4/9, Riverside at 102

A gorgeous Tuesday afternoon around 3:00 found the female red-tailed hawk from the new Riverside Park nest out getting a little exercise. I first spotted her from a distrance perched close to the nest, but over the next 7-8 minutes she flew from tree-top to tree-top in the near-by area, apparently looking for just the right stick to add to the nest.

Quickly enough she returned to the nest and the male could be seen making a hasty exit from egg-tending duty.

The trees in Riverside are starting to sprout green foliage, so hawkwatching is about to get more difficult.

4/6, Riverside at 102

Late afternoon Saturday at the Riverside red-tail nest was quiet when I checked in.

The female was in the nest, watching the passers by.

The male was perched a block away on the scaffolding atop The Master, hunting or doing neighborhood watch or both.

4/4, Riverside at 102

Despite a couple miserable days with lots of rain, things seem to progressing normally at the red-tailed hawk nest in Riverside Park at 102nd St. The female's tail feathers were just visible poking up from the nest when I popped by for a look around 2:30. No sign of the male at first, but while I was speaking with another neighborhood hawkwatcher who reported seeing a nest switch-off earlier, he quietly snuck into the area and perched 450 feet up atop The Master apartment building. Moments later, he parachute-plummeted all the way to the ground, attempting to snag a bird on the park lawn not far from where we watched. He failed and flew over to a near-by tree. Gave us the "you weren't watching that were you?" look.

But then he flew back to a tree by where he'd made the snatch attempt.

Ogled the leaf-covered lawn.

Checked the sky.

Checked the ground again.

Looked around.

And then flew back across Riverside Drive, passing not far over cars and pedestrians, apparently un-noticed by all. When last seen, he was heading down to the lower level of Riverside Park around 105th St.