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2009 Red-Tailed Hawk News
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June 1: I'm updating the current Red-tailed Hawk news from May 17 to June 1st later today. Week five nest images are
being added to the nest photos 2009 gallery at this time to be followed by week seven images. We weren't able to obtain
week six images due to the Holiday and the rainy weather.
If you haven't signed the petition to protect the Gray Wolf of the Northern Rockies please click on the following link to the
Defenders of Wildlife Petition to help restore the Gray Wolf Federal Protection Status More details can be found on April
30th posting, to those of you that have signed the petition thank you. This is one of the steps underway to help restore
Federal protection status to the Gray Wolf.
June 2: Today the eyass once again jumped from the nest to a nearby air conditioner and stayed there for a good portion
of the day before returning to the nest. I forgot to mention on my June 1st post that this was the first day the eyass left the
nest for this air conditioner. The jump is not far maybe six feet give or take, enough of a distance however that a small
mistake could become a disaster.
June 3: The eyass once again was on the air conditioner next to the nest early today and stayed there at least to 2pm. I
was not able to observe the eyass after 2pm. At 6:30pm when I returned the eyass appeared to be out of the nest. Mama
was nearby and didn't seem to be disturbed so I assume the eyass is fine.
June 4: Early this morning I went to the nest and confirmed that the eyass has left the nest confirming my observation that
it left the nest between 2pm and 6:30pm on June 3rd. I was able to find the parents to the East but no youngster. Later in
the afternoon we were able to find the fledgling on the rooftop of nearby apartment complex dong fine and being harassed
by some Mockingbirds. Its parent were in the area and keeping an eye on the fledgling. Later in the day the fledgling was
still on the nearby rooftops calling out for food, it seemed its crop was empty and it may not have eaten recently. It started
to become dark as light rain began, I left for home and the fledgling was still on the rooftop and hopefully will continue to be
fine after its first full day out of the nest.
June 5: On an early rainy walk this morning we found Mama sitting on the rooftop of the nest building watching her
youngster off in the distance, the fledgling was to the East sitting on the rooftop chimney of an apartment complex. Both of
them were wet from the steady rain. Due to the distance, it was difficult to determine if the fledgling had eaten today. We
didn't see Papa. Since the weather has become mild and the Hawk nesting season is well underway I will not be posting
daily weather data, I will only post extreme weather events that may occur. I will be archiving April and May Recent News
tomorrow, it can always be accessed from the News Archive Content Page Link.
Late this evening and on another rainy walk I spotted the fledgling safe on the rooftop of an apartment complex, I couldn't
find Mama or Papa but I'm sure one of them was around to watch over their youngster. I have added new images of the
eyass in the nest at seven weeks as well as some images from that day of Mama and Papa to the Nest Photos 2009
Gallery page 2. I have also added a some new images of the fledgling on its very first day out of the nest in the Nest
Photos 2009 Gallery page 3, its first day was a very overcast with rain in the late afternoon.
June 6: This morning the fledgling was still on the rooftops of an apartment complex, it is doing well and exploring. The
fledgling seems content and only moves around on occasion. Its very difficult to get close images as the angle from the
nearby streets doesn't provide a view of the fledgling. So for now most of my images are from a good distance. I have
archived April and May Recent News, the May recent news is completely updated and it can always be accessed from the
News Archive Content Page Link.
In the later afternoon the fledgling was eating on the rooftop. Eventually Mama appeared and also had a meal on the
Western side of the same rooftop. The fledgling disappeared from view, probably to get some shade as the sun was very
strong and Mama stayed nearby. We didn't see Papa today.
I have added new images of the eyass in the nest at seven weeks as well as some images from that day of Mama and Papa
to the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 2. I have also added a some new images of the fledgling on its very first day out of
the nest in the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 3, its first day was a very overcast with rain in the late afternoon.
