Christmas raptorama

The dark/cloudy/foggy weather lately has made photographing birds difficult, and I've been waiting unsuccessfully for a sunny day to get some decent hawk photos.  But there's been a lot of raptor activity in the East Village/Lower East Side recently, so here is one big update.

One exciting bit of news is it's been confirmed that there is a new pair of adult red-tailed hawks hanging around the Lower East Side.  For the last few weeks, there have been many sightings of red-tails around Grand Street, but we (hawk-watchers) weren't sure if these birds were Christo and Dora, or tourist hawks.  We've never been quite sure how far south Christo and Dora's territory goes, and there's no reason why they wouldn't fly around there.

Last Friday, a fellow hawk-watcher spotted a pair perched atop a building at Clinton and Grand Streets.  He then ran over to Allen, where he could see up the avenue to Village View at 4th Street, where Christo and Dora were perched in their usual spot.  He then ran back to Clinton and Grand and saw that the other pair was still where he left them.  Whether they will decide to take up permanent residence, no one knows yet, but I'm thrilled at the prospect of another hawk family in the area (local rats are reportedly not as thrilled).

I've not been able to observe the new hawk couple myself yet, but I did catch a juvenile red-tail rambunctiously chasing pigeons around Ludlow and Houston this morning:



 

Later this afternoon, I saw what I believe to be the same bird perched on a pole at Grand and Suffolk.  It stayed there a few minutes before flying far east on Grand.

Meanwhile, Christo and Dora have both been spending a good amount of time in Tompkins Square.  I tend to see them late in the day either at or after sunset.  On several occasions, I've seen them both go to roost in the park.  Tonight (Christmas Eve), Christo went to roost in the Krishna tree, near the lit-up Christmas tree (I was really hoping he'd make himself the Christmas tree topper, but no such luck).

The following photos are from the last few days.

Here is Christo digesting his dinner late in the evening in the big elm near Avenue And 7th Street.  Dora is perched in the tree above and behind him.



Christo in the late afternoon sun...







He deftly nabbed a rat along Avenue A.  The colored clouds in the foreground are the result of me being trapped behind a rose bush.



Mouth full of rat...



After dinner, Christo called to Dora from a tree along 7th Street.  You can see his crop (the bulge in his chest) is full.



Still calling, he took off after her.



Here she is, Miss America Dora, in her favorite sycamore at Avenue A and St Mark's Place.



This is about as close as she lets me get to her.



Later, patrolling the skies.



For some time, I've been catching glimpses of a Cooper's hawk around the park, especially along Avenue A.  I was just beginning to think I was imagining things, when a Cooper's zipped by late one afternoon. 



The Cooper's is really fast and agile, so by the time I see it and raise my camera, it's usually already out of sight.

Speaking of fast flyers, I've been seeing more of the Peregrine falcon that has been hanging around the area. I'm almost certain this is the same falcon that's been seen on Allen Street, Bowery, First Avenue and around Tompkins Square.  It's been troublesome to photograph as it's usually very high up and far away (and I never have the right camera with me when I see it).

Wednesday morning, when it was so foggy I couldn't see beyond the sixth floor of any building, I happened to spot it perched on a construction tower at Allen and Rivington. 



I saw Christo perched on the same tower a couple of weeks ago and, at first, I thought it was him.  But, closer inspection revealed the telltale markings of a Peregrine.



This video, taken from Orchard and Rivington Streets, shows the falcon taking off and you can see its pointed wings.  It flew NE towards Avenue A and Houston.



A few minutes later, on the same frustratingly foggy morning, I came across two kestrels on Division Street.  I believe they are the same pair who nested in the area last summer.  I was excited to see both of them, and they were flying around like crazy.  I never saw them catch any food or go after any other birds, so I don't know why they were so energized.

Here's one of them on Pike and East Broadway. 



This is the male.



This video shows both of them - the female is on the left and the male is on the right.



Back to the hawks...

One more shot of Christo!



After an afternoon searching high and low for Christo and Dora, I finally found them in one of their favorite spots atop Most Holy Redeemer Church on E 3rd Street.  This was taken from Tompkins Square, and the hawks are the tiny white blobs at the base of the dome on the left, just above the green band.



All this raptor activity gives me hope that we'll see much more of all these birds in the coming year.

Merry Christmas!

See more photos here.

This week with Christo

It's been a busy time for red-tailed hawk Christo, as he and Dora have really been patrolling and defending their East Village territory.  Nearly every morning, I can count on seeing one or both of them atop the chimney of Village View on First Avenue and 4th Street.

On the morning of December 3, I saw Christo perched further south atop a construction tower at Allen and Rivington Streets.  His focus was on the scene to the west.



Other hawk-watchers have been telling me they've been seeing adult red-tails around the Lower East Side (south of Delancey) recently.  We have yet to determine if these hawks are Christo, Dora or newcomers to the area.  I've seen Christo and Dora go as far south and east as the Williamsburg Bridge, but I've been unable to figure out the southern border of their territory. 

Saturday found Christo hunting in Tompkins Square in the late afternoon.  I've actually had a hard time photographing the birds lately as it gets dark so early and that seems to be the time when the hawks are active.



The hawks may own the skies, but the squirrels still own the trees.



This day, I was fortunate enough to spot Christo as he went to roost.  This photo was taken well after dark, around 5pm.  He is high in the tree to the west of the Krishna tree, in the one that has the big-long-bendy-branch-that-people-hang-on-and-that-will-possibly-kill-someone-some-day. That one.

 

This is one of the few trees left in the park that still has a significant number of leaves.  The night after this, both Christo and Dora went to roost up high in a leafy tree near the corner of the park at Avenue B and 7th Street.  I have to wonder if they are choosing leafy trees for cover - the juvenile red-tail that was spotted on 6th Street on November 30 also chose to roost in a leafy tree.

