Friday morning was very overcast and Mama was not shielding her family from the sun as she typically does each morning. At 3pm Mama delivered a fresh branch with green leaves to the nest and stayed for only a brief moment. Shortly after leaving she returned to the nest with a baby bird for the afternoon meal. Mama visited for a shot time at 5:20pm and the youngsters started to eat themselves. At 7:50pm the youngsters were very active again as Mama arrived at the nest, shortly after Papa delivered some more food for the evening and stayed with his family for fifteen minutes.On Saturday morning, a rainy day the youngsters were alone once again, one of the youngsters was active around 11am and the other was resting. Mama visited the nest and fed a Pigeon to her family at 2pm. At 2:30 the siblings were very active for over an hour after they completed their meal. The youngsters were resting between 4 and 5pm; it was that type of day. After 7pm the siblings were a bit wet, sitting up, looking around and not very active as the rain continued to fall.
Sunday morning Mama fed her family at 11:30am, the youngsters were very active through 12:15. They settled in for a rest after Mama took the remnants of a Pigeon from the nest. I was not able to observe our hawk family in the mid afternoon. The youngsters were resting again in the early evening.
Mama was not on the nest Monday morning when I first observed the nest at 10am shielding her young from the sun as she typically does each morning. The youngsters seemed a bit warm as they were panting and turning their backs to the sun. It seemed that both Mama and Papa spent much more time away from the nest today. We observed the parents flying in the central section of their territory together in the early afternoon, one parent went back toward the nest and the other went NE. I did notice a fresh branch was added to the nest at some point this afternoon. The youngsters were resting most of the late afternoon.
On Tuesday Mama was on the nest shielding her family from the early morning sun. At 11:30am the youngsters were resting. After 1:30pm one of the siblings was very active flapping its wings and moving about the nest. The other did not seem to mind all the activity as it continued to rest. I was not able to observe the mid afternoon activity today. At 7PM both youngsters were very active exercising their wings and rearranging the nest materials to their liking. They were also interested in something flying above the nest that caught their interest as they kept an eye on the movements, probably one of the parents. One of the youngsters flew in the air over the other sibling toward the wall of the building a very exciting display.
The youngsters were resting late Wednesday morning when Papa delivered a fresh branch to his nest, he stayed for a few minutes and then left. The youngsters became active for 20 minutes and settled back down. Mama visited at 1:45 for a brief moment to check on her family. The youngsters were playing with the leaves from the new branch and rearranging nest materials. One of the siblings ate a meal as the other watched. They were both very active again from 7:45 through 8:10 when they settled back down for a rest.
Late Thursday morning one of the youngsters was sitting up and the other resting. Both were active preening after noon today. At 1:15pm the siblings were feeding on a pigeon that appeared to have been delivered much earlier. In the early evening the youngsters were very active in the nest. One of them flapped its wings and obtained such lift only its talons were visible in the camera view. Thank goodness it landed safely near the brick wall of the building.
Late Thursday afternoon the Hawkcam went off-line. We were not able to correct the situation until Monday morning so our observations during this time were limited. Friday a short visit to the nest site indicated that everything appeared normal. Saturday we were able to spend more time near the nest. All was normal, Mama stayed above the nest on the top of the building and Papa spent most to of the afternoon soaring high in the sky. He never went far away and circled back over his nest to check it a number of times. On Sunday both parents spent a considerable amount of time flying high over their territory in the early afternoon further West of their nest than the past few weeks. A standard stoop would have brought them back to the nest very quickly if needed. We could not determine which parent, Mama or Papa, moved a Sea Gull away from the area. Just before 2pm Mama was hunting pigeons and stayed very close to the upper facade of an apartment building to shield her approach. She was very hard to see against the red brick as she took pursuit, we lost site of her as she dipped below a tree line. At 2:15 Mama visited the nest briefly and then joined Papa on the top of a very tall apartment complex to rest.
Monday an early visit to the Hawkcam was successful getting the system back on-line. The youngsters’ feathers have substantially filled in the last three days. When I was at the nest site I noticed that there was an open egg remaining in the nest bowl. It seemed this might have been the third egg that either did not hatch or survive. It was open across the long side about one and a quarter inches in an oval shape. Mama fed her family at 9:45am and the youngsters for the first observed time were feeding themselves. Once I returned home I checked the Hawkcam, within seconds I noticed Mama pick up the eggshell and remove it from the nest. The youngsters were very active at 10:45am and 2pm for almost an hour prior to settling in for a rest. Mama visited the nest at 2pm for a half hour. The youngsters were resting in the early evening and Mama did not spend the night on the nest.
