Red-Tailed Hawk Pandemic Entertainment: 2020-2022
Riverside Park was a special place for red-tailed hawks during the pandemic winter of 2020. On days that we needed to get some fresh air, chasing the hawks provided great exercise and fun entertainment. Even into 2022, the hawk entertainment continued to make all the restrictions tolerable.
February 17, 2022, an adult red-tailed hawk surveys her domain in Riverside Park.
February 22, 2022, one of two juvenile hawks chasing each other.
Note the raised hackles as the two juveniles fly around.
Juvenile red-tailed hawk, Riverside Park, November 20, 2021
Juvenile red-tailed hawk in Riverside Park, February 23, 2021
New Hawks in Riverside Park
After the sad loss of the red-tailed hawk family in 2016 (one of the babies died of frounce, and the other was probably lost as well, plus no sightings later of either parent), there has been a hawk deficit in the park for a while. But in 2020, the area around 116th Street was visited by a bald eagle who was seen above an adult red-tailed hawk sitting on a squirrel dinner. I filmed both on January 24, then filmed the hawk again on January 26 and February 1 and 2.
Adult red-tailed hawk standing on squirrel catch, waiting for the bald eagle above to leave. Riverside Park, January 24, 2020.
These photos of the red-tailed hawk were taken January 24 and 26 and February 1 and 2, 2020, in Riverside Park.
Suppertime at the 116
There was a pair of red-tailed hawks that established a nest in 2016 at 116th Street and Riverside Park. They had two eyasses, and I watched them from nesting time. On May 29, we got to see Mama bring in a squirrel (we think dropped off by Pops) and feed the kids. The video is very long, but so much fun to see the kids. Skip around if you get bored (the Vivaldi music is always good to hear). (Unfortunately, at least one of the eyasses died before fledging, and the adults were not seen and did not nest again the following year.)
The two eyasses in Riverside Park at 116th Street.
