Hey, Mr Wilson, I looked out my window yesterday and guess what I saw.....
a hawk. Do you think it was just passing through or do you think Tompkins has it's own? The Christadora seems like a good perch.
You’ll have to keep watching to find out. It was probably a Red-tailed Hawk, many of which spend the winter around here. I’ve seen one hanging around my neighborhood, and several almost any time I go to the Park; yesterday there were four circling the Meer at one time, and while watching them we saw a couple of Osprey passing over much higher up. Some of these birds are beginning to move north, and there will be more coming through, so it’s hard to know what’s happening right now, but it’s certainly possible you have a resident bird there, or at least one that’s trying to set up a territory and attract a mate. This is not always easy, but Red-tails are quite adaptable and making inroads as urban residents. The famous birds on 5th Ave at 73rd St are presently incubating; the male has been there for over ten years now. There’ve been a couple of other nesting attempts in the Park lately, so far with inconclusive results. Birds seen high up and heading north (in spring) are probably migrating through; if you see them perching or hunting around the neighborhood they may be thinking about staying, though most will eventually bail out. If you’re still seeing it in May you’ve probably got a local.
Hawks hang out on the tops of the buildings in the Village View Projects on between 1st and A.
There’s been a particular pair of Red-tails hanging around all winter in the north end of the Park, where I spend most of my time. One is more or less identifiable because it has only a very light belly band (hawk plumage tends to be much more variable than in many other birds.) Recently they’ve been seen carrying sticks, a sign of nest construction, and yesterday I saw them mating (takes about ten seconds.) So it looks like they’re serious. I can’t say I’m all that thrilled about this development: they’re always coming by and scaring the birds I want to see, not to mention eating them. (Actually, Red-tails prefer rodents, and around here they seem to mostly take pigeons, rats and squirrels, but things can get awfully quiet when they’re circling overhead or perching in one of my favorite spots…)
Quicktime movie of Barn Owls mating.
>warning< adut content
i saw a couple of chickens going at it yesterday on the side of the road. pretty much confirmed my theory about their reasons for crossing the proverbial road.
Better than cockfighting.
i think i mentioned the cockfighting roosters on vieques but my friends had rented out their house in naguabo to a family that also raised them for fighting. apparently its still quite popular in puerto rico.
Cock-a-doodle-doo-me
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- sarah 3-21-2004 7:27 pm
You’ll have to keep watching to find out. It was probably a Red-tailed Hawk, many of which spend the winter around here. I’ve seen one hanging around my neighborhood, and several almost any time I go to the Park; yesterday there were four circling the Meer at one time, and while watching them we saw a couple of Osprey passing over much higher up. Some of these birds are beginning to move north, and there will be more coming through, so it’s hard to know what’s happening right now, but it’s certainly possible you have a resident bird there, or at least one that’s trying to set up a territory and attract a mate. This is not always easy, but Red-tails are quite adaptable and making inroads as urban residents. The famous birds on 5th Ave at 73rd St are presently incubating; the male has been there for over ten years now. There’ve been a couple of other nesting attempts in the Park lately, so far with inconclusive results. Birds seen high up and heading north (in spring) are probably migrating through; if you see them perching or hunting around the neighborhood they may be thinking about staying, though most will eventually bail out. If you’re still seeing it in May you’ve probably got a local.
- alex 3-21-2004 9:15 pm [add a comment]
Hawks hang out on the tops of the buildings in the Village View Projects on between 1st and A.
- steve 3-22-2004 6:39 am [add a comment]
There’s been a particular pair of Red-tails hanging around all winter in the north end of the Park, where I spend most of my time. One is more or less identifiable because it has only a very light belly band (hawk plumage tends to be much more variable than in many other birds.) Recently they’ve been seen carrying sticks, a sign of nest construction, and yesterday I saw them mating (takes about ten seconds.) So it looks like they’re serious. I can’t say I’m all that thrilled about this development: they’re always coming by and scaring the birds I want to see, not to mention eating them. (Actually, Red-tails prefer rodents, and around here they seem to mostly take pigeons, rats and squirrels, but things can get awfully quiet when they’re circling overhead or perching in one of my favorite spots…)
- alex 3-25-2004 7:47 pm [add a comment]
Quicktime movie of Barn Owls mating.
>warning< adut content
- alex 3-25-2004 8:05 pm [add a comment]
i saw a couple of chickens going at it yesterday on the side of the road. pretty much confirmed my theory about their reasons for crossing the proverbial road.
- dave 4-06-2004 6:08 am [add a comment]
Better than cockfighting.
- alex 4-06-2004 6:43 pm [add a comment]
i think i mentioned the cockfighting roosters on vieques but my friends had rented out their house in naguabo to a family that also raised them for fighting. apparently its still quite popular in puerto rico.
- dave 4-06-2004 7:21 pm [add a comment]
Cock-a-doodle-doo-me
- alex 4-06-2004 7:28 pm [add a comment]