Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Bobby of Washington Square Park, Riverside Hawks, and a Norfolk Eagle Nest Update

Sometimes you can more easily observe the wing action of a bird when it is in silhouette. Up center frame is a pigeon. Bobby has just flushed the flock so keep an eye peeled on wings as you scroll down through some of his hunting attempts.







Not this time.
A new perch.

Another new perch.











Off for another try. Some days are easier than others for an urban predator. And on this day Bobby and Rosie were dealing with several incursions from their neighbors, the Peregrine Falcons besides attempting to successfully hunt pigeons, squirrels, and rats in a park full of people.

The saga of the Norfolk Botanical Garden Bald Eagles and their nest takes an even darker turn.

From Robin of Illinois-

"There’s controversy brewing at the Norfolk Eagle Cam in Virginia. Apparently the eagles have been ruled an airport hazard, and authorities are planning to address the situation, but we’re not sure yet what that means except the likely removal of the Norfolk Eagle Cam nest. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has had to withdraw their partnership with the Eagle Cam project because it’s now a conflict of interest for them. More information about the airport situation can be found on the WVEC.com site. Also stay tuned to the Norfolk Botanical Garden blog for the latest information."


Riverside Hawks Article-- Link from NYC hawkwatcher Pamela Langford-

http://www.dnainfo.com/20120206/upper-west-side/widowed-riverside-park-hawk-finds-new-love


Plus new digs for the Wild Bird Fund's wildlife rehabilitators
--
http://www.dnainfo.com/20110617/upper-west-side/new-yorks-first-wildlife-rehab-center-open-on-upper-west-side#

Donegal Browne

2 comments:

Sally said...

Nice news about Interpid at Riverside! I hope things go better for her this year. I also read an article that the neighborhood association is complianing about the rats int he park and ASKING for more rat control. Maybe they could try traps?
Sad about Norfolk, I guess they wil have to remove all the trees and fill in the lake to make the airport safe for planes and no wildlife to interfere...

Donegal Browne said...

I often think of Intrepid and the hard times she has had but she is without a doubt the bearer of the right name as she is without doubt truly Intrepid and just keeps on going!

I have always found the people who are asking for more rat control to be rather frighteningly unenlightened at times. The only rat control that works, let me say that again, THE ONLY RAT CONTROL THAT WORKS is to have an environment in which the rats have nothing to eat. It is simple but the complainers, often of the upscale variety and therefore capable of getting to the right ears, haven't the will to scream about the lousy sanitation instead of thinking poisonous quick fixes actually work. Duh.

As to the Norfolk Eagles plight, another group of people who actually think if we remove the natural world then they'll be safe. Nothing could be further from the truth. And then of course there is the money to be made...