Report: Red-tailed chick in Tompkins Square Park died from rodenticide poisoning

Rodenticide poisoning was cited as the cause of death for Amelia and Christo's chick, the one who was found unresponsive in early June. The result came from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as Goggla reported.

Here's Goggla with more:

Secondary rodenticide poisoning happens when the chicks are fed poisoned rats, mice or any other prey that has ingested rodenticide. The parents, Christo and Amelia, likely didn't eat the same food, or not as much of it, so didn't die. However, they are exposed to the same danger every time they eat.

The NYC Parks Department does not use rodenticide in Tompkins Square Park. However, it is used throughout the city and the hawks do not restrict their hunting to the park, so they can pick it up anywhere.

And...

The Parks Department has been using dry ice to control rats in Tompkins Square. I think it's very effective and is not toxic to other animals, plants or people. However, if you look around the park or the streets of the East Village on any given day, there is trash and food everywhere. Until we, as a community, stop feeding the rats, nothing will change.

Find more details about alternative pest control options at her site.

Both of Christo and Amelia's offspring died this year, the first at the end of May. (The body of the first chick was never found.) Both chicks presumably died from rodenticide poisoning.

In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring. In 2018, the chick died from a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus.

A new nest for Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park

Amelia and Christo have been busy working on a second nest in Tompkins Square Park. I spotted the resident red-tailed hawks this past weekend in this tree near Temperance Fountain (in what is called the Sandra Turner Garden)... right up there...



I asked Goggla about this second nest. Both of Amelia and Christo's 2019 chicks died in recent weeks in their nest near Eighth Street and Avenue B. (Cause is not yet known.)

Goggla says that this is a "frustration" or alternate nest... and in the same tree where Christo and Dora raised their 10th offspring in 2017.

Here's Goggla with more via a post from Monday:

Several people have asked me if this means the hawks will lay more eggs this year. Short answer: No. The breeding time for the hawks is generally February - May, so it is too late in the year to start again. The hawks undergo hormonal changes in the spring that lead up to egg-laying, and that time has passed.

However, nest-building is bonding activity, so it's a good sign. It shows Christo and Amelia are working together and maintaining their territory and partnership. Although I'm really sad not to have baby hawks playing in the park this summer, I'm happy to see the adults staying close to home and remaining visible.

And here's a photo from Steven of (we think) Amelia from late Monday afternoon watching planes atop Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street...

Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies

[Photo from May 31 by @couplewithoutborders]

Amelia and Christo's second chick, who had fallen ill in recent days, died on Sunday.

Early Saturday morning, the chick fell from the nest, landing in the under-renovation playground in the southeast portion of Tompkins Square Park.

A reader shared this photo as help was on its way.



As Goggla reported, Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor who lives in the East Village), retrieved the stricken nestling and transported it to the Animal Medical Center.

On Saturday night, the chick was transferred to Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR) on Long Island. Unfortunately, "its illness/injuries were just too advanced," Goggla reported.

In late May, this chick's sibling also died. In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring.

It's not known at this time what killed the chicks this year. Per Goggla: "The remains will be sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for testing to determine the cause of illness and death."

Last year, the chick died from a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus.

In more positive hawklet news, the three chicks in Washington Square Park have fledged. Roger Paw has you covered with their activities at this link.

Report: One of the red-tailed hawk chicks dies

[Photo from May 20 by Steven]

Sad news from Tompkins Square Park. Goggla is reporting that one of Christo and Amelia's two chicks has died.

A cause of death is not known at this time.

This marks the third consecutive year that a red-tailed hawk offspring has been lost.

Per Goggla:

We lost a fledgling last year to a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus. The year before that, another fledgling died and tested positive for West Nile. It's not possible at this time to say what killed this chick, but the same dangers still exist in our environment. The Parks Department does not use rodenticide in Tompkins Square, but it is used all over the neighborhood on private property and in some community gardens. West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes, so any standing water is a breeding ground for them.

This year's chicks hatched around April 20.

Previously on EV Grieve:
1 of the 2 red-tailed hawk fledglings in Tompkins Square Park dies from secondary poisoning

Happy 1-month anniversary, red-tailed hawklets of Tompkins Square Park

Steven shares this photo today of red-tailed hawk Amelia feeding her two young ones in Tompkins Square Park.

It's not immediately clear what is on the menu — something to please tiny tummies, obviously. (Simple battered rat with apple sweet potato and cinnamon? Freshly mauled pigeon with fruit and yogurt peaches? The possibilities!)

As Goggla noted, the first hatch started or occurred on April 20. (It's possible hatching could have started earlier, per Googla, thus ruining our 1-month anniversary sentiments.)

