Manhattan Ave. at 103rd St., 4:10 p.m. This adult red-tail was just finishing off dinner, and after a beak wipe on the edge of the roof, took off to roost for the night, perhaps somewhere near the Central Park Pool.
This makes only the sixth definite sighting I've made of a free red-tail since mid-June. Four, including the above, were in the Douglass Houses or very close by. A fifth, on Labor Day, was down by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and was either the Boat Basin baby or one of its parents. The sixth was perched on the Cardinal Cooke health center chimney, on the far side of Central Park, in early October.
Other than that, throw in a pair of kestrels who were in the Douglass Houses in early September, a couple other sightings of kestrels around St. John's cathedral, and several osprey fishing high mountain lakes when I went backpacking in August.
Hello RBS,
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at your lead photo, I'd say that was a healthy well filled out Isolde. Her first season with a young untrained Norman who didn't always bring food in a timely manner plus tension caused by the workman and scaffolding on St. Johns had her looking thin, anxious, and worn out.
I'd say this Red-tail is female, she has the sharpness of Isolde's skull to beak ratio,the sweep of thin "dribbles" of brownish orange coming forward over her shoulders and a belly band comparable to the Lady Hawk of the Cathedral.
I'm 99% sure it is her and boy am I glad to see her doing so well.
Is there still scaffolding and work being down close to St. Andrew?