Expectations

Although many eyes have been watching the red-tailed hawk nest on Fifth Ave. for signs of a hatch which had been expected this past week, there are seven other nests in Manhattan. Someone asked Marie Winn when the others might be expecting. Here's a summary that I wrote up and which Marie posted earlier today.

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Marie,

About the other red-tailed hawk nests in Manhattan and when egg hatching might be expected:

The Cathedral nest should not see a hatch until after April 26 and possibly not until the first of May. The female, Isolde, did not start to brood until some time between March 26 and 30. Although this seems late, it believe it is typical of the nest, as the dates were about the same last year, and first fledge last year and the year before were on the same date [June 11]. I suspect the shady, cool location at the Cathedral delays egg-laying there until the days are a little warmer. It probably didn't help that this year there was a last minute change of resident male hawk.

The nests at Houston St. , Riverside Park, Highbridge Park, and Inwood Park, all had females reported brooding before the Cathedral. Without doublechecking others' blogs (i.e., Bruce and Lincoln's websites), I think all four of them had mothers reported brooding 7-10 days before the Cathedral nest. Consequently, for all four of these, I think the hatching window could open any day now. I'll note that both at Highbridge and Inwood, feeding behavior or an actual nestling was observed last year on April 20.

Bruce checked on Highbridge yesterday [Thursday] but did not see any signs of a hatch yet.

I lost track of Seventh Ave., but as best I recall, Charlotte had not yet been reported as being on the nest at the time brooding began at the Cathedral. So start of May for Seventh Ave.?

And as for the new nest at CCNY, it's a real tough spot to observe. I never heard any reports at all about when the female there may have started brooding, so it's anyone's guess as to when there might be a hatch.