3/25, Quick Switch

Sunday started with 30-40 minutes in the northwest of Central Park, but the only interesting sighting there was a yellow-bellied sapsucker in the North Woods. At 5:00 I was standing at Douglass Circle and looked up to see one of the red-tailed hawks perched on Gabriel's horn atop the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. She stayed put long enough for me to walk all the way up to the Morningside Park overlook just below.

Then at 5:07, she flew off in the direction I'd just come from and was last seen near the Great Hill.

She? Yes, a close look at pix revealed Isolde's darker belly band. But where is Tristan? I wandered about in Morningside Park for 15 minutes but didn't spot him.

By 5:30 I was back up at Morningside Drive and parked on a bench across the street from St. Luke's. A few minutes later Bruce walked up and we chatted for a bit about his pix the day before which revealed that Tristan is missing a feather on his right wing. (A review of my own pix suggests that this has been the case since before March 15.) Bruce also gave me directions for finding the Inwood Hill nest, where he had just gotten some nice pix.

Just before 5:45 a hawk fluttered up to Gabriel's horn. A minute later it dropped down and alit on St. Andrew's hand.

It looked around for a full minute.

I decided to walk around the corner to get a better camera angle. The next thing I knew a hawk was in the air, flying towards St. Luke's, then circling, circling, circling, and then flying back to the Cathedral and perching on Gabriel's horn.

Although it was obscured part of the time by tree branches and the roof of the hospital, I had enough a look for the idea of "missing feather" to register, ergo, therefore the hawk that had just alit on Gabriel was Tristan.

But then Bruce said that from his stationary position, he had seen that hawk flying from the nest had actually exited the nest, while the hawk on the hand had then dived into the next. It was a switch-off.

Or in other words, when I first arrived at the Cathedral, Isolde was just beginning a break from brooding an egg or eggs in the nest. Tristan was in the nest but because the nest is deep, couldn't be seen from street level. Then at 5:45 Isolde had returned and taken back over from Tristan. And once she was back in the nest, she couldn't be seen either.

So plainly egg(s) have been laid, and the questions arise when did brooding begin and when should hatching occur?

My last sighting of both hawks outside the nest was Thursday, March 15. On Sunday, March 18, I did see Isolde looking around from the nest, but it wasn't clear how long she was there before and after I saw her. Monday, March 19, was the day that I saw her in the nest after sunset and guessed that she was going to spend the night in the nest. On Tuesday, March 20, Isolde was seen standing in the nest in an odd posture that suggests she might be laying an egg. If so, egg laying continued through the week, as Bruce indicated that he observed a mating session on Saturday, March 24.

In any event, going by the 38-day average given for Palemale and Lola between "first sitting" and first hatch, and working from the March 19 sighting, this suggests first hatch at the Cathedral around Thursday, April 26.

3/24, The 86th St. Hawk

Left my apartment today with no particular hawk site in goal. It was too early to check the Cathedral unless I planned to hang around for a couple hours, but too late to go adventuring. Since there was a Starbucks on the route, I ended up deciding to head toward the Central Park Reservoir and see if either of the two hawks Bruce recently watched were around. They would be the juvenile missing its R4 tail feather and the "clockwork hawk" of 86th St.

By 5:10 I had been over to the Reservoir, walked down to the north end of the Great Lawn, but turned around to begin working back towards the Cathedral. (Too late to head over to the east side to check on Lola.) Walking alongside the loop road, I was up to about 88th St., and has just waved hi to a friend going the other way on his skates, when a hawk zoomed past on my left heading south. It zipped along the entire length of the "blasted plain" that was formerly the lawn just inside the park wall and into a tree by the 86th St. transverse. By the time I made my way down there, it had switched to another tree right alongside a park path.

Her (?) perch was no more than 15 feet off the ground and she seemed to care not a whit about the nearby folk taking pictures.

Instead she was doing the usual hawk routine of looking around.

But who is it? For some reason, perhaps the gray lighting, I first thought the tail looked brownish and so it was the juvenile. But no.

That tail looks red. It was even more apparent when I moved onto the park path and chatted with a couple of pedestrians, several of whom were whipping out camera phones.

But look at the tail closely. It seems that the dark bar near the tip of the tail feathers is not very heavy. Certainly not as heavy as I've seen in some of the other local hawks.

Her irises also look relatively light-colored, so it may be that she's just a couple years old. That might also explain the lack of a mate.

The scene along the path lasted just a bit more than five minutes before the red-tail decided to vacate, apparently because of gathering jays. She flew about a block northeast into trees near the Reservoir. I thought I saw her change positions once as I moved that way, but by the time I was in the area, there were plenty of jay complaints... but no hawk. In a few minutes the jays quieted down, but still no hawk.

