Tristan of the Cathedral Nest
Word in from Robert Schmunk of bloomingdalevillage on the Cathedral nest.
(See links, blogger isn't up to leaving one in here.)
Following up on your note of concern from last weekend or so...After a week of not seeing either hawk closer to the nest thanperhaps 100 feet, I spotted Isolde in the nest at about 6:30 today.I damn near didn't see her because she was sitting low enoughthat her breast feathers were not visible.For a while I was beginning to think they had decided to movetheir nest. And my curiousity was greatly piqued becausetwice in the last week I had seen a hawk fly into the close onthe south side of the Cathedral.rbs
Next vigilant Katherine Herzog's report from the Bench, things are looking good, and then a word from Stella Hamilton, nurse and nature lover, on what Pale Male was doing when he wasn't on the nest plus Red the Squirrel.
Hi Donna,
Sunday, March 18, 2007 (Sunny, Breezy, 36 F)::
Entered the snow-filled park at 3:30pm....the strong sun softening the effect of the cold, windy clime. Lola scrunched down into the nest....top of her head feathers barely visible.
Hawk Bench devotees say that Pale Male had brought his mate food much earlier in the day and is due back for the late afternoon meal. On cue, at 4pm, Pale Male sailed into view with a critter in his talons and negotiated strong winds over 5th Avenue by flying past the nest and then turning and flying into the wind (just like an airplane would do when approaching a runway tarmac)...landing perfectly on the nest near Lola.Lola took the food, a large, headless light-grey pigeon and flew into the park to a tree near 5th Avenue to enjoy her repast.
Pale settling into the incubation sitting posture deep into the nest. After twenty minutes of feeding, Lola flew in circles over the Sail Boat Pond in front of her nest giving all hawk watchers a splendid view of her broad wings and white breast...she seemed to be enjoying the intense sunlight after the rigors of two solid days and nights of rain, sleet and snow and sub-zero temperatures....plus the added indignity of approximately 8 hours of droning bagpipes wafting up from 5th Avenue during yesterday's St. Pat's Parade. She flew back to the nest, seemed to commiserate with Pale for a few minutes and then he took of into the park as she resumed her incubation duties.
Left the park about 5:15pm with ever-increasing admiration for those noble beings who endured that late winter storm....including today's unlucky pigeon.
P.S. (Got a report from Margaret, inestimable birder and squirrel aficionado, that there were a dozen (!) American Woodcocks in the "oven" section of the Ramble. Quite stunning as we normally see them only one or two at a time. Must check that out tomorrow, if they are still hanging around.)All the best, Katherine
P.P.S. Congratulations on the sale of the photos to the Milan magazine!
(Busted. Thank you, Katherine. I'm very pleased.)
Now to the news from enthusiastic Hawk Watcher and Pigeon lover Stella Hamilton,...turns out that she caught Sunday Morning's piece on Pigeons with an interview filmed at Hans Christian Anderson, the statue not many more than a dozen steps from the Hawk Bench. One of her special animals is Red the Red Squirrel whose digs are southeast of the 927 nest.
From Stella-
I paid Little Miss Red a visit today. All is well in spite of the snow that has blanketed her yard . She didn't come down to forage this afternoon as Mr. Pale Male was in the neighborhood. I did see PM chase a young Red-tail off toward the West side. He just can't tolerate them right now given that he and Lola are sitting the eggs.
Stella
Next vigilant Katherine Herzog's report from the Bench, things are looking good, and then a word from Stella Hamilton, nurse and nature lover, on what Pale Male was doing when he wasn't on the nest plus Red the Squirrel.
Hi Donna,
Sunday, March 18, 2007 (Sunny, Breezy, 36 F)::
Entered the snow-filled park at 3:30pm....the strong sun softening the effect of the cold, windy clime. Lola scrunched down into the nest....top of her head feathers barely visible.
Hawk Bench devotees say that Pale Male had brought his mate food much earlier in the day and is due back for the late afternoon meal. On cue, at 4pm, Pale Male sailed into view with a critter in his talons and negotiated strong winds over 5th Avenue by flying past the nest and then turning and flying into the wind (just like an airplane would do when approaching a runway tarmac)...landing perfectly on the nest near Lola.Lola took the food, a large, headless light-grey pigeon and flew into the park to a tree near 5th Avenue to enjoy her repast.
Pale settling into the incubation sitting posture deep into the nest. After twenty minutes of feeding, Lola flew in circles over the Sail Boat Pond in front of her nest giving all hawk watchers a splendid view of her broad wings and white breast...she seemed to be enjoying the intense sunlight after the rigors of two solid days and nights of rain, sleet and snow and sub-zero temperatures....plus the added indignity of approximately 8 hours of droning bagpipes wafting up from 5th Avenue during yesterday's St. Pat's Parade. She flew back to the nest, seemed to commiserate with Pale for a few minutes and then he took of into the park as she resumed her incubation duties.
Left the park about 5:15pm with ever-increasing admiration for those noble beings who endured that late winter storm....including today's unlucky pigeon.
P.S. (Got a report from Margaret, inestimable birder and squirrel aficionado, that there were a dozen (!) American Woodcocks in the "oven" section of the Ramble. Quite stunning as we normally see them only one or two at a time. Must check that out tomorrow, if they are still hanging around.)All the best, Katherine
P.P.S. Congratulations on the sale of the photos to the Milan magazine!
(Busted. Thank you, Katherine. I'm very pleased.)
Now to the news from enthusiastic Hawk Watcher and Pigeon lover Stella Hamilton,...turns out that she caught Sunday Morning's piece on Pigeons with an interview filmed at Hans Christian Anderson, the statue not many more than a dozen steps from the Hawk Bench. One of her special animals is Red the Red Squirrel whose digs are southeast of the 927 nest.
From Stella-
I paid Little Miss Red a visit today. All is well in spite of the snow that has blanketed her yard . She didn't come down to forage this afternoon as Mr. Pale Male was in the neighborhood. I did see PM chase a young Red-tail off toward the West side. He just can't tolerate them right now given that he and Lola are sitting the eggs.
Stella
Pale Male definitely gets intolerant this time of year, no question. And sometimes Lola really looses patience. On some days she'll hot wing it off the nest, and seriously go after unwelcome visitors during breeding season.
D.B.
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