Stella Hamilton with a Pale Male and Family Report Direct from the Park!

Photo courtesy of http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/greywacke-arch.html

Greywacke Arche

I got a text from NYC Hawk Watching contributor Stella Hamilton asking if I'd missed her report of 6/28 in my email box which indeed I had. I couldn't wait until I got home to check it out.  

Here are the adventures of Pale Male and the Fledglings from the 28th direct from Central Park!

Hi Donna ,

Our baby Hawks have been very active and driving us crazy . I'd heard one of the babies fell in the waters of the Toy Sailboat Pond early in the morning on 6/13 , just before the Puerto Rican Day Parade . I also heard from one of the Regulars that said the baby hawk has been seen sitting on the side of the pool seemingly fascinated by the water the day before the incident . 

Now I remember , that Sunday of the Parade as being a very windy day , and we all thought he might've been blown into the water. Word is the police scooped it up and sent it to rehab . The park was closed to the public that day and the place was cordoned off  due to the parade.  This baby hawk , who I call " Skinny Dipper ", Esther Williams by someone else, and Olympia by another, was released the next day by Ranger Rob on Pilgrim Hill.

 I found Skinny Dipper perched on a tree that afternoon . It's sibling who some call Speedo was nearby , busy eating a squirrel on a tree as another squirrel tried to shoo it away .  

Fast forward to today ..... Wow what a day !    

Saw Octavia land high on a tree West of Alice in Wonderland statue around 7:02 pm with prey that looked like rat , then she she flew off to 5th avenue. I couldn't locate her later, so I decided to go up toward the Met where I saw Pale Male perched on a lamp post  with babies crying in the background .  Around 7:30 , Pale Male flew toward the Great Lawn . We followed him and found him on the ground.   Then he went up a branch where he eyed a nest , grackle perhaps . He flew again  and grackles gave chase .  Next , he flew off, toward the West , caught a rat and ate it near the Polish King Statue . Meanwhile , I and another regular , heard this crashing , stumbling sound along side of the the Greywacke Arch . I thought a baby hawk had fallen from a tree and stumbled .

 But guess what ? He caught a mouse !!! I am so proud of this baby . Couldn't tell which one it is , as it had gotten dark . I must say our babies are growing up fast and heading North just as fast . I do believe they'll be OK . 

Many,. many thanks to Stella for the wonderful detailed update!  
Almost as good as being there!  

 As to Stella's mention of the fledglings heading north- as the fledglings become more self sufficient  they do tend to move north in the park, to explore, to hunt, and begin life on their own.  They are then seen less often and eventually they will leave Central Park and their parent's territory altogether, at least for awhile.

We have often wondered if the young fledged in Central Park eventually came back and were the hawks that have begun to stake out territories in other parts of the city.  According to some research I read not long ago, young Red-tails do tend to return to the greater area of their hatching and therefore at least some of the hawks which now populate the greater New York area are the progeny of  Pale Male, his mates, Tristan, Isolde, Pale Male Junior, and all the rest that we have watched for low these many years.

Happy Hawking
Donegal Browne

Stella Hamilton Spots Pale Male and the Tree Frog Returns. Plus Guess Who Eats Japanese Beetles?

Longtime New York City Hawkwatcher Stella Hamilton spotted Pale Male perched on a security cam (down center left) hunting.

 Plus Stella spotted one of Pale Male and Octavia's fledglings perched on the "Bates Hotel".

 And TADA!  The Tree Frog has taken up evening hunting residence on the laundry room window yet again this season.  I can't be sure this is the same Tree Frog but he is using the same window and the same pane as last season.

As I may have mentioned, I have Japanese beetles on my property.  Therefore I go out periodically during the day with a plastic ice cream container filled with water and dish soap and shake the leave they are sitting on so they fall into the liquid.  After I have collected all that I can find I go in and dispose of them.

This of course is basic, somewhat effective, and it usually does save some foliage on the plants from total annihilation.  I had never seen anything eat one until today.  I saw a fledgling grackle going from one plant to another that I knew had previously been infested delving into the leaf whorls where the beetles had previously been and whose pheromones  now had attracted other beetles as Japanese Beetles work on pheromones.   Once beetles appear on a plant, and I've removed them the pheromones attract more bugs of the same species.  And there was young Grackle delving into the leave whorls and gobbling them up.  This is the first creature that I've seen eating them.

GO GRACKLES!
Donegal Browne