Well, time to head north. Maybe the hawk has gone that way too. But aside from a glimpse of something large circling twice over Central Park West near 104th St. there were no more possible hawk sightings. No one in the Ravine, in the North Woods or on the Great Hill.

Walked into Morningside Park at 6:05 to see the light trucks are still parked up on Morningside Drive. Not much activity in the park. The geese are about, but there are only a few mallards. No sign of Tristan up around 116th St., although it's too early for him to be roosting anyway. Up to Morningside Drive at 6:20, no sign of a hawk in the Cathedral nest. It starts to rain just a tiny bit. At 6:30, the light trucks turn on the floodlights. The nest is better lit, but still no sign of a hawk. It starts to rain a bit harder. Time to vacate.

3/23, Under the Lights

Rain's been on and off the last two days. Despite the dry periods, it wasn't until late, just before 7:00, today that I had a moment to run over to the Cathedral to check on the red-tailed hawks. No sign of a hawk in the nest, but I did find a couple trucks parked alongside Morningside Drive in the middle of raising two floodlight towers. Hmmmm.

I headed down into Morningside Park and up to 116th St. to look for Tristan's "favorite roost". Before getting there I instead saw the turkey flee 40 feet straight up into a tree after being harassed by some teenagers; she stayed up there until after I left the area. Just on reaching 116th St., Tristan flew by me and so I spotted where he alit. He stayed in one tree for a few minutes, then shifted to another. Temperature's not all that low, but he's fluffed up and it's almost 7:15, so I assumed he was set to stay.

Headed back south and found that one of the light banks had been turned on. Gosh, I hope Isolde is not in the nest.

Five minutes later the other set of floodlights went on.

I headed back up to Morningside Drive, and got two different stories about what the lights were for. Plainly though they were to illuminate the stainglass windows for something going on inside the Cathedral.

No sign of Isolde in the nest when I left at 7:40. If she was up there, she was hunkered way down. And for the best if so.

3/21, Dinner for Two

Weather forecast doesn't look good, so this may be the last hawkwatching report until Sunday.

The skies had started to cloud over before I reached Morningside Drive around 6:10 and the breeze was picking up. Looked to be a chilly session.

Checking the Cathedral nest, there didn't seem to be anyone resident. Periodically checked over the next 15 minutes from the 112th St. overlook, ditto. Just past 6:20 I thought that I caught a glimpse of Isolde's head poking above the edge of the nest, and so I spent the next half hour thinking she's probably up there. But no, later review of photos indicates it was just a combination of two bent nest twigs and my imagination.

In any event, time to go down into the park and up toward 116th St. It's gloomy, so maybe Tristan has already headed for the alleged roosting site. No sign of him, but Hedda Gobbler is on the path in that area. We cautiously give each other 10-15 feet of clearance.

A squirrel comes by to see what's up.

Head back toward the pond. Check out the mallards and the geese. Yawn.

Just before 6:45, there's some shrieking up around the Cathedral or just to the south. Could just be gulls, but it could also be hawks having sex in the treetops.

A hawk, yes, but just one. Tristan appears and circles about.

For a moment it looks like he's about to fly into the nest, but he banks north and lands on the corner of the roof at St. Luke's.

I finally make it up there a couple minutes later and find that he's alternating between pecking away at his meal and scanning the skies.

Doesn't seem like he's looking over toward the nest, though.

A couple minutes later he takes off to the northeast.

He's still got dinner in claw. This pic and, indeed, the first one I took of him reveal a plump mammalian body and a skinny tail. Looks like Tristan has reduced the rat population of New York by one.

In any event, he dives into the trees just inside the upper 114th St. entrance of the park. As I hie my way over there, there's more shrieking in the treetops; Isolde must be in there with him. But no, by the time I spot Tristan, perched 40 feet straight up from the entrance to the dog run, he's all alone and he's looking around like he has no idea where his mate might be.

He shrieks some more. But still no sign of Isolde.

Some more shrieks. Ditto.

"Well, the heck with her. If she can't come while the take-out delivery is fresh, she'll have to go hungry."

Tristan feeds until close to 7:00, then flaps over to a nearby branch. Moments later, Isolde flies up, apparently coming up Morningside Drive, and settles in near-by. Some communication must go on, because she quickly shifts branches to where, ah-ha, the rest of the rat lies.

As I'm heading back up the steps to the park entrance, Tristan quietly disappears. Isolde digs in. Occasionally she comes up for air and looks around.

