Peregrine Falcon Update: 11-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Just before 7pm I entered the park from the south-east corner. Looking up I spotted a Peregrine perched on a fence below the roof on the G.M. Building's north face.

I couldn't tell its gender & tried to get to a better observing spot before it moved. The Peregrine was in position to drop to the level of the nest.

Before I made it to a viewing spot near Gapstow Bridge the falcon disappeared. Luckily Donna was there mentioning that it was the female on the fence & she just dropped to the nest. The male exited the site from a different location. This is the first time this has been witnessed.

The male falcon returned 40 minutes after leaving the nest and flew around the buildings south & east of the park. I spotted him flying south as far as the I.B.M. Building which is between 57th & 56th St. off Madison Ave.

He continued flying around at the height of the nest & higher for approximately 5 minutes. This was around 7:45p or 15 minutes before sunset.

The skies were completely overcast & the wind was blowing in from the east.

The male was not seen again for the night & he didn't choose to roost within sight of the bridge.

The Canada Goose goslings now number six.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:55p — 8:35p

Highlights: just missed a nest exchange & saw the male Peregrine fly around the territory for close to 5 minutes.

• While entering at Central Park's SE corner around 6:55p I spotted a falcon perched on a fence on the G.M.'s north face, right section, 5 in from the W.
• As I approached Gapstow Bridge around 7:01p the falcon was no longer there.
• Donna was observing & mentioned that the female was perched. The falcon had just dropped to the nest level & the male exited from a new location 7 in from the W edge of the building's right section.
• By 7:38p he was seen flying in from the S and stayed in the area of the eyrie flying N & S of the G.M. Building until 7:43p when it disappeared behind the G.M. It was seen as far S as S of the I.B.M. Building on 57th/56th St & Madison Ave.
• Since the female was on the nest we didn't expect to see the male again but hung around to see if he choose a roost within sight of Gapstow Bridge. The male falcon wasn't spotted by the time we left the park around 8:35p.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 9-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

While looking for the Peregrine Falons the pair of Canada Geese were tending to 7 goslings on the island south of Gapstow Bridge on The Pond. Click on the image for a larger view & labels for all 7.

Canada Geese & 7 goslings — The Pond (35mm film equiv.: 375mm, ISO: 400, Shutter: 1/50, Aperture: f/4)

I arrived at Gapstow Bridge, south of Wollman Skating Rink, by 6:55p. For most of the hour I didn't spot a single falcon.

After waiting for 55 minutes the female showed up from the east & perched on the 9 West 57th St. building — out of sight.

After a few minutes she proceeded to the nest making a few flybys including one failed attempt to perch on a fence below the G.M. Building's roof.

After the female descended to the level of the nest the male Peregrine exited after less than a minute.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:55p — 8:00p

Highlights: final nest exchange for the evening.

• I arrived at Gapstow Bridge at 6:55p. The skies were completely overcast with an occasional drizzle. Winds were from the north.
• By 7:50p a falcon flew in from the E & perched on the E side of 9 West 57th St. out of sight from where I stood.
• By 7:52p she was flying towards the G.M. Building & made a few passes N of the building. At one point she attempted to land on a fence below the roof & had to abort the landing. She landed properly on the next pass.
• Approximately 45 seconds after she dropped to the level of the nest he exited, flying low towards the E & headed S.
• I left the area around 8:00p.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 7-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Tonight there was a great gathering of optics near Gapstow Bridge to view the Peregrine Falcons over the south-east corner of Central Park. This was good to see & may not happen again for quite some time.

Peter arrived with a 70mm refractor & 22 power binoculars. Donna showed up with a spotting scope. Dave showed up with someone whose name I didn't get, sorry! She & Dave hung in there until the end.

I arrived at the Gapstow Bridge site around 5pm. By 5:15p a falcon arrived. He or she dropped down to the nest level before I could determine its gender.

From 5:20p - 7:54p only the female falcon was seen & was perched in view for a total of 1.5 hours on 3 separate occasions.

By the end of the night we determined that he was sitting on the nest from the time I arrived until the nest exchange at 7:54p. This is at least 3 hours.

She disappeared for awhile while the five us waited around as it started to get chilly. Everybody hung in wondering when she would return. At 7:40p we spotted her as she perched on various spots on the G.M. Building until 7:54p.