June 7: On the fourth day out of the nest this morning the fledgling continues to move around on the rooftops of the
apartment complex. The fledgling was sitting on a railing in the shade. This morning the sun was already more intense than
yesterday afternoon. I didn't see its parents around, but I think one of them was in a nearby tree staying cool as the Robins
were not happy in that area. I have archived April and May Recent News, the May recent news is completely updated and it
can always be accessed from the News Archive Content Page Link. I have added new images of the eyass in the nest at
seven weeks as well as some images from that day of Mama and Papa to the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 2. I have also
added a some new images of the fledgling on its very first day out of the nest in the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 3, its
first day was a very overcast with rain in the late afternoon. I will be adding more images to the Galleries soon.
Later in the afternoon we spotted Mama on the apartment rooftop where the fledgling has been staying but we couldn't find
the fledgling. The afternoon sun was very strong so the fledgling probably found some shade on the roof someplace.
June 8: I wasn't able to find the fledgling this morning on its fifth day out of the nest. I did spot one of the parents off to the
West on top of an office building looking back to the area the fledgling has been staying on the rooftops the last five days.
It was probably Mama as this is one of her favorite spots to sit. Later in the afternoon we found the fledgling once again on
the same rooftops. Initially the location again made it very difficult for photography, this time I had to shoot directly into the
sun with clouds in the background. A while later both Mama and Papa appeared in the Western section of their territory.
Papa had a meal for his youngster, it appeared to be a Pigeon. He came in fast and in a direct line to the fledgling. Mama
caught up to Papa landing next to him. Papa handed the Pigeon to Mama and at one point they both had their talons on
the meal before Mama delivered the Pigeon to her youngster. Papa flew off to the Western side of the building and relaxed
for a while. After eating the fledgling flew off to the Southeastern side of the complex and finally I had a good angle of view
and proximity to the fledgling for some nice new images. Eventually the fledgling flew to another location on the rooftop out
of my view from the ground. I have added new images of the eyass in the nest at seven weeks as well as some images from
that day of Mama and Papa to the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 2. I have also added a some new images of the fledgling
on its very first day out of the nest in the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 3, its first day was a very overcast with rain in the
late afternoon. I will be adding more images to the Galleries soon.
June 9: On day 6 the fledgling is doing fine and still on the same rooftops. This morning it was sitting alone quietly on the
roof seemingly taking it all in. Mama and Papa were not in the immediate area although I'm sure one of them was observing
their youngster. In the afternoon it was very overcast and Papa was sitting near his nest watching over his youngster. At a
distance I noticed the fledgling sitting on a chimney, it didn't move from that spot for the two hours plus that I observed it.
Papa did take flight to the East for a few minutes and returned shortly after landing a few yards away from his original spot.
I went closer to the fledgling and was able to hear it calling out for food. When I left the area Papa and his youngster were
both still in the same spot. I have added new images of the eyass in the nest at seven weeks as well as some images from
that day of Mama and Papa to the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 2. I have also added a some new images of the fledgling
on its very first day out of the nest in the Nest Photos 2009 Gallery page 3, its first day was a very overcast with rain in the
late afternoon. I will be adding more images to the Galleries soon.
June 10: We weren't able to search for our hawk family until later in the day. In the early evening Papa was sitting on a
lamppost near his nest and Mama was siting on her favorite rooftop corner of a tall apartment complex. I wasn't able to spot
the fledgling today. I haven't been able to post new images from the last few days and hope to post them in the next couple
days.
June 12: On a brief walk today we spotted Mama around noon sitting on top of the Hawkcam. We didn't see any of the
other members of our hawk family.
June 14: Early this afternoon Mama was sitting on a lamp post near her nest observing her territory. Her fledgling was
sitting on a low rooftop when Papa delivered its meal around 2:50pm, he then flew off to a nearby Oak tree. Shortly after
3pm Papa was soaring over his territory. The fledgling completed its meal around 3:20pm and flew to a rooftop near its
nest. Later in the afternoon Mama and Papa landed on one of their favorite tall buildings in the central section of their
territory, they stayed together over an hour when I went home for the day.
June 16: On a late afternoon walk we found the fledgling resting on the ledge of a building roof to the West of its nest. We
didn't see any other members of our hawk family.
June 21: At 2:15pm we found the fledgling sitting on the railing of a fire escape, it stayed there for over an hour. The
fledgling then flew to a nearby rooftop to some food leftovers located on a six story apartment building and finished its meal
from earlier in the day.
June 24: Mama was sitting on a rooftop antenna around 3:30pm, her fledgling was across the street sitting on a tall
apartment building rooftop railing. A number of Mockingbirds were harassing the fledgling, I left when it started to rain
heavy around 4:15pm.
June 30: After a couple hours of searching I found the fledgling resting in a sunny spot on the fire escape of a tall
apartment building to the East of its nest around 2:20pm. Papa caught a Pigeon and landed on a rooftop 200 feet to the
North of the fledgling. He didn't stay there long and flew off with his catch, I didn't see him deliver the meal to the fledgling
so I assume it was his meal for the day.
July 4: I found the fledgling to the West of its nest sitting on a low branch in an Oak tree around 1pm. The fledgling was
active it played in the ivy below the tree walking on the ground, playing with twigs. It flew from one Cherry tree to the next in
the area. At 2pm it decided to take a rest in a tall Oak tree well hidden among many branches.
July 7: On a brief walk we discovered the fledgling in a Cherry tree, after about an hour it flew off and out of sight. We
didn't see Mama or Papa today.
July 9: Papa was soaring over his territory around 3:30pm this afternoon. We didn't see Mama or the fledgling.
July 11: I didn't see our hawk family today. Taking a path I hadn't used in a while I notice many rat bait warnings posted in
the area, not a good thing for our hawk family and other non-target species that could encounter this nasty stuff and die.
July 12: We found the fledgling in a Maple tree being harassed by a number of birds in the area, the fledgling didn't seem
to be bothered at all by the attention.
July 18: We spotted Mama soaring over the central section of her territory around non. We didn't see Papa or the fledgling.
July 19: Early this evening we spotted Mama sitting on the rooftop railing of one of her favorite tall apartment buildings.
The rest of the month of July we searched for the fledgling on most of the days but it became increasingly difficult to find
the fledgling, it seemed to be comfortable alone and most likely out of sight on apartment rooftops in the area. Many times
we were able to hear other bird species disturbed and focusing their attention to these rooftops. Unfortunately, we couldn't
see the entire rooftop area from our vantage points, however, we were fairly certain the fledgling was nearby.
August 9: We found Papa late this afternoon near last seasons nest. He was hunting for a meal from a number of different
trees. We had to leave when the rains came.
August 17: We spotted Papa briefly today in a high speed stoop to the Northeast.
August 22: Our hawk family has been very difficult to find this month, today we found Mama sitting on an antenna on one
of her favorite tall apartment building rooftops. We didn't see Papa or the fledgling.
August 24: Papa was keeping a close eye on an Osprey that was passing through his territory late this morning.
Eventually the Osprey moved on and Papa returned to the central section of his territory.
August 29: Mama and Papa were sitting together for a short time around 4:45pm, Papa then flew off to a tree to the East
around 5:45pm. At 6:30pm we spotted an Osprey flying to the West, Mama and Papa didn't seem disturbed by it being in
their territory. Once again this month our hawk family was very difficult to find and we had very few sightings of the
fledgling, it seems to be drifting to the Eastern section of its parents territory. The last half of the month of June, July and
August news updates were posted on 10/6, I will continue to update the months of September and October shortly.
September 10: Another week plus early in September with minimal sightings of our hawk family. Finally, today we spotted
the fledgling soaring in the central section of its parents territory. We didn't see Mama or Papa. September continues to be
a very quiet month for our hawk family as they continue to keep a low profile and very difficult to find. The last couple
weeks in September we spotted either Mama or Papa by themselves with not much more to report beyond that they appear
to be fine. This was an unusual August and September this year as in past years we normally see much more of our hawk
family during this time. The main thing is that on the few occasions we did spot them all appeared fine. Migration activity
has picked up Hummingbirds and numerous Warblers appearing.
October 1- 5: Mama and Papa seem to be much more active, visible and keeping each other company the first week in
October. The migration season is in full swing and they're keeping an eye on their territory, we've spotted them numerous
times this week soaring high over their territory or on high vantage points with good all around views. On a few occasions
we spotted them observing Peregrine Falcons make their way through Mama and Papa's territory without incident.
