It's been 15 days since the first two Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk chicks fledged the nest, and 11 days since the youngest made the big leap. All three are doing great, practicing their flying skills and being cared for by mom and dad.
On Sunday, two of the fledglings were confronted by a curious squirrel. After staring at each other for a minute, the squirrel determined they were not much of a threat, and scampered away.
Dinner time is my favorite time to observe the hawks. Dad Christo commands the proceedings and on this day, pigeon was on the menu.
After securing the pigeon, Christo called out to Amelia to announce dinner was ready. She swooped in and took the pigeon from him.
These two work very well together. He catches the prey, and she prepares it for the kids.
One of the fledglings responds to the dinner bell.
There was a moment of chaos when Christo delivered a second meal (a small bird) to Amelia in another tree and she was ambushed by one of the fledglings.
The fledgling took the food, but another came and tried unsuccessfully to steal it.
The hawk with the food held up their wings to keep their sibling from getting close to their meal.
As it mantled the food, the second fledgling could only watch as its sibling scarfed it down.
Not to worry, though, as the parents make sure all three are fed well.
The sequence above shows a milestone for the fledgling who got the food: it was able to take the prey and feed itself without the assistance of the parents. It's worth noting that Christo provided a small bird that the fledgling could handle on its own.
More to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment