I was fortunate to have a visit with one of the Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk fledglings the other day. It appeared on the west side of the park late in the afternoon as it actively hunted for rodents.
Not finding what it wanted on the ground, the hawk flew up into a tree.
I love the alert and curious look it has on its face. The young hawks always look like they're fascinated by everything.
The hawk took a short break to do some sunbathing on a branch.
After a few minutes, it was back to work, and the hawk flew over to the Don Roberts garden where it resumed its quest for rats.
Success!
The hawk caught a rat in the garden and flew it across the plaza in front of the Krishna Tree. I was too slow on the shutter button, so this photo is slightly out of focus. The hawk was flying so unexpectedly low and fast, not even the dog in the background had time to react as it flew by.
Up on a branch in the Krishna Tree, the hawk briefly posed with its dinner.
If you ever wanted to know what a rat tail looks like turned inside-out, well, here you go...
A squirrel (out of frame) startled the hawk, causing it to raise its wings and hackles.
The squirrel proved to be too much of an annoyance, so the hawk picked up its meal and flew it to another tree.
Venturing outside the neighborhood over the weekend, I saw this young red-tailed hawk as it flew along with a flock of starlings.
More to come...