Say hello

As Goggla reported last Tuesday, red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo have two chicks in the nest this spring in Tompkins Square Park.

Steven spotted one of the chicks alert and peering out from the nest this afternoon... perhaps getting familiar with his/her future hunting grounds...

Confirmed: At least 2 chicks for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park

[Photo by Goggla]

Good news from Goggla yesterday evening: "Looks like Amelia and Christo have at least two chicks! Hoping for a third, but we'll have to wait and see..."

Head over to Goggla's site for more photos and info on this brood of chicks.

And my previous post here has more background on the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park.

Report: First red-tailed hawk egg hatches this year in Tompkins Square Park

[Photo from March 20 by Steven]

There's preliminary indication coming from Tompkins Square Park that the first egg belonging to the resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo, has hatched.

Goggla has the news:

I believe a hatch started or occurred on Saturday, April 20. The behavior of parents, Christo and Amelia changed that day — she kept fussing around in the nest and sitting up higher, indicating something was going on underneath her. Christo also made two food deliveries to the nest. There had been a heavy rainfall the night before, and Christo brought in several pieces of bark, possibly to create a new dry layer in the nest.

Goggla previously reported that Amelia laid the first egg on or around March 13. It's not clear how many eggs might be in the nest.

This is the first full mating/nesting season for Christo and Amelia. Last year, tragically, the older of their two red-tailed hawk fledglings died. (The whereabouts of offspring No. 2 is unknown.)

Christo and his previous partner Dora (now in permanent wing rehab as of April 2018) raised 10 hawklets in recent years.

Updated 9 a.m.

Steven shares these nest photos from this morning...


[Christo on the left]



Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Red-tailed hawk talk with Laura Goggin

The EVG podcast: More hawk talk with Laura Goggin

Sunday's parting shot

Christo atop St. Brigid-St. Emeric on Avenue B and Eighth Street late this afternoon ... thanks to Steven for the photo!

A good egg in Tompkins Square Park? Hatch watch for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo

[Photos yesterday by Steven]

Egg watch continues in Tompkins Square Park for the resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo.

For the last week-plus, hawk watchers have, uh, watched Amelia (pictured at top, with Christo peering out) hunker down in the nest ... it is believed that at least one egg is present after all that mating, with two more possibly to come...



To Goggla in a post from last week:

If Amelia laid the first egg [March 13], we can look forward to a hatch date around the end of April. In the meantime, the hawks will continue mating until the last (usually three) egg is laid. This is the first full mating/nesting season for Christo and Amelia, and I look forward to seeing them raise a healthy hawk family in our park.

Goggla has more on their activity in this post yesterday.

Christo and his previous partner Dora (in permanent wing rehab as of April 2018) have raised 10 hawklets these past few years.

Last year, tragically, the older of Amelia and Christo's two red-tailed hawk fledglings died. The whereabouts of kid No. 2 is unknown.

--

Bonus photo via Steven of Christo waiting for his takeout the other day...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Red-tailed hawk talk with Laura Goggin

The EVG podcast: More hawk talk with Laura Goggin

Hawk break

Steven spotted the resident red-tailed hawks Amelia (left) and Christo hanging out earlier today In Tompkins Square Park.

Later, on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, he saw this visiting juvenile hawk ...

The birds and the bees: Mating season commences in Tompkins Square Park for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo

The following post is intended for mature audiences only. Blogger discretion is advised.

The hawkarazzi in Tompkins Square Park have noted that it's mating season for Amelia and Christo, the two resident red-tailed hawks.

Goggla passed along these two photos from Monday...





Here's Goggla with more from a recent post:

We can expect to see an increase in mating activity over the next three or four weeks, with egg-laying expected in mid to late March.

And...

As nesting season progresses, the hawks will be less tolerant of other hawks in their territory, and will chase them out of the area. Today, I saw both Christo and Amelia knock a curious squirrel out of their nest, so no visitors are allowed.

Steven shared these two photos from Saturday...



... and a minute later...



Amelia and Christo welcomed two chicks early last summer... unfortunately, one did not make it.

Tuesday's parting shot

Amelia (landing) and Christo, the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, were out enjoying the nice weather today. Steven took this photo of the hawks atop St. Nicholas of Myra Church on 10th Street at Avenue A.

TGIF, red-tailed hawk edition

Amelia and Christo, the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, as seen here lounging in the nest ... photo this afternoon courtesy of Steven.

Morning visitors

EVG reader Sara shares these photos from this morning along Ninth Street...when a juvenile Cooper's hawk stopped by bearing a bloody hunk of something in its talons...



Meanwhile, Paul W. had a Cooper's sighting from Seventh Street...





