FIELD NOTES OF BIG DAY FROM DONNA AND MORE NOTES FROM BEN

Field Notes 7-22-05

Trump Parc Family, Charlotte, Junior, two eyasses.

Sunset-8:21 PM,(NYT),
Temp. 93F,
Mostly sunny,
Wind, light and variable,
Humidity 49%,
Prey Tally-Unidentified avian.

Heartfelt thanks to all who worked together today,
contributing in their wonderful individual ways to the
fullness of today's Field Notes.  They include Lincoln
Karim, Ben Cacase, Bruce, Veronica, Dorothee, Irene,
Arthur, Stella, John, Norma, Kentaurian, Fred, Gabriel
plus great aid from doormen, supers and the like for
access to viewing spots!

All times PM unless otherwise noted.
2:52 Fledgling #2 leaves the nest.(L.K.)  He, Little
for short, flies west and perches on the roof of the
white ornate brick building on the SE corner of
Seventh and 58th.
4:13 Little perched on black railing facing W, on the
roof of original touchdown building. Adult RT perched
on east E in Essex sign. Fledgling #1, Big for short,
perched on building S side of 58th across from parking
garage.
5:14 Adult RT (Charlotte?) off E in sign w/scream and
towards N.
5:15 Adult Male RT perched on silver column, north
facade of 888 7th Ave.(B.C.)
5:18 Kestrel sighted above Hampshire House, circles.
5:19 Little triangulates down to street.
5:21 Male RT left for parts unknown.(B.C.)
5:22 Big perched on E false balcony of 137 58th St.
(L.K)
5:27 Little flaps wings and slices.
5:28 Alert but settled on railing.
5:33 Mature RT circles in S above Columbus Circle.
Second mature RT joins first in circling, one above
the other. Lower of two RTs holds prey in talons.
5:35 Two Rts fly E, over Bent Building on CPS.
5:36 Both hawks, confirmed Charlotte and Junior, land
on east E of Essex sign.
5:38 Eating motions observed.
5:42 Junior up with prey portion in talons,(B.C.
reports prey is avian.) circles above Small.  Small
watches ALERT. Jr. curves slightly south, curves back
north, prey dangling.
5:47 Small flaps wings, watches Jr.
5:48 Jr. to E and S perches peak of pointed green tile
roof south of CNN sign with prey, has a nibble.
Little agitated, flap-jumps from railing to chimney
row, slightly south of railing. Then Little flaps few
feet back S to railing.
6:02 Jr off peak with prey, circles over Little's
roof, Little alert to Jr. Jr. circles in front of
Green Glass building (888), circles over Alwyn Court,
then back toward E side of Green Glass Building then,
(Please excuse the editorial comment but Jr. then does
the most incredible thing...an about-face in mid-air,
on a dime as they say. He's flying S when suddenly
BING he's flying N, as quick as that.  No curving, no
anything. Quite remarkable)Jr. circles in front of N
face of Green Glass.  A fly buzzes Little and he looks
at the fly and not Jr.  Jr. then circles above Little.
Little alert to Jr., Jr flies to W face of Trump parc,
cruises in front of nest, prey dangles, circles again
in front of nest, then toward Park to 58th, then W on
58th, then S.
6:06 Jr. perches peak of Green Tile roof with prey.
Little to Chimney ridge, Little back to railing.
6:07 Charlotte to peak of Green Tile Roof, perches
with Jr. Charlotte starts to eat prey.  Little flaps
to chimney row ridge. Junior up. Charlotte remains and
eats.
6:08 Junior circles, lands east side of CNN
sign.(B.C.)
6:09 Little back to railing, watches Jr.
6:10 Little to Chimney row.
6:12 Jr. up, circles, flushes pigeons from roofs,
hunting on the fly. Pigeons wheel in front of him and
then bank to around behind him, they gain on him, he
does about-face in air, he's within a hair of nabbing
pigeon but it veers to the side.
6:14 Male circles again for a few minutes then to a
higher perch on CNN building. (B.C.)
6:18 Ben writes-Charlotte to east side of the CNN
sign, where she remained until 8:13.  A roughly 2 hour
perch without moving from the spot once.(B.C.)
(Charlotte sat on the east end of the CNN sign and
faced west. There was a clear sight line from
Charlotte to Big on 58th, as well as to Little.-Donna)
6:21 Jr. up, circles Bent Building on 58th, Little
alert, then Jr. to bar between top two prongs of X in
Essex sign.
6:43 Jr. up, circles behind Essex and Hampshire House,
rising with each circle, buzzes roof, then S ot
Carnegie Tower to black prongs on W side.  He flushes
(a very surprised) Chimney Swift.
6:47 Little looses balance slightly on railing,
wobbles, stabilizes.
6:48 Little preens.
6:52 Jr. between sixth and seventh vericals going S,
of top of Carnegie Tower.
6:54 Little from railing to Chimney row.
6:56 Little from Chimney row to railing.
7:01 Little UP and flies with elevation toward 220
CPS.  Lands ? (Irene and I to that area of CPS to
search roofs. She shows me eating and stash area.)
7:23 Jr. to top west arm in EsseX.(B.C.)(Faces
NW.-Donna)
8:13 Charlotte from CNN sign to behind building north
of MONY sign where we lost sight of her. (B.C.)
8:14 Junior off esseX - we lost sight of him. (B.C.)
8:16 Irene calls she hears possible begging sounds
while on her terrace, possibly from Parkside. (I  go
to investigate.)
8:18 Check near transverse bend.
8:20 Check songbird ruckus near wall-no joy. Check
trees on Little's possibly trajectory.
8:20-8:30 Jr. seen circling NE of MONY sign. (B.C.)
8:34 Getting too dark to see, check Pin Oaks on Knoll
near transverse.
8:35 Jr. at 888 7th Ave.(B.C.) Green Glass Building-D
8:39 Jr. gone and lost. (B.C.)
8:40 Cross transverse, directly across from previously
mentioned Pin Oaks, I hear something which may be
fledge begging sound inside construction chain link
fence area but can't say for sure. (Does anyone have a
recording of this sound?)
8:42 Adult on nest site until we left "her". (B.C.)
8:50 Check Junior's roosts of the last two nights.  No
Junior.
9:15 Exit
Submitted-Donna Browne


