I found Red-Tailed Hawk, Charlie, in Tompkins Square the other day being tormented by a squirrel. He started out in one tree, got chased out by a squirrel, and flew to another tree where a second squirrel confronted him.
He tried to intimidate the squirrel into leaving him alone.
The squirrel, however, didn't back down easily.
The park squirrels are very territorial and possessive of their trees. They don't want the hawks around and will do everything they can to get the birds out of their trees.
Always willing to join the fray, a Blue Jay snuck up behind Charlie to help remove him from his perch.
Annoyed, Charlie, threatened the squirrel with his talons, but ended up flying to another tree.
In the new tree, Charlie quickly discovered it, too, had its own resident guardian squirrel.
This squirrel seemed to tease the hawk, crawling along the bottom of the branch where Charlie couldn't reach it.
I have to wonder if all the animals in the park know each other. Or, at least, recognize each other. They live in a small area and the squirrels stick to their own territories. Maybe these two have had previous interactions.
It's worth noting it's the time of year when the hawks molt, so Charlie is looking a little ragged around the face.
Here is a post from a year ago showing Charlie going through his summer molt. And this post from 2024 shows Christo looking especially rough.
Harassment by squirrels wasn't the only annoyance for Charlie on this same afternoon. He took refuge on the cross of St Brigid's Church, but the Blue Jays found him there.
This particular jay was really persistent.
As always, the hawk displayed a lot of patience and tolerance of the bullying. When they are perched, there is not much a hawk can do when mobbed by smaller birds who are more agile. I've noticed the Blue Jays will keep up their pestering for a while, but will eventually give up and go away, often returning later if the hawk is still there.
