I thought it'd be interesting to look back at one of my early "Citybirder" posts. Despite my optimism in that update, this wasn't actually the final nest location for this local pair of Red-tailed Hawks. "Split-tail" was pushed out of the area by a more aggressive male. Eventually, Big Mama and her new mate moved their nest to Green-Wood Cemetery near the Hillside Mausoleum. A few years later that tree came down and they relocated a short distance away:
Here's a selection of, IMHO, my best pics from the past fortnight:
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| Hermit Thrush, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Merlin, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Song Sparrow, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Palm Warbler, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Red-tailed Hawk, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Northern Mockingbird, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Immature Cooper's Hawk, Floyd Bennett Field |
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| Blue-headed Vireo, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Wood Blewit, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Sharp-shinned Hawk, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Eastern Bluebird, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Common Raven, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| Green Darner, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| American Woodcock, Green-Wood Cemetery |
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| American Kestrel, Green-Wood Cemetery |
Here's some highlights from the previous week:
At first I thought that Green-Wood Cemetery's resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks were exploring rentals on the opposite side of the cemetery from their usual digs. They seemed to be eyeing the large conifers behind Horace Greeley. That's where Bald Eagle "Rover" frequently dines. Then, about two weeks ago the red-tails began nest building at that spot.
At around this time of year, for the past several years, I've noticed that one or more of Green-Wood Cemetery's resident Red-tailed Hawk pair's offspring starts "growing up". That is to say, their namesake red tail feathers start to emerge (up to that point they are just brown stripes). It takes about two years for those feathers to come in. Presumably an abundance of food in the area make the parents pretty tolerant of their young-adult offspring hanging around ... especially when there's a new brood to look after. Anyway, here's a nice photo that Jim Demers just took of one of our locals finally making that transition. I suppose the next step is he or she will move farther afield in search of territory and a mate.
Remember the immature Red-tailed Hawk with the two short adult, red tail feathers growing in? Look at how long they are now! You can also see some of the banded feathers of its youth beneath those two. Apparently, this individual has also gotten quite used to the regular mockingbird attacks in Green-Wood Cemetery. This year's three cemetery offspring still cry when mobbed by jays and mockingbirds. Big babies...
I've been observing Brooklyn's resident Red-tailed Hawks for over twenty years. In recent years my notes have been mostly limited to the pair that calls Green-Wood Cemetery home. There has been a nesting pair within their 478-acres continuously for at least 25 years. That's not to say that the same pair has been nesting in the same tree over that period, just that it is a highly prized territory for this very urbanized predator. If for whatever reason there becomes a vacancy in the cemetery it is quickly occupied by another pair of hawks.
Back in 2005 Big Mama and her mate, Junior, moved from Prospect Park to Green-Wood Cemetery. It was around the same time that the cemetery's previous resident pair were found deceased. Many years and lots of offspring later Big Mama injured her leg, then disappeared. I assumed that a dead red-tailed found by rangers in a nearby neighborhood was her. A raptor can't survive without the use of both sets of talons. A few years ago another pair began nesting in the pine trees along Cypress Avenue. This season Green-Wood's resident pair successfully hatched three offspring. I believe that this is only the second time I've observed triplets in Brooklyn (the first was in 2009 in Prospect Park). A couple of weeks ago all three left the nest, but are still hanging around the general vicinity of the nest tree. Which brings me to the point of this posting.
Last year our unnamed pair raised two offspring. Of those two, one can still be found hunting around the cemetery. Its favorite spot is around the three ridges that border the Sylvan Water. It usually takes Red-tailed Hawks around two years to acquire their namesake red tail feathers. Until that point it is easy to differentiate an adult from an immature bird as their tail is a banded light-brown and dark-brown pattern. Normally Red-tailed parents aren't very tolerant of their previous kids presence once they have a new brood to raise. Our cemetery parents, however, don't seem to mind at all and can sometimes be seen soaring together. Perhaps it is because of the abundance of food in the area. Once this year's trio become more independent and start hunting on their own there might be some conflicts that will result in someone being forced to leave ... or worse. In the meantime, it's nice seeing three generations of one family of Red-tailed Hawks in Green-Wood Cemetery.
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| One of our resident adults soaring above the cemetery. |
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| Last year's offspring. Notice the red tail feathers beginning to emerge. |
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| One of this year's triplets in a tulip tree a short flight from the nest tree. |
Since my last Green-Wood Cemetery walk posting we've seen a few changes in the local flora and fauna, as well as, a few interesting observations.