Tuesday Mama shielded her young from the sun and then fed them at 10:40am, she left the nest at 11:40 and appeared to be sitting on top of the camera. Her youngsters were looking in that direction very curiously for a long time. At 2:30 the siblings were rearranging branches in the nest. Papa delivered a mouse at 2:20 and one of the youngsters immediately took the mouse for itself but did not eat the mouse. Mama joined her family and they were all together for a few minutes before Papa left the nest. Shortly after Mama retrieved the mouse and shared it with her youngsters. Mama spent the rest of the afternoon on top of the camera and Papa was flying high in the Eastern section of his territory.On Noon Wednesday Papa stayed on the nest for about 30 minutes as the youngsters were feeding themselves. One active youngster pushed Papa aside as it moved across the nest; he did not seem to mind. The youngsters remained very active through the early afternoon and Mama spent significant time above the camera. Unfortunately the Hawkcam went off-line again around 3pn today. I was fortunate to be able to make an appointment for Thursday morning to correct the problem. A very windy rainstorm passed through the area late in the afternoon so we checked the nest once the storm was over and all was fine, except the youngster were very wet.
Thursday, an early morning trip to the Hawkcam resolved the issue and once again the Hawkcam is back on-line. I made a number of adjustments to the video stream in the hope that we do not have any further technical issues going forward. Mama once again is shielding her young from the morning sun and she left when the nest was shaded. The youngsters were active most of the day and rested a couple times in the afternoon. Papa visited the nest numerous times today. At his 5:30 visit Papa woke the youngsters when he arrived and they appeared to be looking for a meal. As the late afternoon and early evening progress we did not observe the youngsters having a fresh meal. We may have missed it, however, it seems the parents did not deliver food this evening.
Thursday I had observed Mama feeding her family at 9:30am. At 2:45 Papa visited the nest, shortly after Mama joined her him and for a few minutes the entire family was on the nest together. When Papa left the nest Mama proceeded to feed her youngsters and once complete she also left the nest. The youngsters once again were very active after feeding as they tested their wings and looked alertly out from the nest. The youngsters are developing more prominent feathers now covering their fluffy down. Papa visited the nest at 4:45 as Mama was sitting on top of a local apartment building chimney. Late this afternoon the Hawkcam went out of service due to a disruption connecting to the Internet. We are working on the issue and hope to have it resolved as quickly as possible.
On Friday the youngsters were very active in the nest testing their wings, walking around and looking very alert. Mama visited a number of times throughout the day. I had observed a feeding at 6:30pm, after this feeding Mama left the nest and returned around 8pm. At 11pm Mama was not on the nest, we went to the nest to check and Mama was sleeping fifteen feet away above the Hawkcam. This is the first observation, three weeks and two days after her first egg hatched that Mama is not staying on the nest overnight with her family. Saturday it appears over the last few days Mama is now leaving the nest unattended more frequently, although she stays nearby. Papa was also in the immediate area for most of the day. At one point in the afternoon Papa made some high-speed flights to the Eastern and Western sections of his territory but returned fairly quickly. After a late afternoon feeding Mama removed the inedible portion of food from the nest, spent some time away on her own and eventually returned and spent the night on the nest.
A Peregrine Falcon flew directly through Mama and Papa’s territory this Sunday in the late afternoon. Papa observed the Falcon fly East to West from his high vantage point on a very tall apartment building and he did not have to intervene. Once the Falcon was gone Papa visited his nest and proceeded to enjoy most of the afternoon in flight.
Monday after Papa had a short visit with his family at 10:40am Mama fed her youngsters for over 30 minutes. Once again Mama removed the remaining portion of food from the nest. A good portion of the day the nest was left unattended. At 4:30 Mama fed her family for another 30 minutes. At 7pm Mama was sitting on top of a local office building about 1,000 feet West. She returned to the nest for the entire evening.On Tuesday morning it appeared that Mama was shielding her family from the bright sun hitting the nest. Once the sun moved away she fed her youngsters for 35 minutes at 10:50am and then left the nest. The youngsters were very active for about 45 minutes and then they settled down to rest. It is becoming apparent that Mama is feeding her young less frequently but for much longer durations per feeding now. Today Mama did not spend the night on the nest with her family.
