Dinner with Christo

Photos by Steven 

Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park, poses pauses with dinner this evening shortly after 7...

A look at Christo and Amelia's 2024 offspring in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have welcomed three bouncy baby fuzzballs to the nest this spring. 

Steven took these photos over the past week...

As we've seen in previous summers, the hawklets grow so quickly... by mid-June, they'll be surprisingly huge and learning to fly, hunt, pose for photos, etc. 

Visit Goggla's site for the back story on our local hawks.

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

Squirrel caught in the act while trying to mess with Amelia, one of the resident red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park today...

Late-morning red-tailed hawk watch

Photo by Derek Berg 

Amelia and Christo's three red-tailed offspring this summer remain very active in Tompkins Square Park (despite the heat index!).

One of them today took a moment from its busy schedule to pose for EVG readers.

Goggla has a lot more photos and updates on the hawk family here.

Young hawks are having an ongoing play date in Tompkins Square Park

As noted the other day, Amelia and Christo's three 2023 red-tailed hawk offspring have fledged and been active in Tompkins Square Park this past week.

Here's a sampling of some up close-and-personal moments (top two photos by Derek Berg)...

And the following two photos are by Steven...

... and you may get busted taking photos, FYI ...

EVG reader Nancy Van Epps shared this rather camouflaged view of a fledgling...

Goggla, who has documented the red-tailed hawks here for years, offered up some sensible advice about this playful period (via the EVG comments):

As the fledglings are out and about now, this is a good time to remind everyone to take care when watching them — give them a lot of space as they learn to fly and hunt. If they are on the ground, please keep dogs away and let them do their thing. It's normal for them to be on the ground eating or playing. If you have reason to believe they are in distress, call 311 and ask for the Urban Park Rangers.

Find Goggla's photos here.

And for equal time to other TSP-based birds, a pigeon (and a pretty cool hat) for your consideration by Daniel Efram...

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Mark H. 

There is A LOT of juvenile red-tailed hawk activity now in Tompkins Square Park in recent days... as Amelia and Christo's three 2023 offspring have fledged and are testing their wings and practicing their staredowns. 

Many more photos TK in the days ahead.

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Steven 

A moment with Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park... the photo is from atop the Park office ...

Tuesday's parting shots

Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, taking in the views late this afternoon along Avenue B... including way atop the Christodora House (below) ... photos by Steven...

Once again, a pesky blue jay tries to annoy the hell out of Christo in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

It's hot and humid out. You just want to sit and in a tree and enjoy a breeze in Tompkins Square Park. 

For Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks, this comfort zone was ruined by the always annoying dive-bombing blue jays today...

First red-tailed chick takes maiden voyage

Photos by Steven 

The first of Amelia and Christo's three 2022 red-hawk offspring has fledged... leaving the nest yesterday for a sturdy-looking branch in a tree away from the nest. 

Looking good!

Steven reports that a second hawklet made it out of the nest, landing in another part of the tree "and kind of got stuck for a bit in the thin branches."

The three chicks have grown so quickly (the first hatch was April 17, per Goggla).

Expect a lot of young hawk activity (flying at low altitudes, for instance) in the weeks ahead.

Given some potentially unsteady flying, please check out this post via Goggla about what to do if you need to reach someone regarding an injured hawk, falcon or other NYC wildlife. 

Amelia and Christo's chicks looking ready to wing it in Tompkins Square Park

Photos Monday by Steven 

Amelia and Christo's 2022 chicks are GROWING so quickly... and looking more and more each day as if they're ready to branch out...

Goggla has excellent observations here about the hawklets, roughly 5 weeks old now... 

The appearance of the chicks will change quickly now. They will soon lose all the fuzzy down and should start exercising their wings more. The next step for them will be exploring the branches outside the nest... 

Goggla also shared some insights on photographing the red-tailed hawks or any other urban wildlife in a previous post. (AND PLEASE — NO DRONES!)

Once again, 3's company for Amelia and Christo, the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven

As you may have heard/seen, Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have three chicks in the nest this spring.

Local red-tailed hawk documentarian Goggla first noted their arrival last week. Per her timeline:

The first hatch was April 17, but we were not able to see any of the nestlings until April 25. A second chick was seen April 27, and the third on April 30. 

