Wild hawk weekend

This last weekend was a very active one for the Tompkins Square Park hawks.  Two fledges have been confirmed, the third may or may not have happened.  This is the best chronology I can put together:

Thursday, June 9, 8:08pm - The first hawk fledges from nest tree to the Krishna Tree where it spends the night.

Friday, June 10 - At some point, Fledgling #1 returns to the nest to eat, then flies out again and remains in the east end of the park.

Saturday, June 11, around 8am - The second hawk fledges across Avenue B to St Brigid's church.  It attempts to join mom Dora, who is perched on the cross, but the fledgling lands on the roof and slides down the slippery metal slope.  This reminds me of last year's second fledge who took to sliding on the dome of Most Holy Redeemer church on E 3rd Street while Dora looked on.

Sunday, June 12, some time between 10am and noon - Fledgling #2 returns to the nest.  Fledgling #1 had also returned to the nest some time earlier.  At 12:55pm, one of the hawks crept out to the northernmost part of the ginkgo and flew to a tree near the dog run.  My first thought was this was the third fledge, but after spending the rest of the day observing the hawks, I tend to think it was likely Fledgling #1 as it displayed some pretty good flying skills.  By evening, all three kids were in the nest again and had some dinner that was dropped off by dad Christo.  After dinner, one of the hawks - who I believe was likely Fledlging #1 - left the nest again and explored the tops of some nearby trees.

As the hawks keep returning to the nest to eat, it's become almost impossible to tell who is who and I don't know if the third nestling has fledged or not.  The good news is all three hawks look great and the whole family seems to have everything under control.

This is Fledgling #1 on Saturday, perched in the large tree in the middle of the sunbathing area of the park:







And here is Fledgling #2 during its time on the roof of St Brigid's on Saturday:











More updates to come...

Photo exhibition and book party, part 2

Thank you to everyone who came out this last Saturday to our photo exhibition and book party. 

For those unable to make it, there will be extended hours this Wednesday, June 15, 7-9pm. 

Location:  Crony Gallery, 437 E 12th St, #26 (btw Ave A & 1st Ave, 5th floor walk-up)

Fly west, young hawk!

As I posted earlier this evening, the first of the three Tompkins Square hawklets fledged at 8:08pm today.  It was a very windy evening and there wasn't too much activity at the nest, so I was getting ready to leave when one of the young hawks climbed to the upper part of the ginkgo tree, as noted in my post from yesterday.  I can't be certain that this is the same hawk that fledged today, but it went to the very same spot in tree at the same time of day, so I'm inclined to think it's the same individual.

A small crowd gathered to watch the hawk as it posed in the very last of the setting sun.  Then it gave us this look.

You are about to be amazed!



The wind was really gusty and the hawk struggled to keep its balance, but it had a really determined look.



I want to go...over...there.



Then it was up!



The crowd below let out a collective cheer as the hawk flapped west across the path, towards a tall tree.





Free and clear...



Urban Hawks has some great video of the moment of take-off.

The hawk landed in the large willow oak on the east side of the semi-circle.  As the wind gusted, the hawk climbed around the inner branches and did a bit more flapping.  After a few minutes, it left the tree and headed west straight into the Krishna tree where it rested in the upper branches.  By this time, it was getting pretty dark, but dad Christo flew past, so he was aware of the fledgling's location.  Christo will now feed the kid and teach it to hunt for itself.

This is only the second hawk fledge I've been lucky enough to witness.  The first was last year when Christo and Dora nested on the Ageloff Towers on Avenue A.  That hawk also had a certain look in its eye before it took the big leap.

The remaining two hawklets could fledge at any time, so this should be a fun weekend in Tompkins Square.

First fledge!

The first Tompkins Square hawk fledged tonight at 8:08pm.  It climbed from the nest to the upper west side of the ginkgo tree, faced the setting sun, then just took off.  It got some height and flew across the path to a tall willow oak, where it climbed around for a few minutes and got its bearings.  From there, the fledgling flew straight to the Krisha tree where it appears to be roosting for the night.  Christo made a fly-by, so he knows where it is and will make sure it gets fed.

I'll post photos as soon as I can.

Rat baiting continues in Columbus Park

I was dismayed to discover today that the Department of Health has resumed rat baiting in Columbus Park in Chinatown.  After the death of a female red-tailed hawk on March 31 was determined to be caused by rodenticide poisoning, the baiting was stopped.  Now that the publicity has waned, it's happening again.

The surviving male hawk has been seen regularly in the area since the death of his mate.  He's been spotted with a second hawk, who could be a new partner. They do not have a nest as far as I know, but they are definitely hunting in Columbus and Collect Pond Parks.

This sign is dated June 2.



This one is dated June 4.

