4/5, Isolde's Dinner Break

Still checking in on the Cathedral red-tailed hawks in midweek as we wait until egg-hatching time. Not every day, but still.

Tuesday
Reached the Cathedral around 6:20. No hawks initially in sight, but Tristan quietly appeared on Gabriel's horn about five minutes later. He seems in no mood to go anywhere else and is still there when I leave five-ten minutes later. No camera, so no pictures.

Thursday
Initially no hawks in sight when I arrive after 5:40, but just before 5:50 a hawk flies across Morningside Park toward the nest, swerves right and perches on the corner of the roof at St. Luke's hospital.

The episode was too quick to be a switch-off at the nest. At first I thought it was a fly-by visit by Tristan.

I watched the hawk shift up to the other corner of the hospital, then flap around atop an air conditioner, and then disappear back into the park. But 15 minutes later after seemingly no more activity, I belatedly found the hawk perched high over the dog run. It looked so big that at first I thought it was the turkey. But no, turkeys don't eat pigeons. A closer look reveals it's not Tristan but Isolde.

Soon she's wiping her beak off on the tree branch, apparently getting ready to leave. Sure enough, a minute later she drops off the branch and flies southeast to perch atop the water tower at 113th and Manhattan Ave.

And after a couple minutes there, she takes off south and perches atop one of the TV antennas at 301 West 110th St. There she catches a bit of sun, perhaps airs her tail out in the breeze.

And just after 6:15 she flies back to the nest.

C'mon Tristan, wake up. I'm back. Watch out, though, that guy with the camera is around again.

Whoosh, and away Tristan goes, somewhere to the northeast.

And that concludes Thursday's early evening switch-off.