An Afternoon at the Bench-Pale Male and Octavia's Nest 5/23/2015 Part 2, the Sheep Meadow Nest and the Hawks on the Dakota

1:22:34 (All times PM)

Pale Male has just flown down Fifth Avenue being "chased" by a Starling.  It is one of those episodes in which he is allowing the pursuer to get closer and closer so Pale can eventually nab him.  Pale Male then lands on Linda.

2:23:10 But nobody is going to bother her mate so  Octavia flies to the NW corner of Linda and watches the Starlings retreat.

2:23:55 The little guys are completely  unfazed.

2:27:10 Then everybody is on the nest.   Pale Male scans the territory, Octavia checks the larder, and the kids perk up.

2:27:38  All being well Octavia begins to feed and Pale Male heads out to the territory.

2:29:19  Pale Male being ever vigilant begins to patrol the no fly zone  perimeter.

2:36:53 After making his appointed rounds Pale Male lands on the Carlyle.  He perches on the fourth light fixture counted from left or from right.

5:13:57 Pale Male continues to be vigilant and Octavia feeds on demand.  Longtime Hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton and I decide to see what's happening over at the sheep meadow nest.

5:34:46 The sun is  low and it takes us a few minutes to find the nest after we arrive.  We're lucky as Mom is standing on the edge looking into the nest bowl. We might just see a feeding.  
 These eyasses are about two weeks younger than those on the Fifth Avenue nest.  (Please excuse the back light.  The sun is getting low on the horizon and  all the other angles of the nest are obscured by foliage.)

5:35:53  It isn't exactly clear what happened to Mom but that might just be her beak poking slightly beyond the trunk just below the foliage about hawk height from the nest.

5:37:28 Then suddenly two little eyass heads  pop up.

5:37:29 And  one second  later the head on the right has  continued to rise.

And with the help of a little Photoshop we can see much more...even a parent on the left.

We begin circling the tree again looking for a less back lit angle.

5:42:34 A better angle and a little adaptive lighting and we have the underside of a parent feeding.  Likely Mom as she  has a rather spectacular brood patch.

Stella and I part ways heading for our appropriate transportation home.  When I exit at Strawberry Fields ( West 72nd St. )  I once again, as I had the previous day,

see a pair of Red-tailed Hawks on the scaffolding of The Dakota.

 6:03:55 Did  they have a nest that failed or one that was destroyed?

Donegal Browne

P.S.  Stay tuned for the hawkwatching of the 24th.