Report: 1 of the young hawks from Tompkins Square Park has died

Photo from June by Steven 

Goggla has the sad confirmation of a rumor that circulated toward the end of July: One of the red-tailed hawk fledglings has died. 

The young hawk was found dead on a fire escape along Avenue C on July 27. 

Per Goggla: 

It's not known exactly what happened, but the situation looked a lot like one we saw in 2022 when a fledgling had to be rescued from a fire escape after displaying obvious signs of illness. In that case, the theory was it had been weakened by rodenticide poisoning and died just a few hours after being rescued.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has the deceased hawk, and hopefully, they can determine the cause of death. 

In more positive news, the other two 2025 offspring of Amelia and Charlie remain active in the park this week, Goggla reports (even nabbing their own meals!).

This marked Amelia's eighth season raising chicks in Tompkins.

The pounce

EVG reader Vincent Doogan shared these photos (taken with his iPhone 15) from Thursday afternoon... when two of the juvenile red-tailed hawks were hanging out by the Ninth Street and Avenue B entrance.

One of the young hawks intently watched a pigeon on the ground below. 

"Suddenly, it leaped and pounced upon the pigeon. RIP pigeon."

The young hawks are growing quickly, and now seem able to hunt and capture their own meals without help from their parents, Amelia and M2 (also known as Charlie, in honor of Charlie Parker, who lived at 151 Avenue B). 

I shared one of the photos with Goggla, who has been documenting the local urban wildlife for years.

"They really are growing up. I saw one catch a pigeon right in front of me, and I was so stunned," Goggla said in an email. "I thought the hawk was too young for that. In past years, they have gone for rats, maybe because Christo preferred rats. Both Amelia and Dad are experts at catching pigeons, so it's interesting to see how their offspring learn." 

Check out Goggla's site for more hawk updates.

Hawkward teen phase: Young red-tailed hawks settle into Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

The three juvenile red-tailed hawks continue to explore their new home in Tompkins Square Park, seemingly unbothered by this week's inferno. (There are puddles to help.) 

The young ones are entertaining, learning how to use those things called wings...

Here's a recent photo of a post-clumsy exchange between mother Amelia (on the left) and one of the offspring... they are looking at the dinner rat that plummeted to the main lawn.

As Goggla documented (here and here), the hawklets are honing their skills, from learning to hunt ... balancing on tree limbs ... and staring down pesky squirrels. 

This is the first brood for Amelia, the resident female red-tailed hawk in Tompkins Square Park, and her new male companion, aka M2. This marks Amelia's eighth season raising chicks in Tompkins. 

Tompkins Square Park hawklet watch continues

The Tompkins Square Park hawk chicks continue to GROOOW. 

Mark Hado shared these photos this week, with the top taken via an iPhone through 16 power binoculars. 

As hawk documentarian Goggla noted in her last post, the offspring "suddenly go from little fuzz balls to serious-looking raptors." 

See below! 

This is the first brood for Amelia, the resident female red-tailed hawk in Tomkins Square Park, and her new male companion, aka M2. (This marks Amelia's eighth season raising chicks in Tompkins. )

Meanwhile, the fledge watch continues. As always, check out Goggla's site for updates.

ICYMI: In Tompkins Square Park, Amelia and her new mate welcome first brood together

ICYMI: Amelia, the resident female red-tailed hawk in Tomkins Square Park, and her new male friend have three chicks in their nest this spring. 

Mark Hado shared these photos this past week...

Given how quickly the hawklets grow on that steady diet of pigeons and rats, they are likely 2x this size by now. 

As Goggla has documented, all three of the hawklets appear to be doing well. This is the first family for the new male this year (going as M2, per Goggla). This marks Amelia's eighth season raising chicks in Tompkins. 

Visit Goggla's site for a primer on M2 (link) ... and the latest on the kids. 