This is when she made the move to the nest. I asked Dave to view the nest exchange through my scope, Donna was at hers & Peter at his. We waited a minute or so for him to appear after she dropped from the fence.

Everybody, including the two of us with binoculars, witnessed the male leaving the nest area. He flew to perch on a fence near the east edge of the G.M. The excitment from the group as the male falcon left the nest site was much more than I expected. This was also good to see.

Overall it was another enjoyable night observing these Peregrine Falcons. Many people stopped by to take a look at the perched female in the scopes & all were impressed.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 5:00p — 8:35p

Highlights: one nest exchange & the male falcon was on nest for at least 3 hours.

• No falcons were spotted after scanning the area.
• By 5:15p a falcon dropped down to the nest level before I could identify it to gender. The location was on the GM's N face, right section, 7 in from the W. There was a possible nest exchange which I would've missed since I was looking with the scope at a different set of fences.
• By 5:20p the female arrived & landed on the GM. She left the area around 5:46p. Her perch was on the GM's N face, center section, 2 in from the W.
• By 6:14p she perched on a fence in the center section 3 in from the W.
• From 6:55-6:56p she perched on two different fences then left the area. A man was spotted on the roof of the GM Building pointing out something to someone. The female Peregrine was flying in the vicinity.
• By 7:40p she returned back to the GM Building perching on the roof's NW corner. She appeared to have something in her talons. All were in agreement but we couldn't confirm if it was prey.
• At 7:50p she flew to a fence on the GM's N face, right section, 3 in from the W edge.
• At 7:54p she flew to the fence above the nest & dropped down to nest level. The male falcon exited from the lower portion of the fence as we all watched.
• He flew to perch on a fence 4 in from the E edge of the building & remained there until we left around 8:35p.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 6-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Around 5pm the trees surrounding us just west of Gapstow Bridge let loose millions seed pods shown in the image on the right. Click image to see the seed along side a ruler.

It measures approximately 13mm including the stem. If anyone knows the species this belongs to please drop me a line. This particular specimen followed me home in my hair.

The Peregrines didn't fail to appear while we were at Gapstow Bridge. Peter, a friend I met through astronomy, stopped by to see the Peregrine Falcons with his telescope.

From 4:30p-6:02p no Peregrines were seen in the area. The first falcon seen was the male who flew in from the east & perched on the east corner of 9 West 57th St's roof. This perch afforded a decent view in the scope for the many people that happened to around waiting for the Peregrines to arrive.

The male falcon was in the area from 6-7pm. He perched once above the nest site but didn't relieve the female. She had been sitting for at least 1.5 hours and I was surprised she didn't exchange places with him.

He left the area and returned around 7:30p with prey. The female came out to meet him and in mid-flight a prey transfer was made just north of the nest site. She left the area with the prey and disappeared behind the 9 West 57th St. building.

At 8:07p the second nest exchange occurred. She replaced him for the evening and the male falcon headed east and disappeared for the night.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 4:30p — 8:30p

Highlights: another long wait for a falcon to show, two nest exchanges & one prey transfer.

• At 6:02p the male arrives after waiting for a falcon to appear since 4:30p. He flew in from the E & perched on 9 West 57th St.'s roof near it's E corner.
• By 6:10p he flew around N of the G.M. & N of the Pierre Hotel. After heading S it was lost until 6:45p.
• Male returns at 6:45p possibly to same perch as before. Notes aren't clear on this.
• By 7:02p he leaves 9W to a fence on the GM's north face 6 in from the W edge at 7:04p. This was a fairly long flight from 9W to the GM.
• At 7:26p he returns with prey. She leaves the nest & they perform a mid-air prey transfer. She disappears with the prey behind the 9W building.
• By 7:36p she returns to perch on a fence on GM's north face 7 in from W edge. By 7:40p she disappears.
• At 8:07p female returns and exchanges position with the male. He leaves the area entirely heading E after exiting the nest.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 5-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

As I was heading into the park I watched a Crow moving north along the east edge of the park within the Peregrine's territory.

This is the second time I've seen a crow in the territory with no reactions from the falcons. The only intruders I've seen escorted off the territory this year were other Peregrines.

At Gapstow Bridge I didn't see any falcons on the usual perches. This was the situation from 6:05p until 7:22p. This is when I spotted the male Peregrine flying from the west to perch on the roof of the G.M. Building.

The female falcon joined him immediately leaving the nest unattended for about 3 minutes. The male headed to the nest leaving the female time to preen & stretch her wings.