This could mean something, or it could mean absolutely nothing!  It's probably more important to note that both Christo and Dora were roosting in the park together, very near their nest.

Sunday, Christo hung out at St Brigid's on Avenue B and 8th Street.



I never tire of seeing the hawks take off from the cross.





Christo attempted hunting in the shrubs near the park entrance, but didn't come up with anything.



Despite barely any sunlight left, he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry.  He may have eaten earlier in the afternoon.



Meanwhile, Dora was calling from her perch in the sycamore on the Avenue A side of the park, so Christo took off towards her...



...calling back to her along the way.

Doraaaaaaa!



King of the Lower East Side.



See more recent Christo and Dora photos on my Flickr page.

This week with Dora

Helloooo, Dora!



I saw quite a bit of Dora this last weekend as she spent a lot of time with Christo in Tompkins Square.  Here she is in her favorite sycamore at the Avenue A & St Mark's entrance to the park.  If you see a lone hawk up in that tree, it's likely her.



I couldn't fit them both in the frame below, but Christo is on a lower branch eating a rat, while Dora looks down at him.



Christo was there first, then Dora flew in and made a strange noise at him that sounded like a cat growling.  I've never heard her make this sound before, but I have heard Christo make similar noises in the past.  He's done it when he appeared annoyed, like when he was harassed by squirrels/birds, or failed in an attempt to catch prey.  I really don't know what the "growling" sound means, and I couldn't tell what kind of mood Dora was in.  I wondered if Christo might share his lunch with her, but he didn't offer.

The following day, I found Dora in the same tree, eating a mouse while being tormented by a mockingbird.



Wolfing down the back end...



After the last gulp, Dora shook it all out...



...then took a minute to digest in the late afternoon sun.





Later, it was back to the sycamore where Dora perched up top while Christo gazed up at her.



In related raptor news, I witnessed a hawk-kestrel battle over Eldridge and Delancey Tuesday morning.  Two red-tails, who I presume were Christo and Dora, circled over the intersection while flocks of pigeons and starlings scattered.  A kestrel zoomed in, taking dives at one of the hawks before all three flew towards Avenue A and Houston.  By the time I got my camera out, they were gone.

On Sunday, this Peregrine falcon flew over Tompkins, heading east over 9th Street.  I quickly snapped this photo before in went into a dive and was off like a rocket.

Christo and Dora spent the rest of the day flying around and vocalizing a lot, so I thought the falcon or another hawk was intruding on their territory, but I was never able to see the source of their agitation.

More to come...

New kids in town

There's been some post-Thanksgiving hawk action in the neighborhood, although much of it has been high overhead and I've been unable to catch it with the camera.  I've seen Christo and Dora chasing at least one other red-tail and a Cooper's hawk out of the area, but haven't been able to tell how many other hawks are around or what type they are.

Over the weekend, Christo was up to his usual afternoon hunting in Tompkins Square.  Here he is holding down something in the grass as a squirrel looks on from the trunk of a tree.



I thought Christo had pounced on something, but when he took off, it was revealed to be a rather, uh, ratty old rat.





My first thought was concern, as it could be a dead poisoned rat.  It looked pretty mangled and could have been lying in the grass a long time, so it wasn't obvious how it died.  It's possible Christo left it there earlier, or it could have been discarded from another hawk.  I really have no idea, but feel more comfortable when I see him catch and eat his own food.

On Sunday, I spotted Christo and Dora circling high above the park with a Cooper's hawk.  I watched as they escorted it south and then west, leading it out of their territory.

So I was surprised to see this juvenile Cooper's hawk land in a tree near the hawk nest just a few minutes later.



I don't know if this is the same Cooper's that had been circling overhead just minutes before, but I suspect it's a second hawk.  I found it strange that it was able to sneak in under Christo and Dora's radar.  The young hawk perched in the tree for just a couple of minutes before flying over to Avenue A where it stirred up pigeons, then disappeared.

On Monday, Christo and Dora chased a third unidentified hawk right through the middle of the park, across the central lawn.  They screamed and flew about a foot off the ground before flying up and over 7th Street.  Despite many people being on the grass, no one seemed to notice or care.  I tried to follow the birds, but wasn't quick enough and lost sight of them as they sailed SW towards First Avenue.

Later that same day, after having my eyes dilated at the eye doctor, I returned to the park to see if I could catch any hawk activity before the sun went down.  As it was almost dark and I was nearly completely blind, I gave up and headed home.

I really couldn't see, and was just thinking how dumb I was to be wandering the streets in that state, when a hawk flew right over my head on 6th Street.  Afraid I'd lose sight of it immediately, I chased after it and lucked out as I saw it land on top of a building on 6th Street, just east of Avenue A.  It was pretty dark at this point, but I was able to see the hawk as it hopped down to a fire escape.



I first thought the hawk was Christo, as he's been known to roost right over the streets in that immediate area.  Then I thought maybe I'd finally seen the mysterious Dora go to her secret night place.  The hawk looked pretty big.

But as it took off, I could easily see it was a juvenile red-tail.  I've lightened up these photos quite a bit, so you can see the light colored eyes and brown striped tail.  In the dark, these features were hard to see, but there's no mistaking those speckled legs. 



Christo has brown horizontal stripes on his legs while Dora's have no pattern.  The juveniles wear polka dots.



The Buyers Beware and Say No To Toledano signs in the windows refer to Raphael Toldano, who recently bought several buildings in the area.

The young hawk settled in a tree outside 514 E 6th Street for the night.



Meanwhile, Christo and Dora remain vigilant, keeping an eye on things from their watch tower on 3rd Street.



See more recent hawk photos on my Flickr page.