Further suggesting that eggs no longer need to be brooded, the red-tailed hawks at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine left their nest unattended for about 40 minutes early Wednesday evening. That is, there was no adult hawk in the nest, but there was probably one watching from somewhere nearby almost the entire time.
At about 6:40, Madeleine got up out of the nest and flew off to the north, hooking left at 114th St. and disappearing behind the hospital rooftop. Shortly afterward, I found Norman perched not far from the nest, less than 50 yards away atop the ugly apartment building just built. A few minutes later, he dropped down to perch on the cross at St. Savior Chapel below the nest.
He hung out there for six or eight minutes, and then as Madeleine came flying by overhead, he followed her to the north. Again, they disappeared behind the hospital. But Norman hadn't gone far, as he headed for his favorite chimney cover on the west wing of the building. (One wonders if he can still watch the nest from up there.) Another minute, and he flew back over the cathedral and perched on Gabriel's horn.
And then about 7:15, Norman took off east, descending into the rooftops of southwest Harlem. For the moment it looked like no one was watching the nest.
But no, Madeleine returned within a minute or two, checked the nest contents over, and then settled down.
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