More often I get to see the female exchanging places with the ‘incubating’ male. Whenever this happens the male waits for the female to approach the nest before he exits.

Tonight I watched the male replace the female. The female left the nest before the male approached her. It could have been that the male was gone so long that she was looking to make sure she would have time to stretch.

She was relieved from duty for close to an hour.

The male Peregrine choose a perch on the north face of the G.M. Building to roost for the night. I'm assuming he remained where I left him at 8:36pm. This is 10 minutes after the end of Civil Twilight or 40 minutes after sunset.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:05p — 8:35p

Highlights: a long wait to see a Peregrine, two nest exchanges & located the male's night roost.

• From 6:05p until 7:22p no Peregrines were visible.
• At 7:22p the male was seen in the binoculars coming in from the W landing on the W edge of the center section (north face) on the roof of the G.M. Within seconds the female left the nest to perch near him. The male left to attend to the nest site by 7:25p landing first on a fence 6 in from the W edge of the building.
• From 7:33p-7:36p the female was off the perch and flying large circles N of the G.M. Building. At the end of the flight she landed on the N face of the G.M.'s east most fence.
• By 7:40p she flew to the G.M.'s roof just E of the NW corner and remained here until 8:14p when she ‘relieved’ herself. Immediately she lifted off and made a beeline for the nest. It was almost as if she was waiting for that event to happen.
• By 8:15 the male exited and perched on a fence on the G.M.'s north face (left section) 4 in from the E.
• By the time I left the park at 8:36p the male Peregrine was still perched on the fencing.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 4-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Peregrine Falcon (Male Exiting Nest Site)
Central Park South — G.M. Building
Image by BEN CACACE

Donna Browne was present tonight to help observe the Peregrines on the G.M. Building. It was another night of falcon activity from start to finish. Her play by play while the male was exiting the nest helped tremendously in getting the above images. A link to Donna's blog appears at end of this post.

Highlights: there was a nest exchange at 7:37p (see images above for exiting male) & the location of the roosting male was found well after the end of Civil Twilight (8:30p).

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:00p — 8:40p

• When I arrived a Peregrine was perched on a fence on GM's north face, right section, 7 in from W edge.
• By 6:25p the falcon lost its balance & dropped to floor, then hopped back onto the fence, then flew to the roof of the 9W 57th St. building. While taking notes I didn't see where she disappeared to after landing on the 9W building.
• By 6:35p the female was already on a fence on GM's north face, right section, 3 in from W edge until 7:35p.
• By 7:35p female moved to the fence above the nest site.
• Nest exchange: By 7:37p female drops to floor. Shortly after the male appears at base of fence exchanging places with the female (see images).
• Male perches on fence on GM's north face, left section, 5 in from E edge until 8:23p.
• By 8:23p male leaves the GM Building perch. A few minutes later he's seen perched on the east corner of the window ledge on 9W 57th St.
• We left the park at 8:40p with male still perched on 9W 57th St.

• Donna's weblog: ‘palemaleirregulars‘

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 30-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Male on G.M. Building photo by B. Cacace 35mm film equiv.: 2,600mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/50 | Aperture: f/4	Female on G.M. Building photo by D. Bruce Yolton 35mm film equiv.: 1,600mm | ISO: 400 | Shutter: 1/320 | Aperture: f/8

Thanks to Bruce Yolton for permission to use the photo
of the female Peregrine Falcon.

Each evening there is generally some activity when visiting the park to view these Peregrine Falcons. Tonight when I arrived both falcons were on the north face of the G.M. Building.

At one point the female appeared agitated in the telescope and soon after lifted & chased another large Peregrine off the territory towards the west. This is the second time I've seen another female Peregrine being chased from the area this year.

Another highlight was seeing the female exchange positions with the male falcon at 5:53p.

