Saturday evening at J. Hood Wright Park in Washington Heights, two of the red-tailed hawk fledglings decided to participate in the Independence Day picnicking happening around the park's central lawn. Lots of people came home from the park with hawk pictures, as the birds got right down with the people.
The first fledgling to be found was perched in a tree near the park's recreation center.
Something to the north catches his attention.
Very much has his attention. It's time to fly.
He flew north one tree, but was barely there before zoom, he and a second fledgling were flying to the other side of the lawn. And I could see movement at the top of a tree over there, too. Maybe an adult up there.
I located one of the fledglings perched low.
But he took off moments later, circled around and landed somewhere higher up and out of sight.
A minute or two later, one of the fledglings dropped down out of the sky and onto the ground.
Looking for something?
Maybe a slightly higher vantage point would help.
Human picnickers began to gather. Who'd ever seen a hawk so close before?
Probably a good thing he doesn't know how to use that knife.
Or the tongs.
Too many people were edging in to take pix with their iPhones, and the fledge took off, heading for the trees over by the basketball courts.
But what about the other fledge, and what about the adult we saw?
There's mama at the very top of a tree.
The other fledge was trying to ease out onto the same clump of foliage as mama. She decided she wasn't having any of that and took off, heading east.
The fledging perched on the leaves for a few moments, and then did a parachute drop.
Pulling out of it just a few feet from the ground and then flying off toward the playground.
Took off again a few moments later and I lost track of him.
But wait, there's going to be more picnic action.
A couple minutes later, one of the fledglings landed on the lawn and started looking around.
What could he be looking for? Perhaps a pigeon that mama had dropped?
Right next to where a family was trying to enjoy their holiday meal.
The fledgling seemed to think it would be okay if he started to eat there, too.
But again, people started to close in to take pictures. Four or five bites and the fledgling began to think dinner might be better enjoyed with some privacy.
And zip, into the air and across the lawn, into the tree where I had first spotted one of the fledglings a half hour earlier.
Not entirely private up there, but certainly better than a moment ago.
Time for some chow.
The hawk fledgling's dinner was a good one, lasting well in excess of 20 minutes.
Nearing the end, he tried to gulp one of the largest remaining pieces.
Well, that wasn't going to work. Might as well spend a little more time on the meal.
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