Man, that must be some rat. Come 7:15 and Isolde is still tugging for morsels.

Light's about shot. I'd be surprised if any of my last dozen pix come out. Sunset was ten minutes ago. Etc. At 7:20 I make my exit, Isolde still snacking away above the dog run and Tristan off wherever he went.

3/20, Equinoctial Hawkwatching

The vernal equinox was officially a few minutes after 8:00 p.m. Tuesday. How fitting that Morningside Park was crowded with robins today.

I checked the Cathedral hawk nest Monday at 5:30, but no hawks were about. Weather was gray and dreary so I didn't hang around longer than ten minutes.

Tuesday I arrived at the Cathedral at 5:45. Looking through glasses across 113th St. from near the hospital loading dock, the sight of a hawk's head was clearly silhouetted. But even as I took my first pic, the hawk dived from the nest and flew east. (The pic is too blurry to share.) Nuts.

Hang about a few minutes and then into the park. The upper lawn at at the 113th St. entrance is a mob scene of robins. I lose count at 50, but it looks like there's about 75 hopping about.

Head down toward the pond. There's a squirrel north of the dog run who remains frozen in position so long I think there must be a hawk around.

But apparently not. Other squirrels nearby are busily foraging.

Two dozen mallards in the pond. Enough that the five Canada geese are being quiet about claiming territorial rights.

Back up to Morningside Drive, watching the robins some more on the way. At the 112th St. overlook close to 6:20 I realize that a hawk is in the nest again, sitting or even standing high, but it's back turned so that it's almost not visible.

After I wonder around the corner to 113th St. and take pix from the other angle...

...the hawk disappears when I look down to check the time setting on my camera. Did she fly away? Is she hunkered down so low that she can't be seen? My suspicion is the former, but no one really knows how deep the best is, so it could be the latter.

Next hawk sighting comes just after 6:40 from the 111th St. overlook. A hawk is flying about above the rooftops on the other side of Manhattan Ave. between 114. and 111th St. Impossible to take pix as there are too many trees close to the overlook and it drives the autofocus on my camera nuts. And me nuts too.

Hang about there a few more minutes, then back up to the 112th overlook to check the nest again. Then wander north some more and realize that the "stuff" in the tree up toward 114th St. is a hawk. It's Tristan and he's feeding.

There's a guy and a dog on the lawn maybe 25 feet south of Tristan but they have no clue that he's up there. But those of us on the sidewalk have a nice, albeit branch-cluttered view. I chat with one area knowledgeable resident until almost 7:00 while we watch.

People wander off. Then at 7:00 Tristan flies across the street, still carrying a morsel, and perches on the "family vase" on the corner of the roof of St. Luke's.

He only stays a minute or two before taking for the north. Last sight of him is close to the 116th St. overlook.

I check the nest again from the south side. No sign of Isolde. Walk back north and encounter the knowledgeable lady again, and she indicates she has seen one or both of the hawks in a tree in the park near 116th St. often. It may be a favorite roosting spot.

Just after 7:10 the light is going and I opt to leave. I shoot two more pix of the nest out of the habit. Only when I plug my camera into the computer 20 minutes later do I discover that Isolde is back in the nest.

The pic is timestamped 7:12. Sunset was officially 7:06. It might, it could be... perhaps Isolde is going to spend a night in the nest?

3/17-3/18, Quick Sightings

You've probably already guessed that I'm not a morning person. So once again, the weekend hawkwatching reports don't begin until late in the day.

Saturday
Reached the Cathedral about 6:05; no hawks in sight. Five minutes later down by the Morningside Park dog run, I'm trying to get a picture of a red-bellied woodpecker (I think), when a hawk flies over, heading south. From the snow-covered upper lawn, I get a look at it circling around once or twice before darting west... and south of the Cathedral over the "close". Five minutes later after I've stumbled through the slushy mix back up to Morningside Drive, the hawk flies out of the close, up the street to perch on the corner of the hospital roof, and then further up the street until it disappears around 115th St. I wander up that way for a minute, but see nothing. Then walk around the Cathedral and into the close to see what might be so interesting that I've seen hawks head this twice in three days. No clues are found.

Sunday
Reached the Cathedral just before 5:00. From 113th St., no sign of a hawk in the test. But just as I reach the park overlook at 112th. St, I see a hawk darting about just to the east. Looks like two gulls are harassing him. He dives into the trees down around 113th St., re-appears a minute or two later, circling about over the rooftops, getting higher and higher until I somehow lose track of him.

Him? Well, a few lousy photos do seem to indicate a light belly band, so it was Tristan.