I'm convinced that these Peregrines are incubating eggs. Their behavior is consistent. The male has been exiting from below the same fence each time the female has dropped from the fence above.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 4:50p — 8:10p

• by 4:50p male & female were perched on the N face of the GM Building. Male was near potential nest site. Female was 2 fences to the E.
• while trying to take photos the female moved to a fence 4 in from W edge by 5:15p.
• by 5:37p female looked agitated. She then pursued another female Peregrine W of GM.
• by 5:43p female returned to a fence 6 in from W edge of GM.
• Nest exchange: by 5:53p female drops down to floor of fenced area. Within a minute the male falcon appears at the base of a fence 5 in from the W edge of GM and then flies to a fence 5 in from E edge of GM.
• at 6:46p male Peregrine leaves area heading SE or ‘Manhattan E’.
• I left Gapstow Bridge around 8:10p. Neither falcon reappeared.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 28-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Tonight was a rewarding one watching the Peregrine Falcons on the G.M. Building. Donna Browne showed up with a spotting scope. I brought along a 3" refracting telescope. We observed the Peregrines for nearly 2.5 hours. It was good to have so much activity from the Peregrines while Donna was there to observe.

Watching the ‘nest’ exchange at 7:45p was just one of many highlights.

A silver band was easly seen on the female's right leg in the scopes. The photo on the right shows the band — dimly.

Highlights:

• female perched/preening from 6:00p-7:40p on the GM.
• female flew to the fence just above the probable nest site.
• female dropped to flooring below perch at 7:44p.
• male exits from below same fence at 7:45p.
• male perches on fence below GM's roof until well after the end of Civil Twilight. This is when it becomes too dark to see any details at high power. In binoculars the image of the perched Peregrine becomes too indistinct to rely on.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:00p — 8:30p

• spotted a Peregrine on GM at 5:42p before entering park.
• took photos with falcon perched on fence below roof of GM's north face, 3 fences in from west edge.
• arrived at Gapstow Bridge by 6:00p — falcon still perched.
• at 6:52p it took a short flight to the NE corner of GM's roof where it remained until 7:02p.
• from 7:02-7:04p it took off N for a more extended flight returning to NW corner of GM's roof. It was clear this was the female in flight by its size & the molt of its primaries.
• at 7:37p female flew just E of GM then back to a fence 5 in from the W edge of the building.
• at 7:44p female flew to flooring just below fence. Within a minute the male exited from below the same fence the female was perched on. This is a probable nest exchange.
• At 7:45p male flew to a fence below GM's roof 4 in from E edge of building.
• Donna and I remained watching the male perched, facing in, until 10 minutes after Civil Twilight ended. We left the park at 8:30p feeling fairly confident it would stay the night.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 26-April-2006

Digiscoped Image of Peregrine

This image was shot with the same camera as the side-by-side thumbnails below — the ones that look like oil painting details. The difference is this was taken through a telescope that increases the effective focal length by 6.4 times. The camera's 420mm lens is converted to a 2,688mm lens. Unfortunately the focus is not quite right. Practice might help.

This Peregrine Falcon was perched on the north-west corner of the G.M. Building. The photo was taken from Gapstow Bridge just south of Wollman Skating Rink. The approximate distance to the falcon was 1,200 feet or 0.23 miles.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 12:25p — 1:05p

Highlight: apparent nest exchange at 1:04pm.

• Scanned buildings on SE corner of park from 1225p. At 1232 a PF appeared on NW corner of GM's roof.
• At 1240 it made a single move to 6 in (right section) & perched on fence until 1251.
• At 1251 it took off east, then back tracked then proceeded east again. Lost it behind Pierre Hotel.
• Back on NW corner of GM's roof at 1257.
• By 1259 to 1 in (center section) then to 3 in (right section) then to 6 in (right section) by 100. All perches on fencing below GM's roof.
• At 102 launched & circled back to 6 in (right section).
• At 103 lost it while writing.
• At 104 a PF exited from bottom of 6 in (right section) & headed east. Lost it low behind Pierre Hotel.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 5:25p — 8:00p

Highlight: male Peregrine chasing a female Peregrine off territory at 5:40pm.

• Arrived at 526p. Saw PF on NW corner of GM's roof before entering park at 520.
• Around 540 male chased larger PF towards the east. Female turned to defend with talons up. Male back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 550 off perch, didn't spot it flying away.
• At 554 male flew around GM & disappeared behind GM heading south.
• By 615 back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 628 crow cawing over Pond heading north. Then circled south to perch on a building west of Plaza Hotel. Seemingly no reaction from perched PF.
• At 653 back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 711 off NW corner to west edge of center section (roof level) then flew due south-east (Manhattan east).
• At 723 PF returned to NW corner of GM's roof. Arrived from the north. Perched facing south as at all other times on this spot.
• At 741 still on NW corner. 749 still perched. By 800 left perch without seeing it fly away.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?

