6/7, A Hawk on the Head is Worth...

The Cathedral red-tailed hawk kids are getting bigger, and fledging day is approaching. My estimate was June 10 for the first flight, but are the hawks showing any signs of getting ready?

Busy, busy on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday my eyes were so dilated from a visit to the optometrist that hawkwatching was right out.

Thursday

5:40 p.m. - Arrive at Cathedral to find an adult hawk perched at the tip of Gabriel's horn (probably Tristan since he perches farther out than does Isolde) and a nestling standing on the north side of the nest watching 113th St. The back of another nestling looking out the south side of the nest can also be seen.

5:42 - The head of the third nestling pops up between its siblings. She stands up for a minute, and then sits down where she can still look out.

5:50 - After walking down Morningside Drive to get a look at the fore side of the adult perched on Gabriel's horn (yes, Tristan), come back up the hill to find that one of the kids has jumped up on top of St. Andrew's head. First time I've seen that this year, and a good sign that fledging time is not too far away.

5:54 - All three nestlings were briefly looking the same direction to the south, and then the kid on St. Andrew's head either jumped clumsily back into the nest or slid off his stone head.

5:56 - A nestling back up on St. Andrew's head, but I'm not sure if this is the same one or if she traded places with the one who had been on the left side of the nest. She's also sitting with tail outward.

6:06 - All three kids in the same spots. Northside is scratching an itch.

6:10 - The nestling on St. Andrew's head has jumped back into the nest.

Hmmm, although all three have been visible and attentive to the outside world, there really hasn't been any wing flapping. Maybe they're not so ready?

6:12 - Two nestlings looking the same direction to the north.

6:20 - Finally find Isolde perched on the hospital chimney, where she was not before. Something tells me she landed there at 6:12.

6:24 - Two nestlings again show watch intently to the north, and sure enough, Isolde passes overhead and lands on Gabriel's horn with Tristan.

6:39 - Again with two kids swiveling their heads in synchronization as they watch something overhead, and Tristan lands on a finial directly above them.

6:41 - Tristan departs.

6:43 - Tristan returns, to Gabriel's horn.

Just one kid visible from north of the nest. She seems to like watching doctors retrieve their cars from the parking lot.

6:44 - Same nestling stretches her wings, but it's not a flap...

She's jumping up on St. Andrew's head.

Not bad, considering the lack of clearance overhead.

6:46 - Another nestling takes over the spot on the north side of the nest. It's the one I'm already thinking of as "Brownie" because she has a really heavy belly-band.

6:59 - Still one nestling perched on St. Andrew's head. Brownie is busy preening; there's been a lot of that.

7:06 - And the sitter is off St. Andrew's head and back in the nest.

7:08 - Still two kids visible simply standing in the nest, Brownie on the north side doing the one-footed perch thing. Mom and Dad are still enjoying the fair weather up on Gabriel's horn. No one's gone hunting, so I don't expect a feeding to be coming up.

Exit.

No real flapping today, certainly not the type that suggests wing exercise.

6/2-6/3, Weekend Hawks and Falcons

Busy, busy, busy, so a late posting.

Saturday

5:26 p.m. -- Arrive at Cathedral to find mama Isolde is perched on a roof-edge final one widdershins of the nest, where she can see into the nest and the kids can see her. One baby hawk head is just poking up from above the edge of the nest.

5:27 - Baby stands up to do some preening, then some looking around. Her head looks pretty sleek; all the down is gone.

5:33 - From another viewing angle, two nestlings are visible: the first standing up on the north side of the nest and the second sitting on the south side. The first is watching something on the ground and the latter something in the air.

Eventually they also watch me.

5:35 - Getting a better look at the nestling at left, her head is not quite so sleek with feathers yet, but it's close.

5:36 - Yes, mom's perch provides an excellent view of the nest.

5:50 - Generally been pretty quiet. Just two nestlings sometimes in view, and neither getting much exercised about anything other than occasional vigorous preening.

6:07 - With plenty of watching pedestrians, ambulances, dogs, etc.

6:13 - Isolde's stayed put the entire time.

6:25 - A switch-off on the north side of the nest, with sleek-head retreating to the back and someone with some down on top stepping out of the right rear corner to look around, and do some intent staring.

6:26 - Before sitting down with back to the street.

6:28 - Exit.

Sunday

Weather forecast doesn't look good. What can we do that doesn't mean going very far from home?

3:40 p.m. - After a slow stroll 20 blocks northward through Riverside Park, looking about for the one-year-old red-tail who's rumored to be still about, arrive across the street from Riverside Church. An adult peregrine falcon can be seen perched on a decoration on the northwest corner of the tower, about 40 feet or so from the family scrape.

3:44 - And from a position directly across Riverside Drive from the nest, I can see a falcon nestling's head poking up a foot or two from the gargoyle where the scrape is located.

And then the adult is in the air, disappearing behind the tower after a circle on this side.

3:49 - Adult in the air again.

3:55 - Nestling now better in view. Hmmm, I may be 300 feet below this baby¹, but it strikes me that she still looks a bit scruffy and will not be fledging soon.

3:56 - And an adult perched on the northwest corner again.

3:58 - But not necessarily the same one as seen before, because the other peregrine parent has landed at the scrape for what looks like a feeding.

4:01 - Looks like two baby peregrine heads are popping up above the ledge during the feeding.

4:02 - Rain's getting more regular, and it's impossible to take pix while holding an umbrella. Exit.

¹ The church tower is 392 feet tall, and I'm guessing the peregrine scrape is 3/4 of the way up. Although if someone said 2/3, I wouldn't argue.

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.