I wonder about Morningside Park for the next 45-50 minutes. A male cardinal by the dog run, turkey tracks in the snow in several places, a fox sparrow. No hawks.

Just after 5:50 I've been up Morningside Drive to 118th St. The views along the park wall at 117th St. are pretty good for watching the hawk territory of south Harlem and the north end of Central Park. Ah-ha. A hawk 300-400 high in the direction of Schomburg Plaza; it might be over the projects bounded by Lenox, 112th, Fifth Ave. and 115th. (Click the pic at right for a better look.) Over the next five-six minutes, it makes its way south, toward Harlem Meer. It disappears and re-appears once or twice until I lose sight of just before 6:00.

I headed back toward the Cathedral and hang about another 20 minutes. Time to leave — just one last look at the nest from 113th St. Hey! Barely visible but definitely there is a hawk head. Also just barely visible from the south side.

Either the nest has been built up or she's sitting lower than when I saw her up there a week and a half ago. No, she's definitely sitting lower than she was back on the 6th and 8th.

I depart at 6:30 for Sunday dinner. Isolde's no longer visible in the nest, but neither have I seen her leave. But it's good to have seen her; I'd been getting concerned about not seeing any activity at the nest in the past week.

3/14-3/15, Midweek Hawkwatching

Going to check on the Cathedral red-tails an hour before sunset hasn't seemed to work all that well, as they've been pretty sedentary in that timeframe. What about checking on them earlier?

Wednesday
At 1:45, both of the 103rd St. monk parakeets were busy working on renovations to the front porch. But at 1:55, neither of the Cathedral hawks was to be seen.

Checking back at 6:15, no one's in the nest, but (big surprise) one hawk is perched on the Wadleigh School tower. Whoever it is is still there when I exit the area at 7:00. Today's fun was watching Hedda, the Morningside Park turkey, wander around by the dog run. Apparently she's figured out what leashes do.

Thursday
Okay, tried an earlier time and reached Morningside Drive at 4:45. Damn, both hawks are perched at Wadleigh School. What is it about that finial that has them hanging there so much lately? Or is the sound of the back-hoes at 110th St. chasing them away from the Cathedral area?

Well, apparently they're not going to sit around too much anyway. At 6:55 when I'm down by the Morningside Park ballfields, one of the hawks flies into the park and perches in a tree near 114th St. and Morningside Ave. A couple crows follow, but they don't stay more than a few seconds. The hawk, however, hangs out for a bit, perhaps waiting to see if the pigeons will return. It's a bit hard to tell in the gloomy lighting, but it seems to be Tristan. And Isolde has also left the school tower, although where she's gone I can't say; there's no activity up toward the nest.

After five minutes Tristan apparently tires of waiting for the pigeons to return and he flies over to a tree well overhanging Morningside Ave. Checking for pigeons on the sidewalk along the street?

He only gives that spot a minute and then he's off to the southwest, disappearing in the corner of the park. A few minutes later he comes flying back and begins to circle above the ballfields, getting higher on every circle. Heading for the nest? No, as soon as he has the altitude — it takes 30-40 seconds — he darts west, but passes over the roof of the Cathedral School and into the close.

I head back uphill to see if any activity does ensue at the nest, but nothing happens. Instead I hang out watching Hedda the turkey and a black squirrel near where seed has been scattered for birds.

The squirrel is possessive amd there's a passel of sparrows in a nearby tree chattering loudly about how they dislike his attitude. A couple times I get a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of something like in the park treetops, but just glimpses.

By 5:40 still no activity around the nest. No hawks back atop the school either.

3/13, Chilling atop Wadleigh School

I've been planning to make my weekday trips over to the Cathedral later so that I can hang around for no more than an hour but still be there at sunset to see if Isolde decides to spend the night in the nest. Today I reached 113th St. a few minutes after 6:00. No red-tailed hawks in immediate sight, but after I crossed Morningside Dr., I looked up to see that one of the pair had just alit on Gabriel's horn up on the roof. Looking out over south Harlem, the other was in view on the Wadleigh School tower. The one on the Cathedral was only there a minute or two; while I was getting my camera out of the backpack it snuck off. After sitting on the overlook for a while and then strolling through Morningside Park up to 115th St. and down to 110th St., I found at 6:30 that both hawks were on Wadleigh School.

They stayed in those positions for another 20 minutes, when one opted to switch perches to another arm of the finial (?).

Ten minutes later the same hawk flew off the tower and vanished in the lowering gloom. The other remained in place for another eight-ten minutes but also disappeared as I made my way from a park bench back up to Morningside Drive. As I exiting the scene just before 7:15, neither hawk was in the nest or visible near the Cathedral. I have wondered if they have roosting sites somewhere in the middle or north end of Morningside Park where they hide at night.

