4/30, Riverside at 102

I have been checking on the red-tailed hawk nest in Riverside Park the past three weeks, but the only day that there was much to see, the light was terrible. But given when it seemed first egg might have been laid, right now is time to monitor the nest to see if there's been a hatch. Unfortunately, the trees have all leafed out, so sightlines are a mess.

Nevertheless, I did catch the female moving about on a very nice Tuesday afternoon about 4:00.

She was up and down a couple times about 15 minutes apart, perhaps checking the skies to see if the male was bringing food. Nope. She did look down into the nest a couple times suggestively, and did not seem to do any egg-rolling. So... maybe?

4/9, Riverside at 102

A gorgeous Tuesday afternoon around 3:00 found the female red-tailed hawk from the new Riverside Park nest out getting a little exercise. I first spotted her from a distrance perched close to the nest, but over the next 7-8 minutes she flew from tree-top to tree-top in the near-by area, apparently looking for just the right stick to add to the nest.

Quickly enough she returned to the nest and the male could be seen making a hasty exit from egg-tending duty.

The trees in Riverside are starting to sprout green foliage, so hawkwatching is about to get more difficult.

4/6, Riverside at 102

Late afternoon Saturday at the Riverside red-tail nest was quiet when I checked in.

The female was in the nest, watching the passers by.

The male was perched a block away on the scaffolding atop The Master, hunting or doing neighborhood watch or both.

4/4, Riverside at 102

Despite a couple miserable days with lots of rain, things seem to progressing normally at the red-tailed hawk nest in Riverside Park at 102nd St. The female's tail feathers were just visible poking up from the nest when I popped by for a look around 2:30. No sign of the male at first, but while I was speaking with another neighborhood hawkwatcher who reported seeing a nest switch-off earlier, he quietly snuck into the area and perched 450 feet up atop The Master apartment building. Moments later, he parachute-plummeted all the way to the ground, attempting to snag a bird on the park lawn not far from where we watched. He failed and flew over to a near-by tree. Gave us the "you weren't watching that were you?" look.

But then he flew back to a tree by where he'd made the snatch attempt.

Ogled the leaf-covered lawn.

Checked the sky.

Checked the ground again.

Looked around.

And then flew back across Riverside Drive, passing not far over cars and pedestrians, apparently un-noticed by all. When last seen, he was heading down to the lower level of Riverside Park around 105th St.