We'll be on fledge watch in the next few weeks. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Concern grows for Christo, Tompkins Square Park's iconic red-tailed hawk, missing for 2 weeks

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo Thursday on Astor Place by Francine Lange) 

• Report of a fatal shooting at Tom & Jerry's on Elizabeth Street (Saturday) 

• More discussion on the future of the city-owned parking lot at 324 E. 5th St. (Tuesday) 

• Concern grows for Christo, Tompkins Square Park’s iconic red-tailed hawk, missing for 2 weeks (Friday) 

• Report: Judge orders temporary stay on Beth Israel's March 26 closure (Saturday) 

• RIP David Johansen (Saturday) 

• The New Museum, with a 60,000-square-foot expansion, will reopen this fall on the Bowery (Thursday) 

• A dog in distress (Sunday) 

• Flamingos Vintage Pound returns to the East Village with new St. Mark’s Place outpost (Monday) 

• A Taste of change for Joe's Wine Co. (Monday) 

• The Cinnabon/Carvel combo shop is now OPEN on 14th Street (Wednesday)

• This longtime convenience store has closed at 124 2nd Ave. (Thursday) ... Holy farewell: Saint Pizza is leaving Avenue B (Monday) 

• Another local Duane Reade by Walgreens closes (Wednesday) 

• Signage alert: Mr. Fish on 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

And this past week, workers removed the covered sidewalk extension outside Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe on Cooper Square and St. Mark's Place (thanks to Jacob Ford for the photos) ...

This sidewalk extension drew the ire of some EVG readers, who questioned its legality.

Concern grows for Christo, Tompkins Square Park’s iconic red-tailed hawk, missing for 2 weeks

Photo of Christo from the EVG archives

Concern is growing over the whereabouts of Christo, the male resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park. 

According to Goggla, the photographer who has documented the hawks and other wildlife for the past 11-plus years, he has been MIA for the past two weeks. Her last photo of Christo came on Feb. 14, and he has not been spotted since. 

We posted a photo of a hawk in Tompkins on Feb. 21, mistaking it for Christo. In fact, it was a new male red-tailed hawk who had taken up residence here. 

Here's more via a post from Goggla:

I wasn't around the park very much the week of the 17th, but what ever happened took place some time between February 14 and 21. By the 22nd, Amelia was documented mating with another hawk, who was also working on the nest. As this is expected behavior for this time of year, I didn't notice right away that something was wrong. It was only after I checked some of my photos that I saw the hawk mating with Amelia was not Christo. 

I consulted with another hawk watcher and photographer who also had photos of the new hawk. Christo has dark eyes, brown stripes on his legs, and a particular belly band pattern. This other hawks has bright yellowish eyes (young), no markings on the legs, and a different belly band pattern. I tried to tell myself that maybe the sun made the eyes look different, but the legs of these two hawks are very different. 

There is a possibility that Christo is out there somewhere, but the fact that another hawk is mating with Amelia and working on their nest makes this unlikely.

In February 2020, Christo got caught in an airshaft on Seventh Street after chasing a pigeon. Thanks to some residents and Ranger Rob, he was rescued. 

We’re hoping for Christo's return, but with each passing day, it seems less likely.

Equal time

Photo by Jose Garcia 

After yesterday's photos of the Tompkins Square opossum... here's Christo, the resident male red-tailed hawk in the park, looking as majestic as ever today.

Goggla recently had some updates on Christo and Amelia's nestorations in Tompkins Square Park. Check out the post here.

EVG Etc.: Street vendors fear deporation; Con Ed considers double-digit rate hikes

Sunrise from 3rd Street 

Local stories of interest from other sources this past week include... 

• The Trump administration's move to re-examine federal funding could have a significant impact on NYC's public housing (The City) 

• Trump threatens to kill congestion pricing (City & State) ... though he'd need to break the law to do so (Streetsblog) 

• Cart vendors worry about being a target in ICE sweeps (Eater ... CBS News) ... What mass deportations would do to NYC's economy (The New York Times) 

• Con Ed is looking to increase customers' electric bills by an average of 11.4% and gas bills by 13.3% starting on Jan. 1, 2026 (Gothamist) 

• Cops searching for suspect who smashed man's face with a glass outside Phebe's on Fourth Street and the Bowery (amNY) 

• A visit to City Lore on First Street — "A hidden New York gem curates culture that might otherwise be lost" (ABC 7) 

• Hawk season 2025 is in full swing (Laura Goggin Photography) 

• Honoring Flaco Eurasian eagle-owl with a new book and exhibit (West Side Rag ... previously on EVG)

• And a diversion from The Hollywood Reporter's cover story on "Babygirl"'s Harris Dickinson, an East London native, who stayed here during the filming: 

He lived in the East Village, right on Houston Street, and though he took constant advantage of the proximity to Katz's Deli (and its world-famous Reuben), he couldn't handle the neighborhood's frenetic energy. "People were accidentally ringing my buzzer at night, and I was in a constant state of stress," he says. "My cortisol was so high that I felt like I was going to explode." 

