March 13, 2007

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.

Red-Tailed Hawks Perched on Wadleigh School

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

Red-Tailed Hawks Perched on Wadleigh School

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.

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