3/10-3/11, Waiting

Sunset time is now an hour later and it's even easier to go check on the cathedral red-tailed hawks. However, despite the change in resident male hawk, their behavior seems much like last year, when they hung out for much of March, and Isolde didn't begin brooding until the end of the month.

Monday both hawks were briefly seen together at 6:00 atop Wadleigh School on 114th St., then the new male took off and Isolde followed 10 minutes later.

Back in Morningside Park, the great blue heron put in another appearance, but was shy and stayed behind the island much of the time. It seemed to have a disapproving look on its face, as if it was thinking, "This pond would be nicer if someone would remove all the trash." Or maybe it just didn't like the six geese.

Both red-tails were later found perching along Morningside Drive. A Columbia security guard said that one had been busy devouring dinner just before I arrived on the scene. That was the new male, and he soon took off, disappearing around 115th St. east of the park. Isolde remained behind, perched atop the Cathedral School until after I left, close to 7:00.

On Tuesday a red-tail dove out of the nest just as I reached Morningside Drive around 5:30 and it wasn't until around 6:10 that I made another sighting, of Isolde perched on a hospital chimney, on the tall part of the building rather than her usual chimney.

In the meantime I watched Hedda the turkey take a leisurely stroll down the Morningside Ave. sidewalk...

... and also got a glimpse of the Cooper's hawk south of the pond, where a blue jay was loudly complaining about its presence. However, no sign of the great blue heron.

Isolde remained perched on the hospital chimney until at least 7:00. Around 6:40 while I was checking to see if the Cooper's had gone to roost in its usual spot (it goes to roost 30 minutes before the red-tails do, and yes it was there), James witnessed the new male red-tail buzz over the park to the hospital roof and mate with Isolde. I returned just in time to see the male exit the scene.