6/20, Solstice Sunday

It took a half hour Sunday evening to find the cathedral red-tailed hawk fledgling. I made the mistake of looking around Morningside Park and listening for the complaints of small birds. Instead he was perched on a cathedral turret, directly above the nest.

He seemed content to watch the day go by. He had a nice spot, shade from the sun and a decent breeze to cut down on the heat, too high for the robins to care and tucked close to the cathedral roof where kestrels and magpies would probably not notice him.

But after twenty minutes he got a little anxious, stood up...

... and flew perhaps 30-40 feet over to the next turret, the one protecting the statue of St. Matthew.

Here his activity was a little more varied. The usual looking around, some preening, some scratching, and hmmm, some checking out of whatever is hidden behind the turret crenellations.

So 15 minutes later when he disappeared as I looked away for just a second, I figured he hopped down behind the crenellations. Perhaps some leftover food was back there?

And a minute or two later, back up he came, but with a pretty big hunk of something to eat. He dug in.

And ate and ate. Occasionally came up for air.

But back down for another bite or three.

And came time for me to go eat my own Sunday dinner.

As I passed the west end of the cathedral, there was one last raptor sighting. A kestrel circled around the unfinished tower once or twice and then flew off high over 111th St.