I strolled over to the Cathedral after 4:30 again today. The camera was in hand, but the now overcast skies and lower temperatures didn't seem to bode well for hawkwatching. I checked the nest -- nada -- then wandered into Morningside Park to see if anyone was perched in the treetops near the cliff faces. Apparently not, so it seemed time to head back to the office.
But as I exited the park at the entrance just south of 113th St. at about 4:50, a large, dark shape came flying up toward the Cathedral from the south at treetop level. It passed by the nest site, did a U-turn over 113th St. and then darted into the nest alcove. A red-tailed hawk! But who? Whoever it was hidden out of sight for a few moments, but then in a flash dove out of the nest, flew just over the park, did a U-turn and went back in the nest. Damn, that was too fast for me to do anything with the camera.
A minute later the hawk again left dove of out the nest, but this time for good. I got one badly motion-blurred pic that was just good enough to reveal Isolde's brown shoulders. She turned north and for a moment I wondered if she was going to perch somewhere atop St. Luke's. No, she circled around, and around, and around. And after a minute of gaining altitude she was off to the east.
Ah, a new hawk perch to watch. Isolde alit on the lightning rod (?) atop the tower at Wadleigh Secondary School on West 114th St. just off Adam Clayton Powell Ave. And there it looked like she was going to stay. At 5:10 I made my exit.
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