The View up the hill and hence the opposite for the hawks from Gabriel. Though they've not been perching there with the same frequency for the last few days.
Eldest looks at the nest.
Field Notes 13 JUN 2006
Cathedral Red-tails
Sunset-8:28PM
Temperature-81 F.
Humidity-46%
Wind-Light and variable
Sun with fluffy clouds
3:34PM Youngest up on St Andrew's head looks down.
3:43PM Youngest back up on St. Andrew's head. Eldest heard begging. ???
4:02PM Youngest on Head, scratches.
4:08PM Eldest begs, though last seen on the back short roof, she isn't visible now. Pigeons and other birds still enjoying the Feast of Elm Fruit up here in this neighborhood.
4:14PM Youngest jumps up on head, then jumps back down again.
4:45PM Youngest goes behind head. Eldest is up there somewhere begging. We still can't find her.
4:50PM Finally, there she is. Eldest is flapping up levels of the scaffolding west of the stepped buttress. Then comes down to stepped buttress, top step.
4:56PM Sparrows fly out of nowhere in front of Eldest. She leaps on prey.
Kill it. Bite it if it moves...even if it is your own foot.
Hop, hop, bam, bam.
Taste?
MINE! No, it is not a rock.
5:08PM Dad into urn on Plant Pavilion, Eldest begs.
5:10PM PM Dad to nest with prey then out again. Eldest BEGS. Note wings slightly out from body, part of begging stance.
5:28PM E. still begging. He's gone slit eyed which is an expression of avian frustration.
5:35PM Mom feeding Youngest, Eldest begs.
5:43PM Dad off urn. Mom and eyass watch him go.
5:45PM Eldest begs some more.
5:47 PM Youngest jumps onto head of St. Andrew. Divine Mom still on nest. Arriving birder, reports Dad seen attempting to get pigeon on south side of Cathedral.
5:48 Mom off nest.
6:00PM Youngest stands nest east edge.
6:15 Eldest walks back to scaffolding then turns back to step, walks east with up focus.
6:20PM Eldest flies to nearby elevated cross with very little purchase on it's top, slides off and manages to flap back to the buttress landing 7 or 8 steps down from her original position at the top.
6:35PM Eldest runs back and forth on the stepped buttress then goes back up to top step.
6:40PM I go in search of the parents. There is an RT perched high up on the roof of the Plant Pavilion at 114th who appears to be hunting the pigeon flock that is active around Eglise De Notre Dame across the street. Then realize I've left my binoculars and the scope for new observers over on 113th so can't tell which parent it is.
6:42PM Eldest flies over to adjacent cross and manages to stay on it for a few minutes, then back to scaffolding stage.
6:48PM Eldest disappears from sight on the scaffolding stage.
6:55PM I trot back to 114th, this time WITH my binoculars. The RT is standing on one leg. That's a clue. I get round to the front side of the bird, and indeed, it is Divine Dad.
7:05PM Youngest stands on very edge of west nest stretches wings out and looks down. Then repeats the activity twice more. The day before Eldest fledged she also stood on the edge quite a bit and looked down but she did much more flapping inbetween times.
7:08PM Youngest goes behind St. Anderew's head.
7:20PM Stella Hamilton comes trotting back from checking on Dad, he's still perched atop The Plant Pavilion at 114th, Mom is still on 310.
7:14PM What is Eldest doing up there? Eating?
7:24PM Eldest moves farther to the right on the scaffold stage.
7:30PM Is Eldest still up on the scaffolding stage? Yes, a head pops up, complete with big fluff feather on her nose. Hmmm. What's she been doing up there while we couldn't see her. Her crop seems more distendedl. Did we miss a stealth drop feeding?
7:44PM Eldest still visible.
8:03-8:12 PM Youngest goes across the nest to the east side. She stands staring across the park toward 310, where her mother is perched. Crosses back west, then east, then west. Finds a leftover in the nest and eats it.
8:13 PM Sun setting on 113th St.
8:20PM EXIT.
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