Cathedral Couple Copulates Conspicuously!

Having looked over the past years blog entries, I knew that the Cathedral couple would be active around the nest, if in fact they were going to use the same location as previous years. After locating them on St. Luke's from my roof, I jetted over post-haste to see if the same nesting behavior could be observed. I found them both on a favored air-conditioner, where the male promptly took off!





He landed in a nearby tree,

where he wrestled off large branches in his powerful grasp!

Both he and Isolde gave me incredible looks as they ferried twigs to and from the nest!








This went on for some time, and a small crowd of awe-struck people witnessed the spectacle of the two grand animals making low passes!




The Cooper's that Rbs has been tracking, briefly joined the action.

Hawk Shadow!

What do you get when you cross a stick and a hawk?


Each bird made about 3 sorties to the nest, spending a good amount of time there...


The female finally flew out and landed in the St. Luke's yard...


at which point the male flew over,

and did what Nature has so inclined these Hawks to do!




They were both off then, out hunting over Morningside. Good luck to you and all the nesting NYC Raptors! Let's hope the Cathedral is a bit more accomodating this year, giving you the space you need and site free of potential contamination!

The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

Since checking up on a report of an injured adult Red-tailed hawk in Morningside Park, its has become clear that it is Cathedral Male. Myself, the Urban Park Rangers, two fellow bloggers and myself have all scoured the park with no trace of the bird. Their reports can be found at both here and here
Fearing the worst, I followed the female, watching her fly to all of the neighborhood perches in a slow tour. Starting out at Wadleigh and continuing on to the Cathedral, then to 301 CPN, then the Verizon building and finally the Projects on 105th and Amersterdam, she searched furtively but there was no sign of the male.


A group of pigeons started up,

but the female showed no interest. A Cooper's hawk that I've photographed being chased by the female, crested over the buildings,

Again the female was resolute.
In this situation I find it hard not to anthropomorphize. It seems clear that she was desparately searching for her mate. Based on my own observations, the Cathedral male, also known as Tristan (so named by the Cathedral School), is missing and presumed dead. At one point I watched her attack a group of crows on 114th. Through the trees it was impossible to get pic, but I could see the crows soaring above the hawk and then diving down to slam into the hawk. She deftly evaded and then departed...but watching their cavorting, it almost seemed a celebration.


Based on this, I would make a crow attack the most likely reason for the male's broken wing. I have watched the male take on crows numerous times in the past, as has the female, always able to hold their own and then some. I guess his luck finally ran out...its a hard fact of nature, but all animals live in a balance.

Till now there were 7 known Red-tailed nests in Manhattan (six now) with a new nesting pair being discovered on the LES. The prevalence of hawks and the young they raise here exist in a system that has reached its saturation point. With the 2 additional nests I suspect on Manhattan--that would have been 9--with an average of 2 eyass per year, producing 18 new hawks each season in addition to the 18 represented by the parents. Its clear to see why there seem to be hawks in every part of the city I travel to. My point here is that while I am sad that such a beautiful and noble animal is now gone, Manhattan is a saturated raptor place, and crows and peregrines draw out a balance with the hawks. What will happen to this territory remains unclear. No mating was observed between the hawks, so its highly doubtful the female will lay productive eggs this year. I also suspect its too late in the season to find another mature male, so this years nest will probably lie fallow. I will continue to follow the situation and look for the remains of the hawk, but til then I would like to commemorate the life of a bird who gave so much to us all. I will always have the fond memories, pix and of course my wildlife short about these very hawks "Harlem on the Rise!" I will remember him as a devoted father and fierce defended who fledged at least 7 young in his short time on this plane.

Nest Number 6!

A fellow birder Rob, who blogs at Citybirder, passed along a tip from an area resident of a new nesting pair of Red-tailed Hawks in Riverside Park. I took a quick trip to the location during my lunch hour to confirm. After scanning the sky and park for a few minutes, both the male and female crested over a large apartment building. The female alit on a water tower and was soon joined by the male. Luckily I had my camera ready!



From the pix, you can clearly see that the male is missing one of his secondaries on his right wing. Definitely these are two different hawks than all of the previously known nesting adults, which are: Charlotte and PM Jr., PM and Lola, The Cathedral Pair, The Highbridge Pair and the Inwood Pair. In addition to these six confirmed nests, I anticipate there are at least 2 other nests on the island of Manhattan. I had long suspected another resident pair in this part of the Park, but after searching all winter I was unable to locate the nest. After today, I now know the reason...the nest is situated across the park, right next to the West Side Highway!


It definitely looks like a 1st year nest, but I suspect that there have been previous nests in other locations due to the fact that I've seen juvenile and adult hawks in that area for years. In addition, they are copulating early in the mating season, indicating an established pair. Like other Manhattan red-tailed hawks, the male is a lighter shade, while the female is more rufous with a dark belly band. This is some welcome great news in what has been an anxious beginning to NYC nesting season 2008. I look forward to watching this pair and learning even more about this impressive species.

In other news, I have also been spotting a lot of birds in mid-town too! Here's a male kestrel hunting on 56th St.


I thought he might be after some sparrows, but upon looking down I realized it was probably the extended family of this poor mous-icle!


While on the M2, I spied a huge feather storm emanating from the New York Public Library.

A peregrine had come low and killed a pigeon on the ledge of the library!