6/30-6/31, Head Feathers

The Cathedral red-tail nestlings are growing quickly, and in the past week made rapid passage from looking like fuzzy-headed aliens to young birds.

Wednesday

7:04 p.m - Arrive at Cathedral to find mama Isolde perched on Gabriel's horn.

Nothing on the north side of the nest, but it looks like there might be a nestling up on the south side.

7:13 - Nestling on south side of nest has wings outspread, but is turned facing west and is bent over. Having a hissy fit with a sibling?

7:15 - Active nestling shifts to north side of nest.

7:20 - Still just the one nestling up and observing the world.

7:25 - Signs of activity from another baby hawk.

7:26 - Hah! The nestling standing up on the right side of the nest has been learning how to perch from dad. She stands for awhile on just her right foot, with left foot held up. (Meanwhile, there's more activity from a sibiling behind her.)

7:34 - It continues one nestling perched on the north side of the nest, and another visible on the south side. Sometimes they look in opposite directions, and sometimes something catches their attention and they peer intently the same way.

7:40 - Not sure when it happened, but Isolde disappeared from her perch on Gabriel's horn.

7:49 - One nestling up and preening.

7:55 - Nestlings have quieted down. One sort of sitting up but with back turned to the street.

7:58 - belatedly discover Isolde perched on hospital chimney, but she's looking east over Morningside Park rather than south to her nest.

8:01 - On exiting down 113th St., I observe that there's a small bird perched on the diagonally opposing corner of the chimney from Isolde. They seem to be ignoring each other.

Thursday

6:00 p.m. - All quiet when I arrive at the Cathedral, but Isolde is perched on Gabriel's horn. Oddly, she seems to be on his inner hand rather than her usual spot on the outer hand.

6:09 - From the south side, small signs of a nestling becoming active.

6:11 - Actually two nestlings visible, both on the north side of the nest. One is active and standing up, the other is dozing on the edge of the nest, sometimes opening her eyes.

It seems evident that the sleepy nestling is older. Dark feathers have come in on her head, and her pate looks sleeker. The standing nestling also has head feathers coming in, but still looks a little like someone from outer space.

6:16 - Sleepy nestling remains where she is, but the stand-up has retreated back into the nest.

6:19 - Mama Isolde has changed her position, and is now perched on Gabriel's wing. This may be the first time I've seen her up there.

6:38 - Sleepy nestling (presumably) has shifted her position clockwise and is now looking out toward 113th St. rather than down on Morningside Drive.

6:42 - More nestling activity, as sleepyhead sits up and someone behind her starts moving around.

6:44 - A brief moment with all three nestlings visible.

6:45 - Two nestlings now standing up on north side of nest, but looking down like something on the ground has their attention.

The one at left is sleepyhead with the sleek head feathers. The one at right still looks a little fuzzy, although I'm not sure if this was the one observed alongside a half hour ago.

6:50 - Somewhere around now, Isolde was noticed to have disappeared from Gabriel. Then a few minutes later we realized that Tristan was up there instead, on his usual spot at the tip of the horn.

6:59 - Isolde's back, and she's perched with Tristan on Gabriel's horn.

7:04 - One nestling preening on the south side of the nest.

7:10 - And another sitting up on the north side, but looking over her shoulder.

7:11 Exit.

5/28, Three Fuzzy Heads

One last bit of hawkwatching on Memorial Day Monday, a visit to the Cathedral after checking the Highbridge hawk nest. Finally get the elusive the three-nestling-heads photo.

Monday, cont'd

7:14 p.m. - One red-tail nestling visible in the Cathedral nest as I walk down 113th St. Looks like another might be active on the other side of the nest. No adult in view.

7:16 - Two nestlings visible flanking St. Andrew.

the one on the left is curious about me.

7:17 - Ah, Isolde is watching over the kids from a distance. She's perched on an antenna at 301 West 110th.

7:18 - The south-side nestling is trying to figure out how the wings work.

not quite flapping yet.

7:19 - But she's getting "the stare" down.

One more wing stretch.

7:20 - Just as I turn my attention away from the nest for a moment, Isolde flies into it, using the south entrance.

7:22 - Can't see much from this side. Walk back up to the corner.

7:24 - Just one nestling's back in view, and occasionally Isolde peeking ovber the top of St. Andrew.

7:27 - As I'm moving to another vantage point, Isolde quietly exits the nest. Just one nestling in view, and her back at that.

7:28 - The other two nesltings are perking up. One's head is bobbing about on the left side, and I can see feathers of the third on the right.

7:29 - And finally all three nestling heads come into view.

Not the cleanest shot in the world, but most undoubtedly three little hawk heads.

7:30 - Even as right-side nestling is poking her head a little further, left-sider is ducking down.

7:32 - So if Isolde left the nest where did she go? Well, there's a hawk perched almost directly above me on the ornamental urn on the corner of the roof at St. Luke's. But no, that's papa Tristan.

And Isolde is perched 20 feet above him on the chimney.

7:40 - Kids have settled down in the nest. Not too deep as feathers are visible over the edge of the nest.

7:42 - And sometimes they look up and around a bit.

7:48 - Just a little wing flapping as someone crawls over the top of someone else.

7:56 - Except for that bit of flapping, pretty quiet for the last 15-20 minutes. Time to exit.

8:01 - But just one last stop to appreciate the sunset view over on Amsterdam.

5/28, Highbridge Hawk Peekaboo

The Cathedral isn't the only red-tail nest in Manhattan with three hawklings. I thought I'd check on the other over the Memorial Day weekend, and finally got to it on Monday.

Monday

5:30 p.m. - Arrive at the corner of 190th St. and Amsterdam. Walk along the upper park path down toward the dog run and observe (1) the park is really crowded today, and (2) the foliage in the park is really leafed out. Arriving at dog run, it look like there's absolutely no freaking way I'd be able to spot the Highbridge hawk nest through the trees. So back to 190th St. and down into steep part of the park.

5:40 - Have reached the appropriate area on the slope-side park paths and am having miserable luck trying to spot the nest. But hey, it looks like there's a mountain bike trail parallel to the paved path, so it will be easier to poke around than I thought.

5:45 - Hmmm, a bunch of pigeon feathers on the bike trail. A good sign.

5:48 - Finally. I spot the clump of sticks and twigs 50-60 feet up and 20-30 feet to the side.

5:49 - First glimpse of a nestling.

5:55 - Been wondering back and forth trying to find a better angle, and the nestling has been watching me do so.

It's been a game of peekaboo along the trail, but I think she's winning.

6:00 - There's been some movement from one of the other nestlings in the nest, but I'm not going to get a clear shot of her unless I can find another camera angle. The present spot basically allows for just playing peekaboo with one nestling at a time.

6:12 - After doing a complete circuit through the underbrush, finally find a good spot right on the bike trail itself. Now a clear view of two nestlings, one standing up "on guard" and the other sitting down and perhaps preening. But no sign of the third.

6:14 - They both check me out.

The one on the right seems to have shed most of the baby fuzz from her head and is likely to fledge sooner. The first Highbridge hatch was likely around April 20, so there could be fledge by the end of this week.

6:16 - First and last sighting of one of the Highbridge adult red-tails is a quick glimpse of one of them soaring over the nest, from east to west.

6:17 - The on-guard nestling has a lot more dark feathers in her breast that the Cathedral nestlings did last year or apparently this year.

6:25 - Back on the paved path, I finally find a spot where the nest is somewhat visible.

Again, visibility works two ways.

6:28 - Exit. Time to go to the Cathedral.