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.