The grounded baby hawk rescued at Grant's Tomb last night is now spending some time with Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation. They report that, "He is basically starving at 575 grams, very thin. Other than being underweight, nothing else appears wrong at this time. ... He is too early to fledge judged by the length of his flight and tail feathers; he cannot get any height even if a healthy weight."
So although I had thought the bird might have fledged on Thursday and had a rough landing, it seems a bit more likely that he might have fallen from the nest. That he was found so close to the nesting site — which is located in the platform atop a metal pole close to the memorial retaining wall — also hints at a fall.
The baby red-tail being underweight suggests that there has been a problem with the parents feeding him, and that leads one to wonder if there has been conflict with the Riverside Church peregrine falcons just a block and a half down the street. Neither parent was to be seen in the area when I spent some time there Friday afternoon, nor was there any sign of another baby hawk in the nest.
If anyone has recent info about the adult red-tailed hawks at Grant's Tomb, please let us know.
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