Although I wasn't expecting one of the three red-tailed hawk nestlings at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to fledge until mid next week, one of them made the big jump Friday morning and was discovered by cathedral staff in the area between the Cathedral School and the residence garden. Some fluffiness on the new fledge's forehead suggest it might have fledged a day or three early. Given all the mad flapping that has been going on up in the nest in recent days, it's possible it was caught by a gust of wind and carried out of the nest. The nestlings have been getting some good air and a bit of hang time when they exercise.
For much of the morning the fledge hid in the bushes of the bishop's residence garden, but around noon it apparently sought out a new hiding place and was out of sight. Some robin chipping suggested that it hadn't gone far, although later in the day the same area was very quiet except for the occasional call of a cathedral peacock. One or both of the parents could sometimes be seen perched on the cathedral roof or on the roof of the Avalon condo building, keeping an eye on their baby down below.
(Photos in this post are both credit Cathedral of St. John the Divine staff.)
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