It would seem to be a little late in the season for turtles to be laying eggs, but we found this nearly 50 lb. female Common Snapping Turtle on the steep ridge above the Sylvan Water attempting to dig a hole. Incubation time ranges anywhere from 9 to 18 weeks. If it's colder the hatchlings will overwinter in the ground. This also presumes that the local raccoons or skunks don't find the eggs. She had pulled herself out of the pond and climb approximately 50 yards uphill in search of a suitable site. Our attention was drawn to the hill by the alarm calls of several species of birds. I guess these lumbering reptiles are, for some reason, perceived as a threat to birds. I thought only ducklings had to worry about snappers.
At nearly the opposite end of the size scale we found this Red-eared Slider laying her eggs across the road from the Valley Water. She did such a good job covering and disguising the nest that we could barely find it when we returned an hour later. With an incubation of 59 to 112 days I assume that this girl's offspring won't be emerging from the ground until some time next spring.
August is the time to see one of my favorite scary insects - the Eastern Cicada Killer wasp. A description of this creature's behavior sounds like something out of a Steven King novel. As large as 2" long, the female Sphecius speciosus are quite intimidating, but usually won't bother humans. Their sting doesn't actually kill the cicada, but rather paralyses it. They then carry into their burrow where they lay eggs on the now immobile insect. When the young hatch...must be tough watching oneself get eaten.
We've been seeing our Green Heron on every walk, either at the Dell Water or the Crescent Water. He has had a lonely existence this summer. For some unknown reasons, his mate disappeared shortly after they began building a nest. A photographer friend told me that he kept reprimanding two other photograpers whom he felt were getting too close to the nest. He said on more than one occasion they caused the heron to leave the nest tree. If this is true, I'm not sure how to deal with it in the future. The management at Green-Wood Cemetery used to have a strict photography policy. I hope they don't have to go back to it. "And that's why we can't have nice things."
Last weekend we spotted this deceased Eastern Red Bat near the Sylvan Water. It didn't appeared to have any obvious injuries. They are not known to be affected by white-nose syndrome, which has devastated cave bat populations in eastern North America. It's impossible to say what could have killed it. Some people find bats to be ugly. I think they are really cool. Not only do they control insects, like mosquitoes, but some are also pollinators and seed dispersers. The diminutive Eastern Red Bat is only about 2" - 2 1/4" long and, clearly, very cute.
I've been have a difficult time finding our two, recently fledged Red-tailed Hawks. They are getting quieter, which means that they've started hunting so they don't have to rely on regular food deliveries from the parents. One of the adults has been frequenting the spires on the main chapel. I assume that it's a good vantage point for scanning for prey. The only downside is that there are several mockingbirds and Eastern Kingbirds close to that location and neither species are very tolerant of a predator. The mockingbirds are mostly just noisy, make periodic close passes at the hawk's head. The kingbirds, however, are extremely aggressive and will peck on the much larger bird's head. Fun to watch.
Finally, it's hard to believe, but fall migration has already begun. Sunday's walk started off with cool, September-like conditions, so it was fitting that we spotted 5 species of southbound warblers - Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler. This weekend I take a break from my "Birding in Peace" tours, but will be back on the 20th.
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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Date: Sunday, August 6, 2017
Species: 41
Canada Goose
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (1.)
Great Egret (1.)
Green Heron (1.)
Osprey (1.)
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher (1.)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (1.)
Northern Flicker (2.)
American Kestrel (1.)
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Kingbird (7.)
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
OVENBIRD (1. Walking along ridge at Dell Water.)
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (2.)
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (1. Lakeside Ridge.)
YELLOW WARBLER (4.)
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (1. Foraging in low sapling at edge of Crescent Water.)
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole (1.)
House Finch
House Sparrow
...Read more
There were a couple of signs during Sunday's tour that summer had, without question, arrived.