Wednesday Mama continues her latest feeding pattern. When the parents are not on the nest they are nearby sitting on tall office buildings, streetlights and tall trees with a view of the nest. The youngsters were very active again today. I had observed feedings at 10:30 and 7:15. Papa visited a number of times throughout the day. Once again Mama did not spend the night on the nest.
Thursday I had observed Mama feeding her family at 9:30am. At 2:45 Papa visited the nest, shortly after Mama joined her him and for a few minutes the entire family was on the nest together. When Papa left the nest Mama proceeded to feed her youngsters and once complete she also left the nest. The youngsters once again were very active after feeding as they tested their wings and looked alertly out from the nest. The youngsters are developing more prominent feathers now covering their fluffy down. Papa visited the nest at 4:45 as Mama was sitting on top of a local apartment building chimney. Late this afternoon the Hawkcam went out of service due to a disruption connecting to the Internet. We are working on the issue and hope to have it resolved as quickly as possible.
Friday Mama endured another soaking rain keeping her family warm and dry using her wings as an umbrella. The rain stopped by noon and Mama left the nest for a while. She fed her family routinely, each feeding lasted at least 15 minutes. Saturday the youngsters were very active flapping their wings and moving around in the nest. Mama and Papa continue to deliver fresh pine and other branches fortifying the perimeter of the nest. I had visited the nest site in the afternoon. Mama was on top of the building watching the nest and Papa was further East in the territory hunting.
On Sunday early afternoon my wife had observed Papa being very vocal and chasing a Sea Gull. The Gull appeared to be carrying something white as Papa chased the gull. We were very concerned about the youngsters. Fortunately, after observing the nest for a while Papa returned to the nest and the two youngsters were fine. Mama fed her family within minutes of Papa returning. Mama removed inedible remnants of a prior meal and returned with more nesting material. At 6pm we went to the nest location, Mama was sitting above the nest and we did not see Papa. Mama settled in to the nest at 7:15 for the evening.
Monday the behavior of the parents changed, they both took turns staying with the nest for most of the afternoon. We did notice many Sea Gulls around the area flying lower than normal. We are not sure if this was the reason they stayed on the nest. Mama fed her family every two hours today and it was only after 5pm when the behavior of Mama and Papa seemed to return to normal.On Tuesday the nest was left unattended around Noon. Mama and Papa visited the nest at 2:30, Papa’s visit was brief as Mama fed her family. She stayed on the nest for about 45 minutes and took some time to groom herself prior to leaving. Mama again provided her family protection from the soaking rain later in the day.
My time on Wednesday to observe the nest was limited. Everything appeared to indicate a normal day at the nest. Mama fed her young at 2 and 7pm and left the nest unattended a number of times in the afternoon. She once again settled in at 7:15 for the evening.
Thursday Mama delivered a large piece of a paper bag to the nest at noon today and struggled to place the bag. While Mama was away from the nest the two youngsters took over and moved the bag where they wanted it positioned at the back of the nest. The two even used the bag for a brief game of tug of war with each other. Mama and Papa made numerous visits to the nest placing more new nest material. Papa used one of the branches to anchor the bag the youngsters had positioned earlier. I had observed Mama feed her family at 3 and 6:30 she then removed what looked to be the remnants of a rat or squirrel from the nest before settling in for the night.
Friday April 20th Mama is feeding her family more frequently, approximately every hour. She is also leaving the nest more often and Papa's visits to the nest have increased. On this day I was able to obtain the first images of their two fuzzy youngsters. Saturday on one of Papa's numerous visits while Mama is away he placed a fresh branch near the perimeter of the nest. Mama returned and examined the new branch that Papa had placed. A few moments later Mama also started to rearrange twigs focusing her work on the perimeter. Interestingly when Mama feeds her family in most cases she places the food bits directly into their beaks, some of the time she drops bits of food from above their heads.
Sunday at 1PM Mama organized some food remnants, a rat and a mouse within the nest. Approximately 45 minutes later she leaves removing the mouse. At 5:10PM the nest was unattended for 35 minutes, this was the first time I observed the parents gone for this duration. Both parents returned to the nest within minutes of each other to check on their family. To this point I have not observed Papa feeding the youngsters. It seems for now at least this is Mama's responsibility and Papa is the provider of the food. One of the youngsters is starting to get stronger, for brief moments it can get its head near the top of the twigs.