October 7: Mama and Papa Spent the late afternoon together sitting on a lamp post and occasionally taking turns soaring
at low altitudes. As the sun started to set Mama and Papa separated to two different tall vantage points to watch over their
territory for about 45 minutes before settling in for the evening.
October 8: A very busy late morning, first we spotted Mama and Papa once again soaring very high over their central
territory against the hazy sky. Shortly after spotting them we noticed a Cooper's hawk also soaring very high in the same
area, then we spotted a second Cooper's hawk, by their sizes it appeared the two Cooper's were a pair flying through
Mama and Papa's territory. The four of them circled keeping an eye on one another when we noticed a large dark Raptor
soaring much lower through the same region, then a few seconds later a second large dark Raptor, each of them had
marbleized white patches under the wings and tail. Upon closer examination the two large Raptors were juvenile Bald
Eagles. While all this was happening two different flocks of migrating Geese also moved through the area. To top things off
about 45 minutes after the Eagles disappeared from sight Falcons were represented as a Merlin zipped overhead. Later in
the afternoon Mama was sitting on top of her favorite tall apartment complex chimney and Papa was sitting on another
building rooftop a couple hundred yards to her South for about an hour until it dusk when they both flew off to settle in for
the evening.
October 9: We didn't see our hawk family today. However, we spotted a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and there were a bunch
of other smaller migratory birds late this morning but the weather and poor light made it difficult to identify them.
October 10: We didn't search for our hawk family today. We decided on a trip to Jones Beach on this very breezy day
where there was a great deal of bird activity. We must have seen at least two dozen Merlin probably more, all very actively
hunting this afternoon, everywhere you looked there was another Merlin. They were so active it was difficult to come up
with a firm number. Three Northern Harrier hawks, a couple of Peregrine Falcons and a host of other smaller birds and
gulls but I stayed with the Raptors and Falcons for the afternoon.
October 11: Late this morning a Turkey Vulture appeared soaring in the sky in the central section of Mama and Papa's
territory. As I was concentrating on the Turkey Vulture our fledgling appeared soaring just over the homes in the area. It
stayed around for about an hour, it was enjoying the breezy day zigging and zagging through the wind. Eventually it got
serious and started to hunt and with a quick stoop disappeared from sight. Later in the afternoon we briefly spotted the
fledgling in the Southern section of Mama and Papa's territory. Later in the afternoon Papa was sitting on one of his
favorite tall apartment complexes and Mama was to his West sitting on a lamp post before she took off further to the West
apparently in search of a meal.
October 12: Papa captured a meal late in the afternoon near his nest from two years back. He flew around with the meal
(a Mourning Dove) in his beak. He landed in an Oak tree where he transferred his meal to his talons and then he flew off to
the Southwest. Mama was in the same area eating the remnants of a Squirrel, she stayed there for at least an hour. There
was evidence and the vocalizations of Cooper's hawks also in the same area that Mama and Papa were spending their
time. There were high numbers of migratory birds feeding all around, in the tree tops, mid tree and on the ground while we
observed our hawk family.
October 13: A Cooper's hawk made a kill (a Pigeon) in the Southeastern section of Mama and Papa's territory. Papa was
circling his territory in the same general area and not disturbed by the Cooper being around. Also in the area but just
passing through and headed to the West were three Turkey Vultures.
October 14-16: We didn't search for our hawk family on these days. However, the fall migration is still providing many
wonderful sightings. Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, Palm
Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Junco, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow Warbler and flocks of Flickers.
October 17: Papa was sitting on his favorite tall apartment complex watching over his territory for a while in the late
afternoon. He then took flight and not long after made a spectacular stoop and disappeared behind a building. We weren't
able to determine if he had made a catch. Shortly after this Mama landed on the same tall building and stayed there until
we left for the day. Earlier in the day we noticed a Falcon chasing a Mourning Dove through the woodlands, it happened so
fast we couldn't identify the Falcon, it may have been a Merlin.