Long Island City going to the birds
Falcon on a stoop in Long Island City, photo courtesy of Orestes Gonzalez
Courtesy of a liQcity reader, we were notified of some falcon sightings in the nabe:
“It was a good week for falcons in LIC. Two fledgling Kestrels (one male, one female) showed up on stoops on 45 Ave., resting between learning-stages of flight, cautiously accepting raw hamburger and posing for photos by polite humans, as their parents swooped and screamed from overhead. As of Saturday, it seems they’ve found their wings as they haven’t returned. But they’re clearly welcome new local residents, as we hope they will prey on local vermin…”
For the local birdwatchers, here’s a close-up of the baby falcon:
Falcon in Long Island City, photo courtesy of Orestes Gonzalez
Now New York City’s best kept secret neighborhood is not only infested with hipsters and yuppies and Asians and families, but. . .falcons! Dear God, when will it end? When. Will. It. End?
I wish we could get them to nest in the park. Then the rat problem would be solved since I believe they eat them.
They don’t have to nest in the park. They hunt far and wide after dark. If they are in the vicinity, they will be swooping down on those rats. We used to watch the family that lived near St Marys steeple when they took off on thir hunting trips at dusk.
I never knew how beautiful falcons were… that baby has the cutest markings!
Wouldn’t it be better to not feed the wild falcon so it doesn’t grow up depending on people to feed it and learn to hunt on its own?
And if you were upsetting the parents, why not leave it alone.
Just saying…
Let’s start a falconry group.
Hunter’s Point Historical District is really magic! Besides the fantastic people, beautiful houses and the incredible peace so near the explosive Manhattan, now baby falcons!!!! I’m flabergasted!
#6 – As adorable as those pictures are, I’ve been having the same thoughts as you. I was especially concerned about the parents being upset. I hope the people didn’t handle the birds, because this can cause the parents to reject them.
They was one on my block as well. I saw a baby try to take on a nest of Grackle eggs but the parents one. Isn’t this a Questral or a Baby Hawk? Not a Falcon? And I’ve seen the baby high up yesterday through my skylight. It’s a beautiful thing. Thanks for the photo’s Orestes!
the falcon can’t hear the falconer
A young Kestrel just visited my fire escape on the 4th floor on Bedford and North 11th! Very exciting.
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I love those photographs!