Image above taken on 24-Apr-2006 — Peregrine Falcon perched near possible new nest site on G.M. Building's north face.

The following article on Peregrine Falcons (see box below) points out that the "first known nesting in New York City occurred in 1943 when a pair successfully hatched three young on a coping of the St. Regis Hotel".

‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the New York City Region’ by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert SORA: The Auk, volume 82 — Jan/1965, pp. 62-94

Below is an image I took tonight of the site mentioned in the article. The St. Regis Hotel is on 5th Avenue and 55th St. on Manhattan.

Click image for view of the hotel.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Update: 24-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Taking pictures of distant hawks & falcons with the Lumix FZ30 is like throwing an eight million pixel net their way.

Each of the above images are 36 pixels wide by 47 pixels tall. They were ‘blown-up’ to 130 pixels wide to display them side-by-side. All images have a 35mm equivalent focal length of 420mm.

These were taken tonight while monitoring the activity around a possible nest site on the G.M. Building.

The left image is the furthest from the camera but appears larger than the other two. This is the female Peregrine Falcon.

The center & right images are of the same falcon in two different positions. Both are similar in size & smaller than the other one. This is the male.

Tonight the Peregrines were seen separately between 5:55pm & 7:15pm.

The female was perched on the north face of the G.M. as I entered the park. Before she disappeared around 6:25pm she was perched just above the potential nest site.

After 6:25pm the male was seen flying from the ‘nest site’ to the fencing below the G.M.'s roof where he remained until 6:30pm. He then flew to the north-west corner of the G.M.'s roof.

At 7:15pm the male took off, flew east & then disappeared behind the G.M. Building. We didn't see him return.

Thanks Bruce & Lincoln for stopping by to observe the falcons.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Raptors At Sunset: 21-April-2006

Central Park South: Red-tailed Hawk & Peregrine Falcon

Portion of ‘ESSEX HOUSE’ Sign

(click image to view uncropped)

The image above shows the adult male Red-tailed Hawk, from the Trump Parc nest, perching on the ‘X’ on the Essex House sign tonight (Fri., 21-Apr). When I arrived at 6:55pm he was already there.

Around 7:32pm I happened to be looking at the hawk in the binoculars as it headed off to roost for the night. Sunset was at 7:41pm.

Before it disappeared from view it pulled off one of coolest moves I've seen in awhile. As it left its perch it dove, then rose a bit losing quite a bit of speed. I thought it was going to stall or veer off in another direction.

Instead, after it reached the top of the stall, it proceeded in the same direction and dove steeply. A few seconds into the drop it started to pull up again. This is when I lost it behind some trees.

This undulating flight is one of the more deliberate bits of ‘fun’ I've seen in quite some time. This was observed from Gapstow Bridge (south of Wollman Rink) while I was keeping one eye on a Peregrine Falcon and the other on this Red-tailed Hawk.

‘Birds of North America’ on-line refers to this as a ‘Sky-dance’ used in both agonistic behavior and courtship displays. Quite a versatile tool.

At Bruce Yolton's blog you can see an image of this male Red-tailed Hawk taken at around the same time. This hawk is referred to as ‘Junior’. The photo above was taken at 7:06pm. Check out the second image down in ‘Watching Paint Dry’ for a nearly simultaneous close-up.

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcon

(click image to view uncropped)

The first raptor spotted from the park was this Peregrine Falcon perched on the G.M. Building's roof. It stood on the north-west corner of the building from at least 6:55pm.

There was little activity until the falcon flew to a fence on the north face below the building's roof. From here it took a flight close to a place where the pair might be nesting. I'm looking for a few more views to confirm this suspicion.

The reason I think this is a nest site is due to the falcon's disappearing to this spot only to emerge from the floor of this space. This is exciting to see after watching Peregrines in the area for nearly 10 years.

From 7:48pm to 7:54pm the Peregrine perched on various fences below the G.M.'s roof. By 7:56pm I wasn't able to relocate it again. The end of Civil Twilight, when it becomes nearly impossible to see the Peregrines with binoculars, was 8:10pm.

The images above were taken around 7:00pm.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

American Kestrel: Upper East Side 15-Apr

This male American Kestrel was seen around 11:30am this morning hunting from an antennae near my apartment.

Kestrels have been seen in the area, including perched on this antennae, over the past few years.

