Flushing Meadow Park

Disappointed that I hadn't seen the Unisphere pair for awhile, I decided to try again to find them and see if that Falcon was still around. I decided to go early and cover the whole park to see if any interesting migrants were passing through. The new nest at the Unisphere appeared to have been worked on as more sticks were added to the pile. I checked the Fountains of the Planets to see if they were perched on the flagpoles, but instead found a Falcon chasing pigeons around the fountain. He missed several targets before taking off south after another group of pigeons. I wondered whether it was the same Falcon as last week. After that I decided to head south to see if the Falcon may have headed towards Meadow Lake to hunt waterfowl. The area was filled with Canadian Geese, Mallards, Black Ducks, Brants, Great Cormorants, several Gull species, and a half dozen American Coots. I didn't see the Falcon, but a Kestrel was hanging around hunting mice and starlings north of the lake.

Pic 1. New nest on Unisphere
Pic.2. Peregrine Falcon
Pic.3. American Coot
Pic.4. Herring Gull
Pics. 5-7. American Kestrel

After that I headed north back to the fountain, and waiting there for me on top of the flagpole was the female of the Red-tailed pair. I managed to take a few pictures of her before she took off for the treeline. I followed her to the trees, and she had led me to her male counterpart, who was busy eating a squirrel. She continuously flew over the males head calling out to him as if she was trying to get him to follow her. He stayed for about 30 minutes eating his squirrel before I got bored and headed off, which turned out to be a great decision. As I turned to leave the area, I saw another hawk eating a pigeon on the ground just 50 feet away. I thought it might be the female, as she was still in the area, but open closer look, it turned out be a juvenile Cooper's Hawk.

Pic.8. Red-tailed Female
Pic.9 Red-tailed Male eating a squirrel
Pic.10. Red-tailed female calling to the male
Pic.11&12. Juvenile Cooper's  Hawk