This week in Tompkins Square hawk chicks

The Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk chicks are growing up fast, morphing from fuzzy white nestlings into little adolescents. They still have downy heads and bodies, but their dark flight feathers are growing in on their wings.

This photo was taken Monday, May 13, while mom Amelia was in the nest.

Just a reminder that all my photos are taken from a long distance away, with a telephoto lens, and are heavily cropped.

Seeing the chick above with the dark wings, it's hard to believe this is how they looked just a week ago on May 6.  Check out the huge crop on this guy - it's as big as his/her head!  Dad Christo is feeding them well.

Showing some pin feathers on the wings:

And the beginning of some tail feathers:

Amelia preens one of her little ones.

A little sibling rivalry going on as one chick bites at another:

These photos were taken three days later on May 9.

Chonky chick! 

I love them at this age when they look so soft and blobby.

The chicks will quickly change going forward, growing taller and losing their white fuzzy down and developing brown body and head feathers. So far, the whole family looks healthy and content.

Rare American White Pelican in New York Harbor

Just over a week ago, an American White Pelican showed up in New York Harbor. These huge birds are primarily found in the southern and western part of the continent, nowhere near NYC. Apparently, this was the first one ever recorded in New York County, so I made an effort to see it.

I first spotted it in the harbor from Governors Island late in the day on May 3. It was pretty far away, almost to Bayonne, but its distinct shape, even at a long distance, was obvious.

I snapped a couple of photos before losing it visually. Despite being a huge white bird, it was surprisingly hard to see. The cloud cover increased as the sun went down, making it difficult to see anything out there.

The following day, a friend and I decided to try and get a better look by riding the Staten Island ferry. Sure enough, as we passed the distant area where we'd spotted the bird the evening before, it appeared in the water off the side of the boat.

All of these photos were taken from a moving boat in the wind, with only a window of a few seconds, so I feel fortunate to have captured what is here. The weather did not work in our favor, remaining dark and blustery all day.

As soon as we spotted the pelican, it took flight and headed for the wake of the boat.

It joined numerous gulls and terns that were diving at fish stirred up by the ferry's propeller. As it followed the ferry for a short distance, we were able to see it pretty well from the stern.

That hump on the pelican's bill is called a caruncle, and it grows during mating season.

For some reason, one particular gull decided it did not like the pelican and actively chased it and screamed at it - I guess I would feel the same if a giant bird competitor moved in on my turf and ate all my food!

I don't know if it was the gull that made the pelican drop away from the ferry, but as we got closer to Staten Island, the pelican retreated to the southwest part of the harbor. We did not see it on our voyage back to Manhattan.

The pelican was seen by people for about four days before disappearing as mysteriously as it appeared.

See more photos of the pelican on my Flickr page.

2024 Spring Bird Migration - Part 2

As spring bird migration continues, below are some of my favorite highlights so far.

The most exciting sighting for me in this segment is this Cerulean Warbler seen in Brooklyn. It's actually the first time I've ever seen one.

Blue-Winged Warbler:

It's amazing how often the color of the birds perfectly matches their environment.

Worm-Eating Warbler:

True to it's name, this photo shows the warbler eating a worm (the tiny little thing on the left side of the bird's bill).

Northern Parula:

Eating a spider:

Cape May Warbler:

This guy is just so pretty, I took several photos of him.

Brown Thrasher:

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher:

Prothonotary Warbler:

This bird was tough to photograph as it stayed in the darkest shadows of some trees.

Same with this White-Eyed Vireo:

Palm Warbler:

More to come, with a couple of surprises...

 

Previously.