Check out her site for more on the hawks — and other NYC wildlife.

The chicks are, as always, growing quickly... and coming into view for the hawkarazzi ...

This is the third consecutive year Amelia and Christo have hatched three chicks. Last year, just one of Amelia and Christo's three offspring survived. However, all three survived to fledge in 2020. 

Longtime hawk regulars may recall when Christo and his then hawk-pal Dora set up the nest in more precarious quarters, like an AC on the Christodora House (2014) or the Ageloff Towers (2015). 🙀

With work permits approved, Amelia and Christo start fortifying their nest in Tompkins Square Park

Steven shared these photos of our resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo, hard at work in Tompkins Square Park this past week.

Christo, in particular, was spotted gathering construction materials (sticks) to help fortify the family nest...(click on the images for a bigger view)

As Goggla has noted, this is about the time of the winter season in which the hawks assemble (or reassemble!) their nests for the upcoming breeding season.

Christo, badass

Today in Tompkins Square Park, a stupid blue jay was doing his/her best to buzz Christo, one of the resident red-tailed hawks, as these photos by Steven show...

But Christo paid no mind ...

He then flew off and caught a rodent ...

Wrapping up the summer hawk season

Photo of the fledgling atop St Nicholas of Myra on Avenue A by Goggla 

Seems like it's officially time to say happy trails to Amelia and Christo's 2021 fledging... the young one was last seen around the Tompkins Square Park home base eight days ago.

Goggla has a nice summer hawk recap, with photos and observations, right here. As previously reported, two of Amelia and Christo's three offspring did not make it this year.

And you can find some EVG hawklet coverage here ... here and here. 

Watching the neighborhood like a hawk

From near the top of Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... Christo and Amelia take a moment to spend some sunset time together away from their Tompkins Square Park home.

Goggla spotted the Park's resident red-tailed hawks here on Thursday evening ... watching over the land like hawks...

As Goggla documented, it was a challenging summer for the pair.

Two of their three offspring did not make it this year. Thankfully the surviving juvenile is doing well, hunting rats and trying to beat the heat. 

Per Goggla in an email: "They seem like a couple who has sent their kid off to college, and they're now kicking back, waiting for whatever is next."

One of Amelia and Christo's red-tailed hawk offspring has died

One of Amelia and Christo's red-tailed hawk fledglings died last night. 

On Friday afternoon, the young hawk was spotted in a dazed state on a fire escape behind a building on Seventh Street. (Thank you to Lauren of 7th Street for sharing these photos.)

According to residents, the hawk "flapped clumsily out of a tree onto our fire escape. Clearly not well, damaged wing or leg?"

Rob Mastrianni of the NYC Urban Park Rangers transported the chick to the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side for observation. There was blood in the hawk's mouth. However, as Goggla noted in her post today, an official cause of death has not been determined. The young hawk was said to have a spinal injury.

Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, had three chicks this spring. One died from unknown causes in May.

The surviving two fledglings had been quite active in recent weeks, learning to fly and hunt.

And this is not the first time that the resident red-tailed hawks have suffered the loss of their fledglings. In 2018 and 2019, at least one of the chicks died from rodenticide poisoning.

Signing off with part of Goggla's post:

[W]e've noticed several dead rats in Tompkins Square Park and in the surrounding neighborhood over the last couple of weeks. This is NOT normal and anyone finding a dead rat should report it to 311. If one is found within the park, please notify a park employee so they can dispose of it. We have concerns that with all the trash in and around the park the last several weeks, people could be using rodenticide. We currently have an outstanding inquiry with the Parks Department to confirm whether or not they are still employing nontoxic dry ice for rat control.

Young red-tailed hawks are off to a flying start in Tompkins Square Park

The two young red-tailed hawks continue to be quite active in Tompkins Square Park, honing their hunting and flying skills. (Check out Goggla's site for more photos and commentary.) 

These photos by Steven from earlier this past week show one of Amelia and Christo's offspring heading out of the Park and onto a building on Seventh Street...

... and a rare photo of the siblings together...

... and with Papa Christo...

...and some bonus footage via Greg Masters of one of the juveniles with his very first pigeon...