Baby hawks in Tompkins Square Park starting to branch out this spring

Another day, another milestone for Amelia and Christo's three red-tailed hawklets in Tompkins Square Park.

As Goggla documented, one of the adventurous chicks — possibly the youngest of the three and with what looks like a little white mohawk on its head — started branching this week.

The other two will likely follow their sibling very soon... the first step before fledging the nest. The three are six-plus-weeks old now.

Steven captured this action shot ...



... as well as the parents taking a spin over the Park...

Sunday breakfast

Steven captures a moment with family this morning in Tompkins Square Park as red-tailed hawk father Christo delivers fresh food to the nest ... where he and Amelia's three baby hawks have grown quite larger since our last look a few days ago ...

Coming of red-tailed age

It's becoming more difficult to see the red-tailed hawk's nest in Tompkins Square Park... however, Goggla was able to manage a few photos of Amelia and Christo's three hawklets last evening... (unfortunately, they wouldn't cooperate and pose for a group shot) ...









As she notes: "They're growing fast and should be ready to fledge in the next couple of weeks." You can find more of her photos here.

3's a crowd

Steven caught this glimpse of the three red-tailed hawklets today in Tompkins Square Park... Amelia and Christo's 2020 offspring are now about five weeks old, and are entering that awkward old-young Benjamin Button phase.

And from the looks of things, Amelia and Christo may need to consider building a nest extension here ...

Amelia and Christo's 2020 red-tailed offspring: Look at the babies!

They start eating rats and grow so fast!

Amelia and Christo have three bouncing hawklets in the nest this season in Tompkins Square Park. (They are roughly 1 month old now.)

As always, Goggla has been documenting the activities of our resident red-tailed hawks... she shared these photos of the chicks, now more visible above the lip of the nest ...



So far, all three chicks look good and are getting bigger, she reports.

Here are a few more photos of the nest via Steven ...







Meanwhile, Goggla spotted Christo in action... this is from Tuesday night, as he snatched four rats in a row, and brought them to the nest...





And a good question: "So, I guess four rats can feed a family of five?"

One more piece of trivia: When was the last time Tompkins Square Park saw three hawk chicks? 2016!

After the rain

The resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, Christo (on top in the first pic) and Amelia, grab some of the fading sunlight early this evening after the showers passed through ...

Amelia and Christo's 2020 chicks make first appearance

As Goggla has been reporting, it appears that red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park have several hatchlings in their nest.

On Saturday, Steven got a few photos showing one of the chicks...



... with the sighting of a second a little later...



...right there...



Perhaps there might even be a third chick?

We need some positive hawklet news this spring and summer. In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring.

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

[Photo by Goggla]

It appears that at least one egg belonging to Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, has hatched.

Goggla reported this from Sunday:

Christo delivered food to the nest, and Amelia seemed to tear pieces off and feed at least one hatchling deep in the nest. We're not sure when exactly the hatch occurred, but today was the first day an obvious feeding took place.

Goggla has a video and more details here.

Officially on egg watch now in Tompkins Square Park

[Photos by Steven]

The egg watch clock (don't forget to set it ahead one hour tonight) is on in Tompkins Square Park for the resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo.

Goggla has been keeping tabs on the two. From a post earlier this week:

I wasn't positive of the situation until I returned to the park at sunrise this morning and found Christo laying down in the nest and Amelia perched nearby. He came out for a few minutes and they mated, then returned to the nest with tree bark. At that point, Amelia laid back down in the nest and remained there for most of the day. I saw them trade places twice, which is classic brooding behavior.

Hawks usually lay 1-3 eggs over the span of a few days. After the first egg is laid, they will continue to leave the nest to mate, but Amelia will stay in the nest through the night. Last year, Amelia appeared to lay her first egg March 13, so they are early this year. However, I'm not really surprised as they completed their nest in January and have been mating regularly over the last few weeks. Incubation will take about six weeks, so a hatch time would be mid to late April.

Meanwhile, here's a bonus shot from Steven of Christo gathering materials to fortify the nest...



Not sure of the enhancements in store for the nest — we didn't spot any posted work permits ...

A moment with Christo on 9th Street

Late yesterday afternoon, after a failed attempt to snatch a pigeon midair, Christo stopped for a moment on Ninth Street and Avenue A ... staring down some locals, including Steven, who snapped these photos ...



... and showing off those tail feathers...



Christo and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have been active of late as they're prepping their nest(s) for summering in 2020. Goggla, as always, is documenting their movement. Find her photo site here.

Behind the build: Amelia and Christo's dream nests 2020

[Amelia]

In recent weeks, Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have been busy building their 2020 nest.

East Village-based photographer Laura Goggin (aka Goggla!) shared these photos of the two in action...


[Christo]

Amelia and Christo have been working on two nests — one in a ginkgo on the east side of the Park, and one in a locust near Temperance Fountain.

To date, the Temperance Fountain location (seems a little noisy?) is further along ...


[Amelia]

Hard to say which one they'll end up nesting in for the season...



Be sure to follow Goggla's website (link here) for updates on the red-tailed hawks ... and other urban wildlife ... as the year unfolds.

Saturday's parting shot

Here's Amelia, one of the resident red-tailed hawks, enjoying this spring-like day today atop the St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street ... thanks to Steven for the photo.

Watching us like hawks

Nice to see Christo (left) and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, hanging out today ... thanks to Steven for the photos...

When a stranger calls

Hawk watchers in Tompkins Square Park yesterday spotted this juvenile red-tailed hawk hanging out (it is fall migration time) ... dining on some local cuisine...



According to EVG correspondent Steven, this arrival didn't sit well with Amelia and Christo, the Park's resident hawks. They circled the youngster and, at one point, one of the adult hawks rammed the juvenile before escorting it away from the Park.

Later in the day, Amelia and Christo took in the views from atop St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street...

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...