7/19, Do You Know This Hawk?

Late Saturday afternoon, Ranger Rob from the Parks Department rescued a juvenile red-tailed hawk near the tennis courts in Central Park at about 96th St. Word is that was thin and weak, but no word as to whether it was because of disease or simply hunger.

(Photo by Jean Shum)

Because the nest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is one of the closest nests to the location, and because no one I know has definitely seen both of the healthy cathedral juvies in over a week, initial suspicion was that was a cathedral bird.

But comparison of this photo and others of the rescuee to those of the young red-tails at the cathedral has suggested it is not from the cathedral. You'll note that the bird shown here has a "dog collar" of dark feathers around his neck. Of the two healthy kids at the cathedral, one may have a wispy, barely noticeable such collar and the other no collar at all.

So where did this juvenile hawk come from?

The Riverside nest may be closer to where this hawk was found, but the single juvenile there was seen in Riverside around the 83rd St playground late in the week. And no one has said anything about the trio from Palemale's nest by Central Park wandering north.