Details:
• Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
• Shutter speed: 1/400 sec | Aperture: f/5.6 | ISO: 80
• Focal length in 35mm film: 420mm
• Distance to subject: approx. 70 feet

The photo was taken handheld with image stabilization on.

Here is a compressed image (800 pixels wide) of the original 8 megapixel photo.

Central Park: Peregrine Falcons 13-Apr

ROBERT BATEMAN ‘Peregrine Falcon and White-Throated Swifts’ paper, 26.25" x 20" (click image for catalog)

Thursday night was spent observing a pair of Peregrine Falcons that may actually be nesting this season. Their territory hugs the southeast corner of Central Park. The falcons are seen perching on buildings over Central Park South & along 5th Avenue. One of their favorite's is the General Motors Building. This cliff-like edifice has been the main focus for various Peregrine pairs that have been occupying this territory from as far back as 1996 when I first noticed them in the area.

In the past the main buildings used for perching were the Sherry-Netherland Hotel (S-N), General Motors Building (G.M.) & the Solow Building a.k.a. 9 West 57th St. (right photo):

Over the years I've been observing these Peregrines with the hope of discovering their nest site. This would be a new addition to the nesting Peregrine pairs on Manhattan. I've yet to see any juvenile falcons interacting with the resident adults. Maybe this season will be different.

Observation-wise, yesterday was one of the best days. The location of both falcons was noted from the time I arrived at 5:55pm EDT to shortly before I left at 7:20pm. This is unusual since the Peregrines can easily disappear from sight. Gapstow Bridge, just south of Wollman Skating Rink, is where I do most of my observing.

Male Peregrine Falcons are considerably smaller than females. This female is separable from the male not only by size. There are two features that can help ID her in case the male isn't nearby for size comparison. The female is missing a tail feather near the right edge of her tail. This is best seen when she's soaring. She is also missing a primary near the outer edge of her left wing.

I witnessed the following making the evening more successful than usual:

• both male and female were flying together
• for the whole session the location the pair was known
• I noted the time & direction where the male went to roost
• the pair was seen mating on the Solow Building
• a possible location for the nest was noted
• there was a Peregrine &mdash pigeon encounter
• a Kestrel passed over the flying pair heading north
• a male Kestrel was hunting near Gapstow Bridge


Gapstow Bridge In The Snow - 1985
Photo by JOE BLY
(used by permission — click image for catalog)

Nesting Location

While observing the Peregrines there was a spot that was revisited by the pair that may turn out to be a nest site. In the past I've noticed places where the Peregrines would disappear to thinking I'd found where they were nesting but juveniles (a key sign to a successful nesting) were never seen.

A favorite perching spot over the years has unfortunately been roped off by management of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Management was aware of the Peregrine's preference for these niches. Luckily the falcons are not at a loss for places to perch.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May, 16-May, 17-May, 18-May, 19-May, 21-May, 22-May, 23-May, 31-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Pleiades Occultation: Celaeno Graze 1-Apr

Updated: Mon. am 17-Apr: Added link to an article by Mitsuru Soma ‘Limb Profiles of the Moon Obtained from Grazing Occultation Observations’ in the ‘Software and the Celaeno Graze’ section.

During the recent passage of the Moon through the Pleiades a remarkable event was visible within the borders of N.Y.C. — something I hadn't seen before.

Field of view of Cartes du Ciel image is ~2.5 degrees
Time = 6:00pm EST / Limiting magnitude = 8.0
(Click image to visit IOTA website)

A group of us, Charlie, Kin, Peter & myself, headed down to a spot near the Staten Island Ferry terminal, on the Staten Island side, to attempt a grazing occultation of the star Celaeno (16 Tauri) in the Pleiades.

At magnitude 5.45 this Pleiad is not usually bright enough to see naked eye within the city. With optics this star is rather bright.

Charlie Ridgway found a place for us to observe along a favorable portion of the graze path on Staten Island. All it took to get there was a ride on the subway, a ferry trip and a short walk to the ‘Staten Island September 11 Memorial’.

Unfortunately partly cloudy skies ruled the night. We were able to observe a few of the total occultations between cloud breaks but the main event was the graze of Celaeno around 7:15pm EST.

The wind was rather strong with gusts up to 33 mph recorded in Central Park. Sustained winds were close to 15 mph. [weather history]

Software and the Celaeno Graze

There is an excellent piece of software for predicting lunar occultations including the viewing of these spectacular grazes. The name of the program is ‘Occult for Windows’.

