Wyoming Mystery Hawk

I haven't been able to get out and about in the city the last couple months. The photo above may be the most recent hawk I have seen.

The photo was taken the weekend of Aug. 18 in the Wind River Range in Wyoming at an elevation of about 10,000 feet and just a few miles from the Continental Divide. As it circled overhead several hundred feet away, it seemed huge, bigger than a red-tail. It wasn't until getting a few poor photos onto the computer that I could be sure it wasn't an eagle.

If it's not a red-tail, I've yet to figure out what this hawk is. Other large(r) Wyoming hawks are typically described as preferring more open territory, either prairie or farmland.

I did get a nice long look at a big ferruginous hawk the weekend before this photo was taken. It was in the kind of territory that you'd expect to encounter one, and about 2000 ft lower in elevation than the pic above.

8/6, Lions and Lambs?

Monday evening in the cathedral close found a decidedly odd sight. One of the young red-tailed hawks was perched on the pulpit fence, looking around.

Wandering around on the grass below, at times just a few feet away, was a decidedly nonchalant squirrel.

It wasn't a case of a young and dumb squirrel, as at times there three or four of them on the lawn within swooping distance.

Apparently the hawk was digesting an earlier meal and was just casually, albeit actively, watching the area.

This went on for close to 20 minutes before the young hawk made a crude attempt to catch a squirrel. Then back onto the fence for a few minutes. Another crude attempt. Onto the fence for a couple minutes.

Then a more serious swoop at a squirrel in the open lawn, but the squirrel ducked into the bushes and the hawk sailed by, shoulder level but 6 or 7 feet away. He made another half dozen dives at the squirrels over the next 10 minutes, one almost successful, and perched overhead once.

An attack on the pigeons who were hanging about in the alley behind the old orphanage was followed by quiet as an angry robin stopped chirping and a nervous squirrel quit whining.

8/2, Still Around

Although I visited the cathedral grounds and Morningside Park several times in the past couple weeks, I hadn't spotted one of the young red-tailed hawks since July 19. A kestrel on the roof of 1MSD, sure, but no hawks. Perhaps, I thought, they'd all made their way over to Central Park. But the first Thursday of August found at least one of them still spending a bit of time in their original haunts.

One youngster was busy hunting in the cathedral close, at first looking for squirrels or mice in the tall grass near the Peace Fountain. Over the next few minutes he turned his attention to the squirrels and pigeons near the old orphanage, and then was gone.

Much later, after I'd made a pass through the park, I headed back west toward Broaday. But while ready to cross Amsterdam I noted that the top of a nearby apt. water tank seemed a little tall.

A fledgling, presumably the same one, had settled in for a good sunset preen atop 509 West 110th.

7/19, Still Lurking

Between work and the heat, I skipped a few days of looking for hawks. Thursday evening by the cathedral I first found Phil the peacock watching over the domain.

Then bumped into Jim and Harry, the two blue peacocks, casually blocking traffic on the exit road from the close. And then despite the lack of robin chips or alarms from other small birds, spotted one of the red-tailed hawk youngsters lurking in a shady spot under the gloomy skies.

He was there for another 10 or 15 minutes, preening and looking around.

Then made a couple quick flights, zipping over to near the Peace Fountain then coming back to somewhere high in the same tree, before disappearing from sight.

With no further sign of activity, it looked like it was time to depart. As I thought about it, Phil came strolling past.

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7/15, Poster Killer

Just one red-tail fledge in the cathedral close early Sunday evening.

Checking out the bushes by the pulpit and the surrounding lawn.

That rolled up poster leaning on the fence doesn't have long to live.

The fledge spend 10 minutes working over the paper, then strolled about a bit. Flew off when some tourists got too close, but returned to lurk on an overhead branch.

As the sky got gloomier, he eventually flew off into the trees to the east.

7/12, Chasing Squirrels

On Thursday, two of the cathedral red-tailed hawks fledglings spent much of the day practicing hunting in the south close. James watched them when the light was good, but I found them still out in plain sight in the early evening.

Both attacked miscellaneous stuff on the ground and made several futile swoops after squirrels. On the few occasion when one seemed to have something, the other had to come see what it was.

Even if it wasn't edible.

After about 15-20 minutes of this, one of the duo disappeared into the trees in the eastern side of the close. The second, though, remained in the pulpit area for some time.

7/11, Lurking in the Shadows

Wednesday evening again found two of the young cathedral red-tailed hawks in the south-side close. But there were only a few minutes of swooping about before one exited, turning a U-ey around the Synod House and heading east along 110th St. The second, however, found a shaded branch over the sidewalk alongside the Synod House and stuck around.

The only problem was that soon after he picked the spot, the area blue jays finally chimed in with their displeasure.

Well, there was also the matter that the same tree had a squirrel nest in its upper branches, and someone up there started dropping twigs on the hawk below.

The overhead noise abated. The young hawk was happy in its perch and looked like it was good to stay there for a while.

7/10, Two in the Close

There were definitely two red-tail fledglings in the cathedral close on Tuesday evening, as both were visible at the same time. They even made one or two practice swoops at each other.