"Babygirl" screens locally at Village East by Angelika, Regal Union Square and Regal Essex Crossing.

Thursday's parting shot

An EV resident shared this photo today... when a juvenile red-tailed hawk paid a visit and got the cat's attention. 

H/T Steven!

Today in desk-side visits

EVG reader Jacki Carroll shared this photo with us from this morning — an unscheduled office visit!

We asked our friend and local hawk/wildlife photographer Goggla for insights into who this might be...

Looks like an adult, but I'm not sure who it is. Definitely not Christo (not his coloring), but it could be one of the Washington Square hawks who have become mysterious. They did not nest in WSP last year, but no one knows if they nested somewhere else or not. Union Square was always part of their territory and they'd often perch on the Con Ed building lantern on 14th Street. That pair is different now than the ones Roger Paw blogged about, so their habits are not really known. 

Check out Goggla's photo site for more on our resident red-tailed hawks, Christo and Amelia, and others.

Get well soon, Currant!

Photo by Emily Einhorn via the Wild Bird Fund 

Last Wednesday, one of Amelia and Christo's young hawks appeared distressed in Tompkins Square Park. 

As Goggla documented, Ranger Rob (Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger) came to the rescue. Since there were no clear signs explaining the fledgling's state, Ranger Rob took it to the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side for a closer exam. 

Here's an update from the Wild Bird Fund via Facebook (and Instagram): 

Such a sweet face on this juvenile red-tailed hawk, who was rescued in Tompkins Square Park earlier this week (thank you, Ranger Rob and Urban Park Rangers!) ... this young bird was lethargic, unafraid of people, and thin. He hadn't eaten in a while and has a poor body condition and weak grip, so something has been off with this one for some time, either because of illness, a window collision, or both. 

We treated him for potential rodenticide poisoning and common bacterial infections, and we're caring for his swollen eye. He's a bit stronger and taking food well, so we hope to see continued improvement for this handsome youngster, named Currant.

Goggla has more about the dangers of using rodenticide (Tompkins Square Park does NOT use it, though plenty of other people do in the city) at this link. 

EVG Etc.: Blink Fitness files for bankruptcy; cops find cocaine at smoke shop

The return of "Law & Order SVU" to the EV tomorrow, Aug. 14 

• Blink Fitness, Equinox-owned gym chain with an outpost on Avenue A, files for bankruptcy (CBS News ... CNN) 

• The East Village is now the nexus of a $10 takeout pasta trend (Eater) 

• Tompkins Square Park red-tailed hawk class of 2024 ready to venture out (Laura Goggin Photography) 

• Ticket to ride, white line highway: Law enforcement discovers 13 pounds of cocaine at Clinton Street smoke shop (PIX11)

• The sometimes watchable "Blank Generation" with Richard Hell gets a rare screening (Metrograph) 

• Locking up items to deter shoplifting is pushing shoppers online (Axios) 

• ICYMI: Pier 35 to be home to the East River floating pool (6sqft) 

• Did you lose something in a public place in NYC? How to maybe get it back. (The City) 

• After 57 years, AM fave WCBS-880 will shift from an all-news format to sports (amNY) 

•  The New York Times will no longer offer endorsements of local NYC candidates, including governor (Media Nation)

• NYC travel and tourism are back, report shows (McKinsey & Company) 

EVG Etc.: A garbage dilemma on 10th Street; a chance to catch night fever

Above: 4th Street cooling center 

• Why 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue poses a challenge to Mayor Adams' "trash revolution" (Gothamist) 

• Two NYPD sergeants shot and wounded responding to a robbery on Delancey and Eldridge (1010 WINS ... the Post ... CBS News) 

• DA announces indictment in horrific collision that killed four and injured seven others at Corlears Hook Park on July 4 (DA's office... previously on EVG) 