 

There is no reason not to use alternative methods of rat control such as snap traps.  Poison is a lazy, thoughtless, and ultimately ineffective way to deal with a problem.  As I walked around the park today in the pouring rain, I imagined how the poison capsules were probably dissolving straight into the soil and groundwater.

As an individual, my efforts to ban the use of poison in our public parks has been ineffective.  In order for anything to change, the community needs to come together and raise a united voice.

The best place to start is to send an email (chin@council.nyc.gov) to Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents this area.   

To repeat from past posts, the rodenticides being used are super anticoagulants that cause its targets to bleed to death.  The poison is indiscriminate and will kill other animals besides rats.  And when a predator like a hawk eats a poisoned animal, it dies as well.  It's a slow, horrific and inhumane death.

Raptors Are The Solution is a great website for information and educational resources regarding the effects of rodenticide.

My previous posts on the subject:

Female hawk dies in Collect Pond Park.
Types of rodenticides used and dates of poisoning.
New York state rejects the EPA ban on super-toxic rat poisons.
Autopsy results confirm hawk killed by rodenticide.

Hawklets go exploring

The Tompkins Square hawklets continue to go exploring outside the nest, otherwise known as 'branching'. 

Below, one of them climbs out on a branch while one of its siblings sits in the nest.



Meanwhile, another sibling explores the other side of the tree.



This evening, all three kids practiced flapping...



...and jumping...



Someone is movin' on up...



Just as the last of the sun was setting on the ginkgo that hosts the nest, one of the hawklets made a giant leap by making its way to the west side of the tree, which was about 10-15 feet from the nest.



There was a lot of wind and a loud helicopter hovering overhead, but the little explorer seemed content to gaze out over the park.  Because the nest is on the other side of the tree, it's possible this was the first time this hawk had seen this side of the world.



There's so much to see...!



After about 15 minutes, the hawk 'flew' from its perch back to the nest.  All the while, mom Dora was watching from the cross at St Brigid's across the street, looking beautiful as ever.






Urban Hawks has some nice photos from this week, as well as video of the hawks branching.

Photo exhibition and book party

This coming Saturday (June 11), there will be an exhibition of my photos that show a darker side of downtown Manhattan.  Hawk and other bird prints will also be on display.

This event is also a party for New York poet and writer, Greg Masters, whose latest book is comprised of East Village poems spanning the last forty years.

When:  Saturday, June 11
Time:  3-7pm
Where:  Crony Gallery, 437 E 12th St, #26 (btw 1st Ave & Ave A)

(Please note this is a 5th floor walk-up.)

For anyone who cannot make it on Saturday, there will be additional open hours on Wednesday, June 15, 7-9pm.

Branching in Tompkins Square

Between rain storms today, I caught one of the Tompkins Square hawk babies branching in the tree over the nest.

Look at me!



The hawklet had climbed up the branches on the north side of the nest, then practiced wing flapping on an upper branch where it had room to move around.  This is something Christo and Dora's kids were unable to do in the previous nest locations on air-conditioners.





The branching hawklet is not necessarily the oldest.  I noticed that one of the hawks sitting in the nest had the darkest feathers on its head, indicating it could be older.  However, it's impossible for us to know the exact age of each nestling.





After seeing the one sibling go exploring, the other two seemed to be inspired to do the same.



They took turns jumping from one side of the nest to the other, and leaping up to perch on low branches around the edge of the nest.







Here is some video of the branching hawk flapping around above the nest:



While all the activity was going on at the nest, parents Dora and Christo kept a close eye on their kids from across the street.  They each dropped food off in the nest while I was there. 

The young hawks could fledge at any time now.

See more recent hawk photos here.

Preparing to fledge

The Tompkins Square hawklets are looking really good.  They've been getting their exercise, hopping and flapping, preparing themselves for fledging the nest.  My guess is they'll be ready the second week of June, but they will know when the time is right.

As the leaves fill in on the ginkgo tree, it's been harder to get a clear shot of the youngsters, but they are easily visible from the ground when they stand up and move around.



One of them looks to be a day or so older than the other two.  In the photo below, you can see the middle hawk has some dark feathers on its head while the other two are still mostly white and fuzzy.



All of them have well developed wings.



You can see their size compared to mom, Dora, on the right.  When they fledge, they'll be close to her size.



Showing off for mom (on the left) by catching some air...





Piggy back!







Check out my wingspan!





You can see many more recent hawk photos here.

Over all, the Tompkins hawk family seems pretty relaxed and content with this nest.  I get the impression they are comfortable up there, with more room to stretch out than they had in their previous air-conditioner locations.  The tree nest also has the added benefit of leaves to provide shade and branches for the young hawks to climb.  The next week or two should be exiting as they explore the world beyond the nest.