Bobby and Rosie were visible on a building top outside the southwestern corner of Washington Square Park right away:
Bobby on the left, Rosie on the right:
Bobby hopped off, soared across from the building for a second, then landed back on his perch again:
He flew off and soared behind the buildings lining the park, heading north. He's actually in the center of the photo below. He'll be more obvious in the upcoming close-up:
Rosie flew to where Bobby had been sitting:
Pigeons flew up in a panic the same time Rosie was in flight. They circled around a bit before settling down:
Another panicked flight (I'm not sure why):
Rosie flew off her perch after a half hour:
I then saw that Bobby was not far behind me, flying low above the square and flying toward the pigeons that hang out below One Fifth Avenue (the apartment building outside the northern border of the park).
I watched both Hawks soar in circles above the northern part of the park before disappearing eastward.
Nest looking well:
I approached a Parks Enforcement Patrol officer and alerted him about the older white-haired woman who illegally feeds the squirrels and has harassed Rosie by the Hangman's Elm. Since the Department of Environmental Conservation officer who spoke with the woman on the 19th didn't have jurisdiction to cite her for her behavior, I wanted to ensure the PEP officer was aware of the situation since enforcing WSP rules is under his purview.
I told him that the park administrator Sarah Neilson informed me in an email that feeding the squirrels was illegal and he said yes, it is, and that PEP find it difficult to catch people doing so when in uniform. He said he (and fellow patrol officers) will have to wear plainclothes to catch them in the act. I should mention I hadn't brought up the squirrel-feeding in order to suggest that he and his colleagues ought to do anything about it.
Instead, I had mentioned what Sarah told me as an opener, to find out if he had a similar understanding, and to let him know that the older lady and others feed the squirrels at the Hangman's Elm around sunset and that it was there where she and her male companion were harassing Rosie recently. The PEP officer's eyes bulged at the news and he said, "Oh, no, that's a big no-no."
I agreed and said that I had reported the incident to Sarah and he said something like, "Oh really? She never mentioned that to us! She never told us about that!" Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Anyway, I showed him photos of the two who harassed Rosie. He recognized the woman and said he will talk to her about the situation. He said that if I (or anyone really) ever saw anyone feeding the squirrels or doing anything else against park rules, to find him and his partner so they can issue citations. He said PEP officers are at the park until 6:00PM. If no one can find them right away, call 311 and they will be summoned.
A fellow Hawk-watcher just informed me that both Rosie and Bobby are roosting together at the same rung level at the Red Roost Inn.
A fellow Hawk-watcher just informed me that both Rosie and Bobby are roosting together at the same rung level at the Red Roost Inn.