The image below (click image for a clearer view) shows the contour of the Moon's limb at the time of the Celaeno graze from Staten Island. The time frame shown is roughly 6 minutes along the horizontal line starting on the left at -3m (ingress) and continuing to the right at +3m (egress).

The spot chosen was probably 0.75 miles off the center-line — described by the blue line on the chart. Looking along this line there's a single gap between the time of ingress and egress. This would represent a single reappearance of Celaeno. But ... we clearly saw three reappearances based on the recording!

The lunar limb profiles will need modifying based on three observing stations — Staten Island, New York (U.S.A.); Edmonton, Alberta (Canada); Kagoshima, Kyushu (Japan). See Charlie's write-up for the timing of the graze showing the three reappearance/disappearances between initial ingress and final egress for 4-Apr & 5-Apr.

For this graze, at our location, the distance between an occultation of Celaeno by a single mountain peak (at the northern limit) and a total occultation (at the southern limit) is nearly 1.3 miles or ~6,800 feet. An even narrower path for the multiple reappearances we witnessed (excluding final egress) is probably less than 0.2 of a mile or 2,100 feet. This is based on the Watts charts which are continually being improved upon by observations by amateurs. Here is an article by Fred Espenak on the ‘Lunar Limb Profile’ that should prove enlightening. Also, check out the following article by Mitsuru Soma ‘Limb Profiles of the Moon Obtained from Grazing Occultation Observations’.

Observations

It was great that all four of us were able to witness this graze of Celaeno. The anticipation of not knowing when it would start or how many events would occur increased the excitement.

As the event was about to happen the area around the Moon was remarkably clear of clouds. We don't usually get this lucky in the city. Everyone was able to clearly see Celaeno's close approach to the Moon before the event started. Since the whole of the graze would happen on the dark portion of the Moon's limb it was an easy event to witness.

Three of us had binoculars: Charlie — Canon 15x50 IS's, Peter — Takahashi 22x60's and Kin — Pentax 20x60's. I had a Televue-76 (76mm refractor) viewing the event at 48x.

Charlie was making an audio recording along with a WWV short-wave radio timing signal. As the star disappeared & reappeared we would call out the event — Out! In! Back! Gone! Still gone! It was an amazing thing to see. Being at the exact right spot for an event with such a narrow path so close to home was incredible.

If there is ever an opportunity for you to view a grazing occultation of a bright star I highly recommend the experience.

Thanks to all who made it possible to view this graze.

Equipment Purchases

I made a few recent purchases to test my skills at taking photos through the Televue-76. Recording a video of the event was a missed opportunity. It will take a lot of practice getting it right. I'm looking forward to nights where the Moon is up with a few stars nearby to test exposures for still photos and short movies.

Here are some recent purchases:
• William Optics DCL-52 Digital Camera Adapter Lens
• 2 Televue extension tubes - 2" and 3">
• step down adapter ring 55mm-52mm

Here are some pending purchases:
• shutter release for the FZ-30
• extra battery
• extra 2 gigabyte memory card

Additional reports
• Reports from team TotL members — Charlie's ‘Astronomical Observations’, Peter's ‘Top of the Lawn’
• Other reports — Above the Clouds, Catching the Sky, Space Weather Gallery

Digital Camera in Bryant Park

On the 14th of March I was practicing with my digital camera (Lumix FZ-30 w/12x optical zoom) in Bryant Park near the N.Y. Public Library. The park's center lawn is being resodded. An annual event.

While looking for birds to photograph, mainly sparrows and pigeons, I spotted an odd shape walking along the south side of the 'lawn'. After a minute the bird showed itself. Surprise. This was the first time I've seen this bird in Bryant Park.

Below is a photo of the Bryant Park 'lawn' followed by two images of the American Woodcock seen there.

Click on photos for an 800 pixel wide image.

Details for Bryant Park photo:
F/2.8 @ 1/1000 second (focal length 35mm)


Details for American Woodcock photo (above):
F/3.7 @ 1/40 second (focal length 420mm)


Details for American Woodcock photo (above):
F/3.7 @ 1/30 second (focal length 420mm)

• Click here to see a cropped section from the original 8 mega-pixel image. The backfield of the bird is in motion so only the head & bill is in focus.

• Click on image of Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 for a review of the camera on 'Digital Professional Review'.