First fledge

The last three days have been hawk overload, so I will have to break all the updates into several posts.

As of today, one hawklet is left on the Avenue A air-conditioner nest.  Its two siblings both fledged on Saturday, June 20.  I have to say, I am both relieved and really impressed with both fledges.  I've been worried about this nest since Day 1 as it's so small and in what I think is a dangerous location.  But, all three baby hawks have done really well, which tells me I should have trusted the decision of parents Christo and Dora to build their nest there.

The first fledge happened around 10:10am.  I slept in that day and missed it by half an hour (snooze and lose!), but Two Hawks NYC has more details on what happened.

I caught up with the fledgling later in the day on E 5th Street, where it had settled right over Sophie's Bar (thanks to the couple on the street who saw me run right past the hawk and came after me to show me where it was).

Here I am!





It seemed a little overwhelmed...



...but soon relaxed and stretched.



I love that it used the bird spikes on the roof to scratch its head.



Welcome to the big world!



The fledgling hopped around the roof for a while...



...and then took off flying south over 5th Street around 6pm.  This was the first time I actually saw it fly.



To recap, this hawk hatched on May 1, putting it at 51 days old when it fledged.

More to come...

Previously.

Fledge day

This is just a quick post to say two of the Avenue A hawks successfully fledged today.

The first flew out of the nest around 10:30 am and went straight to Sophie's bar on 5th Street.

The second left the nest at 2:45 pm and made an impressive landing on Most Holy Redeemer church on 3rd Street.

Photos to come...

Bouncing baby hawks

Getting lots of vertical exercise on Avenue A...









From the other side of the window, as seen via the web cam, you can see how the sticks that make up the nest are really dwindling. You can clearly see the white edges of the air-conditioner and people walking on the sidewalk below.

This screenshot shows how close the three birds are up there.  I tried to get a screenshot while they were flapping, but their wings obscured the entire frame.

So far, all three kids, as well as mom and dad, don't seem that anxious to fledge.  The kids are still getting regular meals on the nest and the parents are keeping watchful eyes on them.  They will decide when the time is right.

Previously.

Another chance to see hawk prints this week

Thank you to everyone who came to the art show featuring Christo and Dora (and their kids) last Saturday. We had a great turnout and it was a real pleasure to see many old friends, as well as meeting new hawk fans.

For anyone unable to attend last weekend, there will be another viewing this Thursday (June 18) from 7-9pm.



Location:
Crony Gallery
437 East 12 Street #26
New York NY 10009
212-777-2714

Time:
Thursday, June 18, 2015, 7-9pm

Refreshments will be served.

For further information, please see the press release.

Catching up on Avenue A

Roger Paw reports that both hawks have now fledged over at Washington Square Park.  They are just a few days older than our Avenue A hawks, who are ready to go any time.

Until then, they're getting a good workout.

Stretch...



Balancing act...



Kick-boxing...



High jump...



Higher jump...



Rest.



Believe it or not, there's still enough room up there for them to disappear.  The third hawklet is lying down somewhere at the back of the a/c.



Eyes on the sky...

See more photos on my Flickr page.

Previously.

Fledge week

It's raptor fledge time and this week is off to a good start.

Urban Hawks has a post on Pale Male's nest on 5th Avenue, where two hawklets fledged Saturday evening.

Sunday saw the first Washington Square hawk go exploring.  Both Urban Hawks and Roger Paw have coverage.

Uptown at Gorman Park, Morningside Hawks found what could be one of the first fledglings of the season.

So, what's up with the East Village hawks?  They should be ready to go any minute, so keep an eye on the sky - and the sidewalk - of Avenue A.  It's not unusual for a baby hawk to end up on the ground or in some other weird place.  If anyone sees a hawk in a dangerous situation, please let me know, or contact WINORR (Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation).  They have done many city hawk rescues in the past and are wonderful people.

Reminder: photo exhibition this Saturday

There will be an exhibition of my photos of East Village hawks, Christo, Dora, and their kids, on Saturday, June 13. 



