6/5, Everybody Gets Fed

There was plenty of activity in the nest area at the cathedral on Tuesday as the red-tail parents flew around with food and the fledgling had to follow in order to get fed. But at the end of the day, both fledgling and mama had big dinners.

The fledgling apparently made its first trip across the street to the ledge around the roof of the Plant Pavilion at the hospital late Monday evening. Hawkwatchers found it moving from perch to perch along the hospital roof Tuesday morning, but by the time I cam by early in the evening, it had returned to the cathedral and was perched on the turret immediately above the nest.

He was making begging noises and trying to get a look into the nest alcove. It turned out that Mama Isolde was in there with the two nestlings.

The fledgling flew over to the turret above the statue of St. Matthew (an "hour" counterclockwise), then tried to fly into the nest. He couldn't make it in and instead fluttered down to the tall spire on St. Ansgar chapel.

Isolde popped out of the nest and flew over to the corner urn on the roof of the Plant Pavilion, where she looked back toward the nest and the fledgling. Was she trying to get the fledgling to fly over and join her?

Moments later, Papa Norman came zooming past the nest, obviously carrying food, and landed on the chimney just above Isolde.

After a couple minutes, Norman flew back to the cathedral. He almost went into the nest, but changed his mind and instead landed on the turret above the statue of St. James the Great (two hours clockwise from the nest). Isolde followed. The fledgling also tried to tag along, ended up perched at the feet of St. Andrew and disappeared from view.

Tree cover along Morningside Drive prevented me from getting a good look at what was going on, but glimpses were enough to show Norman taking off (he did stay somewhere in the area, as he was seen soaring over the park 15 minutes later) while Isolde headed over to the turret above St. Matthew.

But where did the fledgling go? Back over to the hospital roof.

Isolde made another visit to the nest that lasted five minutes but again returned to the turret above St. Matthew.

The fledgling could see Mama had food so he flew back to the cathedral.

His navigation system apparently still needed work, as he ended up on the turret above the nest. But he quickly flew over to where Isolde had food and lunged at it so ferociously that Isolde had to leap out of his greedy way. He settled into a very long meal. Isolde remained with him for a little while.

Isolde was ready to eat but needed room to eat her meal. She flew over to the roof of the hospital's Minturn Pavilion and started chowing down on a rat.

It was a good long meal for her, 15 minutes before she got down to the last morsels.

Satiated, Isolde remained perched where she had eaten, watching over the area. Amazingly, more than a half hour after he's started his meal, the fledgling was still pecking at his food.