Flushing Meadow Park 7-23-10

I visited Flushing Meadow Park this past Friday to check up on the 3 fledglings. I've seen Sadie and Christopher on regular visits, but have not seen Nicholas in a few weeks. He tends to spend most of the time I saw him high up at the top of large trees and whenever I approached he took off hastily. I will continue to look for him this weekend.

I did manage to find Sadie rather quickly. She looks well and is moving further away from the nest and making longer flights. She disappear after a few minutes of watching her and I couldn't find her again later.

Christopher has also moved farther from his normal hangouts, and I was fortunate to see him make possibly his first kill. As I approached an area swarming with angry Robins, he dove swiftly from a branch 20 feet above the ground and landed atop a small rat. He took his time devouring that rat and he looked experienced making the kill.

After his meal, Christopher proceeded to run around on the ground and destroy everything in sight: branches, twigs, leaves, rocks, etc. He then managed to find a Caterpillar and played with it for a few minutes before devouring it. I've heard stories of Raptors eating insects, but this is my first experience with it.