Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling learning to handle food-prep

The remaining red-tailed hawk fledgling from Tompkins Square Park seems to be doing well and has been very active exploring buildings and learning to handle its food.

Dad, Christo, still makes food deliveries, but we've also seen the young one catch its own rat.

Handling food in a tree is not as easy as it seems, though, as the young hawk has to learn to balance, eat and hang on to the food with its talons, all while the tree in which it's perched sways and moves in the wind. 

Several times, we've seen the food fall to the ground, prompting either Christo or the fledgling to retrieve it. Until now, we've seen the fledgling eat the food on the ground, which is not ideal, so we were happy to see it pick up its dropped food the other day and fly it to a tree for safe eating.

Looks like pigeon is on the dinner menu.

We watched as the fledgling plucked the pigeon before eating - another skill it has to master.

Winking with its nictitating membrane...

On another day, we watched the fledgling excitedly call after landing in a tree.

Check out the catch of the day!

It's still hard to believe the fledgling is not yet three months old as it can look so grown up and serious at times.

Then again, it reminds us it's still curious about everything it sees.

And, the young hawk has the table manners of a toddler. No chewing with mouth closed here!

A less flattering angle shows the last gulp, eye protected from those pigeon toes by the nictitating membrane.

Following up on a previous post, we heard back from the Parks Department and they confirm they are still using CO2 to control rats in Tompkins Square and are not using rodenticide. However, private properties all around the park and throughout the neighborhood and city are, so the hawks are always in danger of catching and consuming poisoned rats. If you see any dead rats on the streets or sidewalks, please report it to 311.

Update on the death of the Tompkins red-tailed hawk fledgling

Following up on yesterday's post about the loss of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling, it looks like we'll never know what happened as Wild Bird Fund disposed of the body without sending it to the DEC for a necropsy. 

This is extremely frustrating as this hawk not only meant the world to an entire neighborhood, but we are facing a potential public health issue if rodenticide was involved. We've lost two of the three hawk chicks this year, which is not normal, and is worth investigating. If there was a monetary cost involved, we're certain we would have been able to raise the funds to cover the transport and testing of the hawk. The hawks themselves deserve dignity and respect, and to not bother determining the actual cause of death is infuriating.

Here are some photos showing what we have lost: the two red-tailed siblings playing together in Tompkins Square Park.

In this video, one of the fledglings plays in the grass as the other swoops past a couple of times.

 

To recap previous hawk deaths reported on this site -

• 2021: One of the fledglings dies after being found in distress on a fire escape. Undetermined cause.
• 2021: One of the chicks dies in the nest. Undetermined cause.
• 2019: The second hawk chick dies in the nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning. 
• 2019: The first hawk chick dies in the nest. Undetermined cause.
• 2018: One of the fledglings dies a few days after leaving the nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning. 
• 2017: Christo and Dora's foster fledgling dies on Avenue C. Cause: West Nile virus.
• 2016: An adult female hawk dies in Collect Pond Park while building a nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning.

Unfortunately, this is not a complete list, only the deaths we have personally witnessed.

Sad news: we have lost one of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings

We're heartbroken to report one of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings has died. At the time of this post, we are not certain of the exact cause of death.

On Friday, July 2, a resident of E 7th Street reported a hawk in distress on their fire escape. Rob Mastrianni of the NYC Urban Park Rangers, responded and captured the hawk.

Photos below are courtesy of Jean Shum.

At the time of capture, the hawk was reported to be extremely weak and had blood in its mouth.

Rob rushed the hawk to Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side for emergency treatment. The initial thought was the hawk was suffering from rodenticide poisoning, and was given treatment, but it was also revealed upon arrival that the hawk had a spinal injury. On the night of July 4th, the fledgling passed away.

We're hoping Wild Bird Fund will send the hawk to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation so a necropsy can be performed which would reveal the exact cause of death. At this time, we can only speculate as to what happened. We have our suspicions, but are going to wait for confirmed facts before drawing any conclusions.

The loss of this fledgling follows the loss of one of the chicks in May while they were still in the nest. We have no way of knowing what caused the death of that chick.

As a side note, we've noticed several dead rats in Tompkins Square Park and in the surrounding neighborhood over the last couple of weeks. This is NOT normal and anyone finding a dead rat should report it to 311. If one is found within the park, please notify a park employee so they can dispose of it. We have concerns that with all the trash in and around the park the last several weeks, people could be using rodenticide. We currently have an outstanding inquiry with the Parks Department to confirm whether or not they are still employing nontoxic dry ice for rat control.

We will post more if and when we have an update on the cause of death for the hawk fledgling.

A few hawk pics for the long weekend

We're coming up on 4th of July weekend and the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings are about two and a half months old. Look how big they've grown!

Both fledglings are flying very well and are learning to hunt on their own. We've seen them fly across the street a couple of times, but they are still spending the majority of their time within the park.

It's not always easy to find the hawks, especially if they are perched quietly in the shady tree canopy. But when they decide to reveal themselves, they're hard to miss.

Sometimes they come to the ground to play on the grass and chase squirrels.

People have asked how long the fledglings will stay in the park and the short answer is we don't know. Once they're able to feed themselves, they will be free to take off on their own. In previous years, we've seen the young hawks disperse between early August and September, but each individual bird is different and they will stay with us until they feel the instinct to move on. Until then, enjoy!