CCNY
The Male, banded by the Horvaths in 2010.
Wishing them success on their great effort to capture wildlife surviving in the City!
Showing posts with label CCNY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CCNY. Show all posts
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Urban Jungle
On location with Nat Geo filming some Harlem Hawks.
CCNY
The Male, banded by the Horvaths in 2010.
Wishing them success on their great effort to capture wildlife surviving in the City!
CCNY
The Male, banded by the Horvaths in 2010.
Wishing them success on their great effort to capture wildlife surviving in the City!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Sunday Gale
A stiff breeze cleared out the last of the rain. By early morning, there was nothing but a clear, piercing clarity. I knew that hawks would use the favorable wind to make up for the hunting they missed over the last few days. Starting at the Cathedral, I saw first the female, then the male fly into the nest.
The female stayed on the nest for some time while the male circled the Cathedral, flushing pigeons and starlings. I decided to swing over to CCNY while the morning light was still favorable. I saw first one,
then another hawk fly out of the nest!
After a while, neither hawk returned. I caught glimpses of them over the Park, but they didnt return. From there I went to meet Bruce and Chris Lyons to see if we could discover if any redtailed hawks are nesting in Riverside Park near 165th St. To get there, I cut through Trinity Cemetery, where I discovered a nesting pair of crows. They really didnt like me looking, and crowed vigourously at me the whole time.
Over at Trinity Cemetery, no sign of a nest, but I saw 1 Cooper's and 1 jvy RTH.
In Riverside, I spotted two adult RTH's hawking over the trees and occasionally making descents. We were not able to discover the location, but the presence of 2 adults and a juvy do signal that further searches may be warranted.
One of the adults...
and this very lightly colored juvy.
Later, this ring billed
and this female kestrel hunting.
And the Cathedral pair, joining up to ward off a juvy.
I also saw two turkey vultures, and Chris had a juvy bald eagle on the River in the am.
The female stayed on the nest for some time while the male circled the Cathedral, flushing pigeons and starlings. I decided to swing over to CCNY while the morning light was still favorable. I saw first one,
then another hawk fly out of the nest!
After a while, neither hawk returned. I caught glimpses of them over the Park, but they didnt return. From there I went to meet Bruce and Chris Lyons to see if we could discover if any redtailed hawks are nesting in Riverside Park near 165th St. To get there, I cut through Trinity Cemetery, where I discovered a nesting pair of crows. They really didnt like me looking, and crowed vigourously at me the whole time.
Over at Trinity Cemetery, no sign of a nest, but I saw 1 Cooper's and 1 jvy RTH.
In Riverside, I spotted two adult RTH's hawking over the trees and occasionally making descents. We were not able to discover the location, but the presence of 2 adults and a juvy do signal that further searches may be warranted.
One of the adults...
and this very lightly colored juvy.
Later, this ring billed
and this female kestrel hunting.
And the Cathedral pair, joining up to ward off a juvy.
I also saw two turkey vultures, and Chris had a juvy bald eagle on the River in the am.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Nest Number 8!
Man, this has been the year for new Red-tailed Hawk nests. There's really a triple irony behind this one. First irony: this is a first year nest, that has popped up on a structure that I have fotographed hawks on numerous time in the past. Additionally this structure and nest would have been visible from an apartment that I had on 145th St...from my living room couch no less. Second irony: this is yet another nest that was first discovered by a dog walker. Ironic because many times the agenda of dog walkers has conflicted with bird watchers. The third and final irony: I had been at this site two weeks prior, fotographed a hawk right near the nest, but failed to recognize it. Sometimes it takes the observations of others to tell us what is directly under our noses.
*Just found out that this the person who reported this nest is not a dog walker. So we holding then at 2 ironies, down from 3. Im sure there will be more irony to report as time goes on.
I found the nest on the east side, overlooking Hamilton Heights.
The bird made some adjustments to the new nest and then sat up tall. It was eyeing something in the distance. After some time, it rocketed out of the nest and dove on some starlings in the park.
It leveled out empty taloned and then landed in the park.
*Just found out that this the person who reported this nest is not a dog walker. So we holding then at 2 ironies, down from 3. Im sure there will be more irony to report as time goes on.
I found the nest on the east side, overlooking Hamilton Heights.
The bird made some adjustments to the new nest and then sat up tall. It was eyeing something in the distance. After some time, it rocketed out of the nest and dove on some starlings in the park.
It leveled out empty taloned and then landed in the park.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Harlem Hawks
Despite the challenges that living in the City brings, predatory birds of all kinds are irresistibly lured here, due to the concentration of prey. The clear weather over the weekend gave me a great opportunity to survey the raptors in Harlem. I started out on 110th St., where the juvenile hawk with one tail feather missing swooped in from behind me, trying to grab a pigeon on a cornice. By the time I got my camera out, it had flown across block.
It then went after the nook on 301 CPN, where pigeons sometimes sun themselves!
I would love to see the view from this apartment!
It then flew to a cell phone antenna, directly in front of the Cathedral pair's nest!
I watched it assume a defensive posture,
Just then the Cathedral female rocketed in at the youngster!
It dove down behind the brick buildings, as the dominant hawk flew directly over me.
She wheeled above her territory, scanning for the offender!
The male too was there...I felt like there were hawks everywhere!
More images of the nest,
and the female.
Watching the two hawks amongst the beautiful architecture, I remembered the pair of red-tailed hawks that I used to watch on 145th St. that used to hang around Aaron Davis Hall all the time. I decided to pay them a visit. When I came up to St. Nicholas terrace, I spotted the dark female the same Church where I took those pictures of an attacking kestrel pair.
She was then off and flew directly to her favorite perch!