• Why Chika and Don Tillman decided to close their 10th Street dessert bar, ChikaLicious, after 21 years in business. (Grub Street) 

• An East Village best restaurants listicle (Time Out) 

• The red-tailed hawk fledglings are getting around Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography) 

• 50 years of the Ramones at CBGB (The Bowery Boys) 

• The mystery balcony on the Bowery (Ephemeral New York) 

• Catch a screening of "Saturday Night Fever" Monday at the Village East by Angelika (Official site) 

• An ongoing series with films that incorporate preexisting documentary transcripts into fictionalized or re-staged contexts (Anthology Film Archives) 

• This September, Belarus Free Theatre returns to La MaMa with "KS6: Small Forward," a new stage production based on the life story of Belarusian international-basketball-player-turned-activist Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina (La MaMa) 

... and free today on 10th Street at First Avenue (H/T Steven)...

 

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Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo of Gutter Beach outside Il Posto Accanto on 2nd Street)...

• RIP Anton van Dalen (Wednesday) 

• East Village McDonald's pays tribute to 2 victims from a suspected DUI collision in Corlears Hook Park during July 4 celebration (Sunday) 

• With a larger new kitchen, EVLovesNYC expands to feed more New Yorkers (Monday) 

• Mary O is bringing her scones to 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• Bands we like: Skorts (Friday) 

• Upclose with Gustaf at Berlin (Friday) 

• Signage alert: Stuytown Pharmacy on 14th Street (Monday) 

• Other plaques that are currently missing in the East Village (Wednesday) 

• A tree branch falls in the small dog run in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

• H Mart is expanding on 3rd Avenue (Tuesday)

• These 2 East Village trees are still entombed in concrete (Monday) ... Reader report: 2 more entombed trees (Saturday)

• Dua Kafe is on vacation (Wednesday) ... The SOS Chefs storefront will be closed until early September (Wednesday) 

• A visit to Cakes by Klein on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

• Juvenile red-tailed hawk getting the washing and drying down in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) 

• Smiles everyone: New-age dental studio setting up shop in 2nd Avenue condoplex (Monday) 

• An e-bike repair shop for 7th Street (Friday) 

• 50 Avenue B is now on Housewatch (Friday) 

• Signage alert: Crepe City on Avenue A (Tuesday)

... and a word for the Colonel on Second Avenue and 14th Street ...

Juvenile red-tailed hawk getting the washing and drying down in Tompkins Square Park

An EVG reader spotted one of the young red-tailed hawks bathing in the water spray in the Avenue B playground in Tompkins Square Park...

... and later, this 2024 offspring of resident red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo went into drying mode... standing and flapping its wings...

The hawks continue to be quite active this summer. As Goggla noted yesterday, one even made it to the cross of St. Brigid's.

Sunday's opening shots

Photos by Derek Berg 

As we mentioned on Friday, the young red-tailed hawks will be quite active in Tompkins Square Park in the weeks ahead as they learn do all things red-tailed hawk...

As Goggla shared: "Look out for them and be sure to give them space, especially if they come to the ground. They are just going about their business, exploring their new world."

The juvenile red-tailed hawks are already huge and getting into staring contests with squirrels in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

We're now entering prime juvenile red-tailed hawk season in Tompkins Square Park. 

Amelia and Christo's three 2024 offspring are in the student-driver phase of their lives as they learn to fly, navigate trees, hunt for food, and appreciate the live hardcore and death metal bands on the occasional weekends. 

Here, one of the fledglings takes in a neighbor's "freeze/observe/assess" routine...

Goggla has a new post today (link here) with photos and observations on the young hawks.

Sunday's opening shot

EVG reader John M. discovered a visitor on his fire escape the other morning... per Goggla, this is a juvenile Cooper's hawk ... and for John M. a nice start to the day...

From Tompkins Square Park: Christo in Don't You (Forget About Me)

Photos by Steven 

Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, is getting all the attention this week after decamping to the East Village and Lower East Side from Central Park. (And yes, we have a Flaco post coming soon.) 

This may be why Christo, the resident red-tailed hawk of Tompkins Square Park, has been extra photogenic of late ... as seen yesterday near 7th and A ...

And 2023 marks Christo's 10-year East Village anniversary.

Headline H/T