After a brief introduction under Green-Wood Cemetery's main arches I walked the early morning birding group the nearly 1 mile distance to the Red-tailed Hawk nest in the area called "The Flats". As I had anticipated, one of the juvenile hawks had left the nest sometime over the holiday weekend. Red-tails lay their eggs over several days, so usually one offspring is a bit more developed than the other. The one remaining on the nest looked healthy, huge and ready to take its maiden flight. We watched for several minutes as it flapped from a perch above and to the right of the nest. Eventually it flew a couple of yards down onto the nest, then flew up to a branch on the other side of the nest. Lift off for this little one seemed imminent, until one of the adults flew into the nest with a breakfast treat. The young bird then spent the rest of the time back in the nest eating what appeared to be a squirrel. When we left to continue the morning walk it was still chowing down. There were several robins making alarm calls from areas a short distance from the nest tree. I assumed the other juvenile hawk was nearby, but we never managed to find it.
Several Barn Swallows, Chimney Swifts and a decent sized flock of Cedar Waxwings were swooping over the Crescent Water, catching insects. Unlike the swallows & swifts, waxwings are generally seen foraging in fruiting scrubs and trees. I suppose there was such an abundance of protein flying over the small body of water that they couldn't resist joining in with their more agile avian friends. While we were watching the waxwings someone asked me about a "bird" song emanating from somewhere up on the hillside. It wasn't a bird, but actually our first cicada of the season. The slow pulsing, churring sounds was likely a Linne's Cicada. Within the next couple of weeks we should be hearing the songs of several more species of cricket, cicada and katydid. Wil Hershberger and Lang Elliott have a great website called "The Song of Insects". I recommend checking it out.
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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Date: Sunday, July 9, 2017
Species: 32 species
Double-crested Cormorant (1. Flying over entrance at end of tour.)
Great Blue Heron (1.)
Great Egret (1.)
Green Heron (1.)
Red-tailed Hawk (2.)
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe (1.)
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch (1.)
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow
...Read more
Sunday's walk didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary, but we did spot one unexpected lingering songbird.
I began the walk by heading straight over to the Red-tailed Hawk nest in "The Flats". Young red-tails grow at an incredible rate and I was curious to see how much more of their adult plumage had come it. From the open field below the nest tree we could see one of the youngsters standing upright at the edge of the nest. The head of its sibling could be barely seen as it sat down at the back of the nest. I scanned the surrounding trees for the parents, but couldn't find them. I guess the kids are large enough now that they can be left alone in the nest while they both hunt. One did make a brief appearance as we were leaving, circling over Cypress Avenue while making reassuring calls.
As we walked down Dale Avenue towards the Crescent Water I heard a familiar, and surprising, song coming from the top of one of the crabapple trees edging the pond. It was the rising trill of a Northern Parula. These colorful neotropic songbirds pass through the area is fairly good numbers during the spring migration on their way to their northern breeding grounds. They are uncommon nesters in New York State and, to my knowledge, do not nest in New York City. My best guess would be this summering individual is a procrastinator with no chance of finding a mate this year.
Another lonely bird that I keep coming across is an Eastern Phoebe in the vicinity of Oak and Landscape Avenues. I've been seeing and hearing him along a stretch of Copper Beeches for at least three weeks. Eastern Phoebes do occasionally nest in Green-Wood Cemetery and the adjacent Prospect Park, but in this guy's case, he would first need to find a partner. During my walks over the past month I've only managed to come across this single individual. Kind of sad hearing his pleading call every time I'm in the area.
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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Date: Sunday, June 25, 2017 6:00am - 8:30am
Species: 33
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron (3.)
Great Egret (1.)
Green Heron (1.)
Red-tailed Hawk (3. One adult flying near nest. Two nestlings in nest.)
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe (1. Singing in Copper Beech next to William Poole.)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1.)
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Common Raven (Heard only “croaking” in Flats near Vine Avenue.)
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula (1. Heard singing next to Crescent Water, then seen perched at top of small crabapple tree.)
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
House Sparrow
...Read more
Our Green-Wood Cemetery Red-tailed Hawk nestlings are doing well and seemingly growing as fast as kudzu vines in Florida. Here's a photo my friend Heidi took a couple of days ago:
I don't monitor our local Red-tailed Hawk nests as closely as I have in the past, but can tell by this youngster's developing flight feathers that it won't be too long until they fledge. In another week I expect to see the pair flap-hopping at the edge of the nest. The next step would be climbing out on some of the adjacent branches ("branching") and flap-hopping from those locations. I would expect to see one or both taking their maiden flight sometime around July 4th.
If you'd like to pay a visit to the cemetery and check out the nest, here is a map with the location:
The best vantage point is from the near the middle of the lot closer to Vine Avenue.
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