Prospect Park & Green-Wood Cemetery hawks

Big Mama

(Photo credit - Sean Sime)

I searched through all the photos I had available of Big Mama and e-mailed the best ones to Joe and Marge. They've been monitoring the Red-tailed Hawk nest in Green-Wood Cemetery. There is good news as Big Mama begins another chapter in her life around Brooklyn. Also, thankfully, her mate has acquired a new moniker:

"Subject: RTHKs
Date: 4/11/06 5:43 PM

Rob,

So Marge and I got it right. Big Mama was being imperialistic starting last winter, taking advantage of the problems the Green-wood pair had suffered over the last two years. It also implies that the Green-wood site is the alpha site in the area, since Big Mama, the alpha female, wanted if over her previous successful nest sites. Unless something happened in Prospect to push her out, do you know of anything that would.

I think that the Green-wood nest dates from at least the mid/early 80s, but am not sure. Lastly, I am on the opinion that all the RTHK in Prospect and Green-wood are descendents of the Green-wood nest. The extension of that is most likely Big Mama is a product of the Green-wood nest, forced to Prospect since the parents still controlled her birth nest, and by staying in the area eventually was in the right place when things fell apart for the Green-wood pair. Similiar to what S**t Face did this year, but on a larger scale.

As to S**t Face, in Green-wood, we have started to call him Junior. Starting from S**t Face, we went to Little S**t, then to Junior S**t and in the end, dropped the S**t. He has earned respect and a new name."