Photo by Chris Lyons
Here is the new nest of Vince of the Fordham University Campus in the Bronx/NYBG and his New Girl.
The nest is over looking a street, as most building nests in NYC are.
This one does have a little railing to help keep the nest intact which is nice.
Photo by Chris Lyons
What isn't nice is what the fledglings will have to clear before they get to a real tree or other green space of any note.
Photo by Chris Lyons
Here is a note from a very concerned Chris Lyons who photographed the nest site and who has been a chief watcher this area's hawks in the Bronx for many years.
I hope this gives you some idea of the situation--these are all
taken from inside the campus--the nest is at the far upper right-hand
window of that apartment building with the fake columns on the top
floor. It's six stories up. To safely fledge, the eyasses would have
to reach this large oak on the other side of Webster--if they
undershoot, they're on the street, and if they overshoot, they're on the
Metro North tracks, with no way for anybody to reach them quickly. If
they end up on the ground, in the tiny sliver of parkland between
Webster and the tracks--well--people who hang out there are mainly nice,
but probably know nothing about hawks. On my way to lunch, I often see
this guy exercising his three playful energetic pit bulls there. Maybe
they'd just be curious if they saw a young hawk on the grass, but
curiosity doesn't just kill cats.
In one picture, you can see a bit of a tail sticking up,
but I have not seen much activity thus far. (Photo directly above,tail is center in nest. DB) Most of the time, you can't
see a hawk--I will explore other viewing options later on.
So it's still weeks before we know if the eggs will hatch. It
occurs to me that if the female really likes this nest, she may not be
deterred by the eggs not hatching--like all those failed attempts on 5th
Ave. My hope is that the eggs do hatch, and that it can then be
arranged for the eyasses to be removed, and possibly re-released on the
campus, where the parents could find them. The NYBG probably wouldn't
be a good idea, since the Great Horned Owls are there (well, one of
them, and she's probably none too fond of Red-tails right about now).
Chris is right about the NYBG not being the best option, particularly as I've gotten word that there is a male to go with the female GHO nesting there these days.
Red-tailed Hawk parents do find fledglings who "magically"
appear begging heartily in unexpected places.
"Ziggy", the fledgling of Charlotte and Pale Male Jr, who had originally been grounded on a city street during morning rush hour, was "found" by her parents after being placed in Central Park after a two week sojourn with the rehabbing Horvaths.
Donegal Browne