A first check of the close found only Phil the white peacock out by the lawn.

Returning an hour later, robin chips suggested a hawk in the area. Finally, there's a hawk in plain view, looking every which and the other.

What might he be checking over there to his left?

A sib, and both must have spotted a parent overhead. Both gave full cry for a half minute before quieting back down.

Both watched Phil meander through the area. He passed below the fledge on the branch and wandered within a couple feet of the hawk fledge perched on the short fence. But after 8 or 10 minutes, the two fledges started moving about.

There was a bit of flying from one side of the lawn to the other, a swoop on a sib, a swoop past the peacock, and then quiet. Both were perched somewhere near the Peace Fountain or the Synod House as dusk gathered.

7/9, Quiet in the Close

Finding the cathedral red-tail fledglings has been difficult of late, as there are numerous places to look and the area's small birds don't seem to be issuing helpful alarms as much as before. Monday evening after making a complete pass of the area, I took a second look in the cathedral's south close as I headed out. There was a quick glimpse of an adult perched on the roof of the Synod House but whoever it was took off immediately. A couple faint squeeps suggested a youngster was about, but where. Finally one popped out of a tree near the Peace Garden, and finally there were some squirrel alarms but no robin alerts. The fledge switched positions a couple times before landing up a nearby tree. Unfortunately, the evening light was already going.

That youngster moved about a bit more and then disappeared in the direction of the cathedral's biblical garden. I hung about a bit longer in case he might re-appear and after a while was rewarded with the sight of a fledgling again appearing over by the Synod House. Hmmm, I don't think that was the same one. Dusk was descending as the second youngster descended to the lawn to investigate a paper bag. As a couple squirrels crept up on him, he decided it was safer back in the trees. When I left he was lurking near Amsterdam Ave.

7/6, King of the Parking Lot

Friday evening at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine revealed only one of this year's red-tailed hawk fledglings. He was perched on a corner spire of St. Ansgar chapel, guarding the parking lot.

He looked fed and satisfied, and spent the entire time I was in the area either preening or casually looking around.

A few glimpses across the street at the hospital roof, but if there was another fledge lurking up there, it wasn't visible to us groundlings.

7/5, Taking It Easy on 113th St.

Not only was finding a young red-tail fairly easy on Thursday evening, but all three of the cathedral fledglings were present and accounted for. It was the first time in close to a month I'd been able to account for all of the trio.

The first fledge was first seen on the roof of the cathedra's unfinished north transept. I wondered if he had just finished eating as the first glimpse or two suggested some feathers in the air.

But quickly enough his interest seemed to be on finding a higher spot to perch.

To think is to act. A few moments later he was on a stone rail halfway up the nave.

He only stayed there for a couple minutes. First he took off to the east, and perched atop the cathedral's St. Ansgar's chapel for a minute, but then turned around and tried again for a high spot on the nave. Couldn't make it and reversed direction and flew across the street to land on the roof of the hospital.

Hold it. So there's one young hawk on the hospital roof, but who's that looking over my shoulder.

A second fledgling perched on the roof of St. Boniface chapel.

While I was maneuvering to make sure that there were indeed two fledges in view, the first flew back across the street and landed next to its sibling.

First fledge on the left and second on the right.

But wait, there's more. The third of this year's cathedral hawk clutch was 'upstairs' in a turret watching its two sibs.

A few minutes later, the higher fledge flew over to the roof of the hospital, perching on a roof between pavilions until quietly disappearing from view some 5-10 minutes later while I kept an eye on the two lower fledges.

The two lower hawks seemed content where they were, apparently fed and just chilling out for the evening.

There was some preening and scratching.

Watching the ground below.

Watching the skies above.

And finally after 20-25 minutes a shift of position.

As 8:00 approached, the two fledges in view perked up. First they did a little exploration of the chapel roof. Perhaps there were some food morsels tucked away in a gutter.

But then one took off west, heading for a perch overlooking the nave, and a few minutes later the other followed. For a few minutes one perched on a finial overlooking Amsterdam Ave. but soon crossed 113th St. As sunset approached, two of the fledges were lurking about hospital roof some 11-12 stories above the emergency room entrance.

7/3, Crying on the Rooftop

The robins were no help finding any of the cathedral red-tail fledglings on Tuesday evening. Instead, after over an hour of hunting around the cathedral grounds and Morningside Park, it was the cries of a fledgling that finally revealed one of the three young birds.

At first sight, he was perched atop one of the statue turrets above St. Martin chapel.

But then he dove down toward the roof of the Cathedral School. Ah-ha, Papa Norman was there and the fledge was hoping for a meal delivery.

Alas, Norman took off 15 seconds later, leaving the young hawk to cry and beg and otherwise make a lot of noise for no payout. At times, the sounds seemed to be in stereo, making me wonder if another fledgling was perched somewhere close by, but if so, I couldn't spot it.

The fledge in sight maneuvered around the school roof, one end to the other and in between and perching at multiple spots, and making one short visit across the street to a treetop in the park. The robins in the park chased him back.

Still, the crying continued.

After it seemed he had finally settled down, perching on a chimney, I made my exit.