More notes from Ben Cacace:

Ken and I were able to keep tabs on both adults from
the time I arrived (Ken already had the adult male in
the scope) at 5:15p until just before we left at
9:05p. The biggest surprise was that there *appeared*
to be little to no interactions with the fledglings.

It was good to hear that the juveniles made it into
the park before dark. 

The adult male was more active
than the female and the female fed for bit from a bird
carcass that Jr. brought to a green roof just south of
240 Central Park South. The night ended with an adult
hawk roosting on the nest. It arrived there before
8:42p and we both assumed, based on behavior, that
this was the female. The lighting was too dim to
determine by field marks if it was the female or the
male. Here is a rudimentary timeline of the events:

- 5:15p adult male perched on silver column, north
facade of 888 7th Ave. At 5:21p the male left for
parts unknown.
- by 5:45p both adults on 2nd 'E' in essEx.
- by 5:48p ad. male to Hampshire House-like roof south
of CNN sign with prey in talons. It fed a bit on the
carcass.
- by 6:04p ad. male flew off perch for a number of
minutes and returned to the same spot.
- by 6:06p ad. female to a perch near male. She fed on
the carcass and left for the east side of the CNN side
at 6:18p where she remained until 8:13p. A roughly 2
hour perch without moving from the spot once.
- from 6:07-6:08p ad. male circled, then landed on
east edge of CNN sign.
- from 6:12-6:14p ad. male circles again for a few
minutes and returns to a higher perch on CNN sign.
- by 6:17p ad. male from CNN to top of X in esseX.
- by 6:41p ad. male from top middle on X in esseX to
west face of Carnegie Hall Towers into the eaves near
the top of the building. It remained in the eaves,
after a small northward hop at 6:43p, until 7:23 when
it perched on top west arm of X in esseX.
- by 8:13p ad. female from CNN sign to behind building
north of MONY sign where we lost sight of her.
- by 8:14p ad. male from esseX - lost sight of him.
- from 8:20-8:30p ad. male seen circling for many
minutes northeast of MONY sign.
- by 8:35p ad. male to 888 7th Ave.
- by 8:39p ad. male off 888 and lost.
- by 8:42p adult on nest site until we left 'her'
there at 9:05p. We assumed this was the female based
on behavior alone since the light was too dim to make
out any features.

Thanks for all the information passed on concerning
the fledglings.

All the best.

Ben Cacace