Location:
Crony Gallery
437 East 12 Street #26
New York NY 10009
212-777-2714

Time:
Saturday, June 13, 2015, 4-7pm

Refreshments will be served.

For further information, please see the press release.

Livin' on the edge

This is what gives me a heart-attack.

Oh, it's just a baby hawk, not yet capable of flying, jumping up and down on the edge of an air-conditioner twelve stories above a street full of traffic.



He/she's got a good couple of inches of air between those feet and the nest material.



One wrong move, a shifting stick, a gust of wind, and....I don't want to think about it.

Here is the nest from a different vantage point at Houston Street.  One and a half nestlings can be seen on the a/c unit at the (nearly) center of the photo.



I'll feel much better when all three kids are safe playing with rats and squirrels in Tompkins Square.

Previously.

Avenue A hawk update

Avenue A hawk activity is picking up as we approach the big day when the lease is up on the Frigidaire air-conditioner and the hawklets take to the air.  All three are clearly visible from the street when they stand up and flap their wings.

I caught up with dad Christo the other evening in Tompkins Square. I was happy to see him back at his old habit of hunting for dinner in the area behind the park offices.  Is it me, or is he looking more distinguished this season?



Within minutes, he expertly served up a healthy-looking rat.



After chomping off the head and savoring the tastiest part for himself, he flew the body back to the kitchen table, otherwise known as the cross at Most Holy Redeemer church on E 3rd Street.

Christo and Dora have been using the cross as a spare apartment as the kids now take up so much room on the nest.



Two of the three hawklets check out the paparazzi.  I can't tell who hatched first, but in the photo below, the one in front looks older than the one in back.



Flap time!



Check out those nicely speckled pantaloons...



Ugh, the annoyances of sharing a junior studio apartment.  No personal space!



After the kids settle down, Christo delivers dinner.



Everybody watches mom fly by.  The little ones should be thinking, "Hey, I want to do that!"



Later, the parents go back to chilling out on the church.  Christo is on top of the cross while Dora is at the base of the dome on the lower left.  They both have a direct view of the nest from up there.

 

I'm a bit worried about the next couple of weeks as the baby hawks are so big and clumsy, and the nest is so small.  When they flap their wings, they stumble around and it's unnerving to see them doing that so close to the edge.  But, they are birds and this is what they do...

See more photos on my Flickr page.

Previously.

Raptor roundup

Our East Village hawklets are now just over four weeks old and they are looking less like fluffy marshmallows and more like serious raptors.

Tonight, two of the three kids gazed from the nest up at their parents, Christo and Dora, who were watching them from the church cross across the street.  I like how their dark wing feathers make it look like they're wearing robes.

 

Christo is on top of the cross while Dora is perched on the globe on the lower left.



The youngsters' wingspan is now almost as wide as the window well.



Those are some nice-looking flight feathers...



For a closer look at how the tail feathers emerge, check out this screen shot taken from the Cornell Lab hawk cam.  Here is another one - the new feathers resemble paint brushes.

For those of you keeping track, the first Avenue A hawk baby hatched on May 1, putting it at 34 days old.  The other two are 32-34 days old.  If we're estimating they stay in the nest 46-53 days, we can expect the first fledge around June 15.  This is just a guesstimate, but I'm going to use these numbers in the office pool...

For information on the eleven other Manhattan hawk nests, Morningside Hawks has put together an informative update.

In other raptor news, the baby falcons at 55 Water Street were banded an named last Friday.  Parents Adele and Frank are proud to introduce their daughters, Candy Queen, Wesley Kate, Bama Bari, and their son, Harry's Luck.  I have no idea who came up with those amusing names.

Speaking of banding falcons, Gothamist ran some really fantastic photos this week of the twelve baby falcons born atop the Verrazano, Marine Parkway and Throgs Neck bridges.

I don't know who the MTA photographer is who took those photos, but you can see more of their brilliant work here.

In a month, all these baby birds will be ruling the sky!