Hawk nesting season has officially begun as Tompkins Square red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo, are brooding eggs. We do not now how many there are, but hawks usually lay 1-3 eggs per season. If all goes well, it will be a few weeks before hatch time.
Below are some photos from the last few days.
Christo and Amelia perching together:
They both spotted something...maybe a squirrel messing with their nest. What ever it was, Christo went off to deal with it.
Later, Christo returned to Amelia as she perched in another tree.
The obligatory mating photos!
The hawks will continue to mate until the full clutch of eggs is laid.
One way to tell Amelia is in brooding condition is she is less likely to engage in any physical conflict with the resident squirrels. She would normally move right in on this one that crept right up to her.
On this day, though, Amelia was definitely conserving energy and mostly ignored the pesky squirrel.
I mean, look at this! Not only did the squirrel get very close to Amelia, but it turned its back on her and started grooming itself like there was no danger at all. Tompkins squirrels are tough, but this is still a risky move.
This is Amelia and Christo perched together again - you can really see the size difference between them. Amelia (left) is noticeably larger and has a broader chest.
The pair doing some nestorations:
Amelia taking off:
Back in the nest again, but this time Christo prepares to take off with a chunk of rat.
He was nice enough to give me a better look at the half-rat before he took it to a tree where he could eat it.
This is Amelia soaring. She'll spend the next several weeks hunkered down in her nest, so it's always nice to observe her enjoying herself catching some air.
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