More Than a Pair of Hawks, Protecting the Turf Never Ends

Fierce Lola is back on the nest again

12:30 I check with Rik Davis, hawk photographer for the early report. He says that around 11:30 Pale Male was sitting on Oreo. Great, lately if they've been seen before I get to the Bench, they don't come back while I'm there.

12:50 Suddenly Pale Male and Lola appear in the north circling our way. Finally the hawks, what a treat to see them even if this is all we get for today. (As it turns out even with a team of three people, Stella Hamilton, who has a great eye for spotting hawks, Samantha taking notes, and myself with the scope and camera we cannot even come close to keeping up with the hawks before very long--but we don't know that yet.)

12:55 Pale Male lands on the nest.

12:57 Pale Male takes off, lands on Rusty Top, then Oreo. A Kestrel zooms by to the east. Pale Male is up and after it behind the buildings going south.

1:09 PM flies to Linda.

1;10 Pale Male takes off to the North.

1:19 Pale Male appears in the N, then disappears.

!:25 2 RTs fly from the north, past Stovepipe, one circles Oreo, then behind The Carlyle. Hawk flies behind Woody and Dr. Fisher, 2 hawks circle above Fisher.

1:30 Lola circles in front of nest then both on nest very briefly.

1:31 Both take off a few seconds apart, Pale Male W, Lola N.

1:33 2RTs come south circle Octagon, one lands, then off

1:34 Stovepipe railing

1:36 Circles above Oreo, then Pale Male flies south, lands on the nest.

1:38 Pale Male is off the nest, through the southern trees of Pilgrim Hill we can see three Red-tails circle, and a fourth hawk, possibly a Coopers slightly further south. Pale Male and Lola are doing their herding routine, coaxing a visitor by double teaming it and easing it out of the territory.
1:40 Lola does a sudden dive behind Linda. She seems to have had enough of the patient herding routine.
1:43 Hawk disappears behind Dr. Fisher.
1:44 Two hawks disappear behind Woody.
1:46 Pale Male and Lola circles above Oreo.

1:47 Lola lands on Oreo grate, vigilant, surveys all directions.

It's windy up there.

1:55 Pale Male circles over Carlyle, then towards park, then circles back.

1:57 Pale Male lands on the corner of the water tower on Woody just long enough for me to swing the scope round, then he's up again and lands on the nest.

Pale Male continues to look about, vigilant but no intense body tension. His feathers continue to lie smoothly on his head, no ruff up in the back.

2:14 Pale Male is off the nest, heads north, disappears behind Oreo, comes back in front of building, circling south...Where'd he go?

2:17 RT over Oreo, Lola? Pale Male?

2:25 Stella spots a Cooper's Hawk in a tree between the Model Boat Pond and the Boathouse. 2:36 RT circles above Linda.

2:57 Hawk, possibly Coopers, flies past Stove Pipe, to Park Avenue. A hawk reappears possibly not the same one, circles over Fifth Ave. buildings, then goes down and out of sight by Oreo. Red-tail suddenly appears in the sky above 927 and does a severe angled dive behind it. One imagines the sound of wind whistling past wings.

Then NOTHING?

3:20 Exit... The sun is dipping behind "the bowl", its cold. Besides Sam needs tap shoes. What can I say?

Donegal Browne