Monday Papa continues to deliver more fresh branches to the nest. After placing the new twig he rearranged a few others and left. Today around 2:30PM it appeared Papa was feeding his family for the first time. Shortly after Mama joined Papa and her family. Papa left removing some inedible remnants of food. Today was one of the warmest days of the season; activity at the nest seemed less than the previous days. Checking the Hawkcam frequently throughout the day Mama was sitting around and not overly active.Tuesday early in the afternoon Papa provided fresh food to the nest and Mama fed her family for about twenty minutes. At 2PM Papa delivers a fresh branch to his nest. Both Mama and Papa were away from the nest today for longer periods of time. At 5:45PM Mama started to eat; ten minutes later shared the rest of the meal with her young. The last two days the feedings appear to be less frequent and the duration of the feedings is getting longer.
Wednesday everything was normal at the nest. Mama spent time in a tall tree about 300 yards East of her nest. This vantage point provided Mama a clear view of her nest less than 15 seconds away. Later that evening Mama protected her young from the rain by sitting over them with her wings spread like an umbrella.
Thursday late in the morning Mama removed a pigeon half from the nest. Papa added some tree bark to the nest about 1PM. After feeding her family at 2PM Mama removed the other pigeon half from the nest. Mama took a number of longer breaks from the nest. The feedings today were every couple hours for at least twenty minutes in duration. Papa appeared around 7:40PM this evening to deliver a fresh mouse for the evening. One of the youngsters spread its wings a number of times today after being fed by Mama. This week it became apparent that the third egg did not hatch or did not survive. The two youngsters appear to be healthy, strong and growing rapidly.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 10, 2007 I had completed the installation of the NYC Audubon Hawkcam with a team of wonderful and supportive people from the city agency where the nest is located. During the installation process Mama and Papa swapped places in the nest, we were able to confirm that Mama had produced three eggs this season. The eggs were aligned side by side in a very neat row.Late Wednesday evening I had observed Mama wake up suddenly she looked into the nest to explore what awakened her. It seemed at that moment one of her eggs might have hatched. On Thursday it was obvious Mama was feeding a hatchling in the early evening. She was tearing small bits of food from her meal and feeding it toward the bowl of the nest. This was the first behavioral confirmation that at least one egg hatched. Papa made a number of visits to the nest checking on his family, he did not swap places with Mama. Friday, Mama continued to stay on the nest without relief from Papa. She fed her young numerous times. On each of these days Mama appeared to be much more restless than she had the pervious weeks, even late at night. This in part due to having a hatchling under her to protect along with sitting on her remaining eggs.
On Saturday Mama clearly showed signs of feeding more than one hatchling. Judging from the speed she provided the food and the angle of her head with each feeding it appeared at least two young hatched. On Sunday, Mama endured a steady soaking rain. She shook off a number of times late in the afternoon. At 7:09PM Papa brought a mouse to Mama; from his beak to hers he gave her the mouse. Mama placed the mouse close to her side for a later meal. The heavy soaking rain started again around 10PM, Mama patiently sits keeping her young warm and dry.
Monday, still rain
soaked Mama finally started to dry off in the late afternoon. Mama seems
to be feeding her young every couple of hours now. Papa delivered a pigeon
to Mama around 3:15PM she immediately started feeding their young, when
she was finished Mama had some food for herself. She appeared to finally
be getting some rest during the evening hours as the weather improved. My
observations on Tuesday were limited, Mama finally looked comfortable and
dry. At this point I am reasonably sure that all three eggs must have hatched.
I did not see Papa, Mama had food so I assume he made his usual visits to
the nest. Wednesday, Papa visited his family around 4:15PM he did not deliver
any food and stayed about two minutes. Mama shared a meal from a prior visit
with her young at this time. Shortly after this feeding Mama left the nest
unattended for the first time, she returned in three minutes. While she
was gone it appeared a tiny head was moving around in the nest.Thursday turned out to be a busy and very special day at the nest. Mama continued her routine feeding schedule and Papa made a number of visits to the nest supplying food. At the 3:45pm feeding it was easy to see her youngsters moving around. Occasionally their tiny heads just cleared the twig line of the nest as they reached for food. At 5:43PM Mama removed inedible remnants of a prior meal, the nest was unattended for twelve minutes she returned at 5:55PM to settle back with her family. It has been my experience with this pair of hawks when the nest is unattended one of the parents is always close guarding the nest. Soon the hatchlings will be visible regularly.