Screengrab by GhentArtJump flap! 2:43 p.m. Wednesday.We are approaching fledge day, when the juvenile hawks of Washington Square Park take their first flight out of their 12th-floor nursery at New York University’s Bobst Library and begin the next phase of their development in the broader confines of the park. Wednesday is 43 and 44 days since Boo and Scout emerged from their shells. Typically, red-tailed hawks take flight between 42 and 46 days of life, though hawks in urban areas can take longer. Last year, the baby hawk named Pip by readers first used its wings after 49 days on the nest and sailed to a rooftop on a neighboring building.So, what to expect before, after and when Boo and Scout take flight? Some answers ... Continue reading →
May 18, 2012, 10:46 amA New View for the Hawk Cam By EMILY S. RUEBAs the baby hawks of Washington Square Park prepare to take flight, we’ve adjusted the Hawk Cam to maximize the view of the ledge on which they’re nesting. Boo and Scout, who hatched April 9 and 10, no longer resemble the helpless bobble-headed fuzzballs that first appeared on screen. Their white downy coats have been replaced with chocolate brown feathers, giving them more of the likeness of their regal parents.While the pair still spend a great deal of time sleeping, they’re more mobile now. Using their yellow feet and black talons, they step more assuredly across the uneven pile of twigs and branches that line the nest, occasionally standing sentinel to ... Continue reading →
Suzanne DeChillo/The New York TimesTwo strangers connect for a brief moment at a bench in Central Park.Dear Diary: I was in Manhattan just for the day — I live in Massachusetts — with a brief respite from appointments in the midafternoon.It was chilly and raining, but I headed for Central Park anyway.The park was beautiful, even in the rain. I kept thinking how much my sister had loved it.I found her memorial bench just over the bridge in the Ramble, overlooking the Lake, and took some pictures with my phone. As usual I felt ambivalent, ineffably sad but also pained by what she had done to us all, as well as to herself.A jogger bounced by, a man about 40. He saw me photographing the ... Continue reading →
March 27, 2012, 12:38 pm By THE NEW YORK TIMESOn Sunday, a reader known as HawkTalk in the Hawk Cam 2012 chat room witnessed an interesting bit of cooperation between the mates in the nest. An edited version of the events appears above. (Please ignore the “Please stand by while we adjust the Hawk Cam” overlay. It was captured as part of the archived segment, and cannot be removed.)First Bobby swooped onto the ledge bearing fresh kill — a rat. A few minutes later, Rosie pulled the meal into the center of the nest with her eggs and sat on it. After about 45 minutes (edited from this video) hunger pangs must have kicked in and she began to pick at the carcass. Soon her ... Continue reading →
March 27, 2012, 12:38 pm By THE NEW YORK TIMESOn Sunday, a reader known as HawkTalk in the Hawk Cam 2012 chat room witnessed an interesting bit of cooperation between the mates in the nest. An edited version of the events appears above. (Please ignore the “Please stand by while we adjust the Hawk Cam” overlay. It was captured as part of the archived segment, and cannot be removed.)First Bobby swooped onto the ledge bearing fresh kill — a rat. A few minutes later, Rosie pulled the meal into the center of the nest with her eggs and sat on it. After about 45 minutes (edited from this video) hunger pangs must have kicked in and she began to pick at the carcass. Soon her ... Continue reading →
An encore presentation of Jeff Masin’s one man band audition for the M.T.A.’s Music Under New York program at Grand Central Terminal. Continue reading →
R.M. Bridgewell strummed Metallica and Mozart for judges and passersby at Vanderbilt Hall. Continue reading →
One man band Jeff Masin has about nine instruments strapped to his body (including his voice, he said) in a rig that weighs about 55 pounds. Since 1979, he’s been traveling the world performing. Continue reading →
