4/11, Cathedral Switch-Off

Yes, it's been quiet around here. Although I've been over to the corner of 113th and Morningside Dr. numerous times in the past month, I only caught a couple quick glimpses of hawk activity in the area, and none at the nest. But today, moments after I arrived, a hawk flew up to the nest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and a switch-off ensued as the other got up and flew out.

There was no follow-up switch-off that I saw, so it would appear that Isolde was returning from her dinner break and Norman was taking off for the evening.

I'm completely at sea in trying to guess when there will be a hatch at the Cathedral nest. It usually runs a week or a bit more after the first Manhattan nest hatches, which would suggest next week. The Washington Square Park red-tail nest has had both of its eggs hatch in recent days, and I expect that the Highbridge Park-Swindlers Cove nest has also hatched. The Inwood Hill nest will likely see a hatch any day now.

3/18, Brooding in Inwood

On a very nice late Sunday afternoon I checked on the red-tail nest in Inwood Hill Park and was rewarded with the sight of a nest switch-off.

Just a minute or so of activity as the female returned from a meal (check out that crop) and rest break and the male took off. The female gave me one dirty glare, and then all was quiet (except for the chirping cardinal and the whining squirrel)..

I hoped to also see one of the great horned owls who have also been in Inwood Hill Park this spring, and who were spotted there as recently as a day ago, but had no luck. Several neighborhood folk were about checking the tree tops, so I know I was at least checking the right area. Oh, well.

3/13, A Coopie, and Isolde Thinks About It

There was no activity at the cathedral red-tailed hawk nest when I first checked on it early this evening, but as I strolled past the pond in nearby Morningside Park, I was startled when a small hawk flew overhead.

A Cooper's hawk. Perhaps the same hawk that James watched being chased by peregrines in Manhattanville on Sunday.

The Coopie perched in a tree above the Morningside pond for 5-10 minutes and then moved north to a higher spot over the dog run. There it nervously preened, alternating between a stroke at its feathers and then a look around the skies. Apparently it knew it was in someone else's territory.

Well, one can only watch a bird preen for so long. It was time to leave, but i checked on the cathedral nest on the way out. Hmmm... that deeply shaded alcove seems just a slight bit paler than it ought to be.

Isolde!

She remained perched up there for the next 15 minutes until I gave up because of darkness. (The above photo was shot at 1600 ISO and then highlights brought out using Photoshop.) Sometimes she was a bit hunched over the interior of the nest; sometimes she was looking around at the the skies and rooftops. It reminded me much of when I saw her up there mid-March last year, pondering things and just a few days away from egg-laying.