More Nesting Red-tailed Hawk Updates

Since my posting about our Brooklyn's nesting Red-tailed Hawks here, I received a couple of updates.

Bobby Horvath of WINORR wrote to me regarding my question about red-tails nesting in Fort Greene Park:


From: Bobby
Subject: Fort Greene Park
Date: April 19, 2014 12:41:38 PM EDT

Hi Rob,

I just read your post and have some information for you. I do not know about this or last year for sure but 3 years ago there was a confirmed pair with a single offspring. I rescued the early fledged baby after it left the park on its own and was discovered sitting for hours on the stoop of a brownstone directly across the street from the park on Washington Park Ave. Park Rangers had been monitoring the nest in a huge tree at the top of the hill in the middle of the park directly across from the monument. A few days before we got the fledgling the rangers picked up a sick adult male red-tail in the park. Unfortunately it died the next day from a severe case of frounce. They never saw any other adult return to the nest so after a few days I guess of no food the youngster jumped out rather than sit there and starve to death, as any orphaned baby bird will do once hungry. He was very underweight when we rescued him but months later he was released in Prospect Park along with Urban Park Rangers. I will try to find out more about the possibility of a new pair there and pass along any news if I get any.


I also receive an email and photo from Pam Langford regarding the Brooklyn Botanic Garden hawks.


From: Pamela Langford
Subject: Brooklyn Botanic Garden hawks
Date: April 22, 2014 7:28:00 PM EDT

Rob:

The BBG red-tailed hawk pair appears to be nesting in the Japanese  garden. Today my friend Jan Kraus and I spotted a hawk flying into a pine tree near the entrance to the Japanese garden (by the cherry esplanade).  It's not easy to see, but after watching a while we saw a hawk in the nest, and later there was a swap when a second hawk arrived and the hawk on the nest flew away.   No way to know how far along things are, but the pair appears to be attending either eggs or youngsters.

There is a nest of some sort near last year's nest tree by the BMA parking lot, but it is not very big.  Perhaps they built two nests this year?  In any case, I am hoping for another delightful summer with fledglings in the botanic garden.

Best,

Pam


Here's to hoping that our local raptors have a successful, trauma free breeding season.