Thanks to Goggla for helping ID the hawk(s) ... at least one Cooper's hawk was recently trying to start some shit with Christo and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park.

As Goggla recently noted:

Cooper's hawks are also in the area. I've counted at least one adult and two immature Cooper's hawks around the park, but there could be more. In the past, the red-tails have mostly tolerated the Cooper's hawks, but as nesting season approaches, Christo and Amelia are getting more aggressive about chasing them out of the area.

Wednesday's parting shots

Our resident red-tailed hawks, Christo and Amelia, enjoy views of this neighbor today from two vantage points... atop the St. Nicholas of Myra Church on Avenue A and 10th Street (above) and the Christodora House on Avenue B and Ninth Street (below) ...



And I can't tell which one is which in these photos that Steven shared.

The two were conspicuously out and about in full view of the hawkarazzi as photos have circulated showing Christo's ex Dora with a new mate in wing rehab.

Sunday morning with the juvenile red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square Park

Steven shared these photos of the juvenile red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square Park this morning... he was calling out for food in hopes that his parents, Christo and Amelia, might drop off something to eat...



The juvenile appears to be fully healthy after battling (possibly) West Nile Virus in recent weeks...





Hawk watchers aren't sure how much longer this juvenile will stick around the area before moving on to start his red-tailed hawk life elsewhere...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Red-tailed hawk talk with Laura Goggin

The EVG podcast: More hawk talk with Laura Goggin

Weekend hunting trip with the juvenile red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square Park

Christo and Amelia's hawklet was quite active this past weekend... with numerous sightings as the young red-tailed hawk continued to hone his food-gathering skills.

On Friday, Christo brought a mouse by for a snack. Unfortunately, as these photos by Steven show, the mouse fell off the branch and into the bush below during the exchange from father to son. The young hawk spent considerable time looking for the mouse...









In the end it was just easier for Christo to drop off another mouse...



By Saturday, the juvenile was on to larger food sources... this photo is by peter radley...



Yesterday, the young hawk caught a squirrel ... these two photos are by Steven...





And it also appears that the young hawk has (hopefully) recovered from his recent malaise...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: More hawk talk with Laura Goggin

1 of the 2 red-tailed hawk fledglings in Tompkins Square Park dies from secondary poisoning

[Photo from July 3 by Goggla]

The older of Amelia and Christo's two red-tailed hawk fledglings died early Sunday morning.

Last Wednesday, NYC Urban Park Rangers took the sick hawklet from Tompkins Square Park.

Early testing showed anemia and exposure to rodenticide. The hawk was in the care of the Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc. (WINORR) the past few days.


[Photo last Wednesday by Goggla]

WINORR's Cathy Stpierre shared an emotional Facebook post yesterday morning, writing in part:

[T]his is so gut wrenching. I've put all my efforts and energy into trying to fix the selfishness and ignorance of the human race. This beautiful young soul will never sore high up in the clouds bringing the caring people joy and happiness of watching his magnificence. He never got the chance to live his life. Instead he suffered a horrible death. How hard is it to clean up after yourselves and take pride in our planet and all that live in it???

Goggla has more here:

Secondary poisoning happens when one animal (like a rat) eats poison, then the predator who eats the prey animal dies from the poison. Our hawk likely ingested rodenticide from a poisoned rat or mouse that was brought into the park by its parents. Tompkins Square Park does not use rodenticide, but the surrounding area is full of it.

She also links to Raptors Are The Solution (RATS), an organization dedicated to educating people about the dangers of rodenticide.

Amelia's eggs arrived in late April. We got our first look at the chicks in early June.

A fledging in Tompkins Square Park, and in rehab

As Goggla reported yesterday, Urban Park Rangers removed the older of Amelia and Christo's fledglings, who fell sick, in Tompkins Square Park. (More on that in a minute.)

Meanwhile, the younger fledgling continued to entertain in the Park ... Steven shared these photos from today...













... eventually the fledgling took a bow...



... and then went up into a tree and ate a pigeon or something...



As for this fledgling's sibling... Bobby Horvath of the Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc. (WINORR) posted an update on Facebook. Per Bobby:

After being delivered to the Animal Medical Center the exotics dept. did blood work to check for West Nile virus, lead and rodenticide poisoning. Early results showed anemia and exposure to rodenticide so immediate treatment was started. It may also have either of the other 2 ailments but those results won't be known for a day or 2. Medication and supportive care hopefully can reverse any damage and this young male can recover.

Interestingly enough, he's at the same facility as Dora... I'm not sure how you'd describe this relation...

Updated 7/29

Unfortunately the fledgling died early this morning. Early test results showed anemia and exposure to rodenticide. More to come...