Sooooo similar to the pix I took on February of 2006!
After marveling at the beauty in the crisp air, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. A second RTH had take up the same perch!
I watched as it too soared off and over to Jackie Robinson Park. I love the scenic overlook from this area...you can see far off into Queens on a day like this. A flock of pigeons suddenly broke in familar fashion.
And a juvenile accipter crested over the buidlings!
it circled high into the air where I could barely follow it with my bins. I lost it somewhere over 130th and 1000' up.
The pigeons settled in,
and I decided to check up on the kestrels in the hood. As I walked down Convent Ave. admiring the beautiful architecture, I spied a familiar silouette tucked down behind a soon to be obsolete t.v. antenna. I thought it was the female kestrel feasting on a recently caught sparrow. But once I got the camera on it, I realized it was something else!
A merlin was having lunch!
Upon seeing me, it flew out, and my camera choose the perfect time to die. I got it working again just after it returned and finished its meal.
Wiping its beak.
Scratchy!
It gently let this feather fly loose
I felt so lucky and thankful to be able to see this amazing bird, let alone photograph it. The human part of me hoped it was just passing through because of the resident kestrels. In other parts of the country, notably the northwest, merlins have supplanted kestrels as the dominant small falcon. This is one of the reasons why kestrel numbers are dropping. At Edgecomb Ave. I spied the antenna of the low lying buidlings for a familiar shape. It was the male with a kill. After some time it flew off, but I did not photograph it. Instead I watched its precise and determined frame soar above me in the shadows of the projects.
I had decided it had been enough for one day. 5 species of raptors in one quick outing, totaling 8 individual birds was more than I hoped for, and I was almost out of space on my CF. As I walked home, another juvy RTH swooped in on some starlings, directly above my head! I fished out the camera and took a quick pic.
As I moved to get closer, the juvy dove off his perch toward me with a squawk. It leveled out a treetop and dove into the park. As I swung around, I discovered why, the Cathedral female was again asserting her ownership!
She eventually flew out and high over Mt. Sinai, she jousted with her mate!
They then flew low over the tennis courts and disappeared.
Taking a last look around, I spotted one of the kestrels. I then heard the familiar klee klee klee attack call of another kestrel. The female dove at the male...
and chased it off!
It was the end to an amazing day of highs and lows. Seeing nests in jeopardy while at the same time seeing such hope and diversity, is hard to process. I continue to believe that the right things will be done.
It then went after the nook on 301 CPN, where pigeons sometimes sun themselves!
I would love to see the view from this apartment!
It then flew to a cell phone antenna, directly in front of the Cathedral pair's nest!
I watched it assume a defensive posture,
Just then the Cathedral female rocketed in at the youngster!
It dove down behind the brick buildings, as the dominant hawk flew directly over me.
She wheeled above her territory, scanning for the offender!
The male too was there...I felt like there were hawks everywhere!
More images of the nest,
and the female.
Watching the two hawks amongst the beautiful architecture, I remembered the pair of red-tailed hawks that I used to watch on 145th St. that used to hang around Aaron Davis Hall all the time. I decided to pay them a visit. When I came up to St. Nicholas terrace, I spotted the dark female the same Church where I took those pictures of an attacking kestrel pair.
She was then off and flew directly to her favorite perch!
Sooooo similar to the pix I took on February of 2006!
After marveling at the beauty in the crisp air, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. A second RTH had take up the same perch!
I watched as it too soared off and over to Jackie Robinson Park. I love the scenic overlook from this area...you can see far off into Queens on a day like this. A flock of pigeons suddenly broke in familar fashion.
And a juvenile accipter crested over the buidlings!
it circled high into the air where I could barely follow it with my bins. I lost it somewhere over 130th and 1000' up.
The pigeons settled in,
and I decided to check up on the kestrels in the hood. As I walked down Convent Ave. admiring the beautiful architecture, I spied a familiar silouette tucked down behind a soon to be obsolete t.v. antenna. I thought it was the female kestrel feasting on a recently caught sparrow. But once I got the camera on it, I realized it was something else!
A merlin was having lunch!
Upon seeing me, it flew out, and my camera choose the perfect time to die. I got it working again just after it returned and finished its meal.
Wiping its beak.
Scratchy!
It gently let this feather fly loose
I felt so lucky and thankful to be able to see this amazing bird, let alone photograph it. The human part of me hoped it was just passing through because of the resident kestrels. In other parts of the country, notably the northwest, merlins have supplanted kestrels as the dominant small falcon. This is one of the reasons why kestrel numbers are dropping. At Edgecomb Ave. I spied the antenna of the low lying buidlings for a familiar shape. It was the male with a kill. After some time it flew off, but I did not photograph it. Instead I watched its precise and determined frame soar above me in the shadows of the projects.
I had decided it had been enough for one day. 5 species of raptors in one quick outing, totaling 8 individual birds was more than I hoped for, and I was almost out of space on my CF. As I walked home, another juvy RTH swooped in on some starlings, directly above my head! I fished out the camera and took a quick pic.
As I moved to get closer, the juvy dove off his perch toward me with a squawk. It leveled out a treetop and dove into the park. As I swung around, I discovered why, the Cathedral female was again asserting her ownership!
She eventually flew out and high over Mt. Sinai, she jousted with her mate!
They then flew low over the tennis courts and disappeared.
Taking a last look around, I spotted one of the kestrels. I then heard the familiar klee klee klee attack call of another kestrel. The female dove at the male...
and chased it off!
It was the end to an amazing day of highs and lows. Seeing nests in jeopardy while at the same time seeing such hope and diversity, is hard to process. I continue to believe that the right things will be done.
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