgling #3 took a short trip across the street to the roof of St Brigid's church.

Then, a journey down the block to inspect a fire escape.

Although the hawks are exploring the neighborhood, they still gather in the park to eat and play.

I found two of them tussling together on the central lawn on a recent morning.

Attack that dangling tree branch!

Dirt clods are a favorite toy for prey-catching practice.

Tufts of grass and leaves also make entertaining playthings.

What next?

This fledgling found a dead rat in the grass, likely dropped off by Christo.

It played with the rat for a while before eating some of it.

This photo shows the size of the rat. One thing the young hawks have to practice is working up strength to carry a heavy rat. The hawks themselves are only 2-3 pounds, while adult rats are generally around 5-17 ounces.

Once the hawks are able to successfully catch their own food, they will be ready to disperse. But, we're not there yet! More to come...