3/10-3/12, Riverside Juvies

Thought I'd wander afield this past weekend. Luck was bad and good.

Saturday
Jim reported in December that he'd spotted a possible location for the Highbridge Park red-tailed hawk nest up in the 190s. It took a while to find as I didn't follow his directions explicitly due to unfamiliarity with the area (only one park entrance from above?) and the trashy look of the park. Assuming that it was the correct nest, it struck me as being small and un-maintained. Cross it off, I thought. But there was another nest in a tree about 100 feet north and a bit further off the path which was larger and looked more recent. However, in the 45-plus minutes that I was in the general area, I saw no hawks.

I subsequently walked up Dyckman St. and into Inwood Hill Park. No love from hawks there either, aside from one possible glimpse of two large birds together distantly seen through the trees. And no sign of peregrines around the Broadway Bridge.

Back to Morningside Heights and arrived at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine just before 6:00. No one in the nest. No one perched atop Wadleigh School or any other nearby rooftops.

Six miles of walking and no hawks seen. Oh, well, I needed the exercise.

Sunday
Woke up to a gorgeous day planning to go to CP South and see what was up with Palemale Jr. and Charlotte. But before leaving the apt., I saw Bruce's Saturday post and figured I'd check Riverside Park instead. I'd forgotten about the various hawk sighting reports, and if I didn't see any, at the least I'd get a look at Riverside Red, the woodpecker.

Passed by 92nd St. and saw no sign of woodpecker or birdwatchers. Just past 4:00 and a couple blocks south of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, I sighted a hawk hovering over Riverside Dr. at about 82nd St. I lost her a minute later as she came north but moved in over buildings. Five minutes later when I was down at 80th St., I looked north to see essentially the same thing again. At 4:15, after I entered the park and started back north along the mid-level path, the hawk re-appeared, this time hovering, hovering near the monument.

Then she-went into dive-bomb mode, plummeting to a point just southwest of the monument. I wondered, has she been taking lessons from peregrines?

A few minutes later, the red-tail was soaring about north of the monument. A few minutes after that she was joined by another red-tail.

There was some diving at each other, and even one tangle-up.

The aerial show went on for several minutes, and didn't seem like a territorial dispute.

I was convinced that I was watching a pair of adults going through a courtship flight. But looking at pix afterwards, especially the following two, revealed that that idea was wrong; they were both juveniles.

By 4:30, it was just the one hawk again, the one who really knows the air currents and could hover over Riverside Dr. like a kite on a string.

She made another dive-bomb south of the monument, but was back in the air quickly. There were plenty of pigeons in the area, but they were all in trees or on ledges and staying off the ground.

Just before 4:45 she flew off to the north and I opted to move that way too. At 92nd St. I found two birdwatchers looking for the red-headed woodpecker. There was a likely suspect in a tree alongside the street, but no that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker. A moment later, the red-head flew up and the sapsucker took off. Red then moved into the park, and played uncooperative by finding shaded spots to do most of his pecking.

I hung out until just after 5:00, calling "hawk up" at one point as a red-tail passed overhead flying south. It was time to keep heading in the direction of the Cathedral, but again the hovering hawk re-appeared, this time over 96th St. at 5:10.

She dive-bombed again toward something to the south. I turned around and headed north. But no, one more appearance to come, as a hawk came flying out of the neighborhood at 107th St. and into the park at 5:25.

Although it wasn't apparent in all shots, many of the pix I got of the hovering hawk revealed what looked one slightly short feather on the right wing. This was apparent on the first pix taken down around 87th St. and finally at 96th. The sighting from 107th was at the wrong angle to tell.

Finally reached the Cathedral at 5:40. Light of course is still good because of the time-zone reset. But no hawks in the nest. No hawks anywere in sight.

At 6:00 as I'm taking a picture of the Cathedral from the southeast corner of the park, I belatedly see a hawk flying west-to-east across Morningside Park. But no sign that it was heading for any of the obvious perches east of the park. Finally at 6:15 one of the Cathedral hawks appears, perched at Wadleigh School.

At 6:30, there's still enough light to keep an eye on the (empty) nest, but Sunday family dinner calls.

Monday
Over the the Cathedral at 5:30. No one in the nest. Ah, both Isolde and Tristan are perched atop Wadleigh School. Apparently chilling out and preening is the order of business.

Over the next 45 minutes the only excitement comes when Tristan decides to rotate on his perch so that he faces north rather than south.