As we slog through this hot and humid summer, the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling trio continue to play and hang out in the park.
One afternoon, two of the three siblings found a rope hanging from a tree and played with it for a while.
Practice for catching dangling snakes, maybe?
I don't recall any of the previous fledglings having a rope toy, so this was a new observation for me.
I haven't seen the hawks spending as much time on the ground recently, as they have learned to take theor food up into the trees where it's safer to eat.
But, they do still swoop around and fly low, which is always a thrill.
This broken cherry tree trunk has been a great place for the young hawks to practice precise landing and perching.
The squirrels continue to torment the hawks as they always do. Most of the time, the squirrels can out-maneuver the hawks and get away.
This fledgling thought it could run along the scaffolding pipe and chase the squirrel, but the target was long gone by the time the hawk made it to the other end.
No worries though as the beam provided a good place to do some yoga stretches. We call this the "downward hawk" pose.
Stretching the leg while relaxing the foot.
I'm not sure what to call this move - maybe "fan dancer".
Calisthenics complete, the fledgling took off...
...and joined mom Amelia in a tree. She is on the lower branch while the fledgling is perched above her.
One notable milestone is parents Christo and Amelia have been spending time on their favorite perches outside of the park over the last few days. Amelia has stayed within the park nearly the entire time between March and June. She spent six weeks on the nest, then several more staying very close to the fledglings and helping to feed them.
Christo has begun spending more time away from the park, allowing the youngsters to have space to fly and practice their hunting skills. Without as much food being provided by mom and dad, they have incentive to become self-sufficient.
Stay tuned...
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