Hawk Watch 2024

A quick photo essay style update about the Cornell Hawks to start your week.

Hiya!

Later this week, you’ll receive the March theme post and nature journal prompt in your inbox, but I wanted to quickly share what’s been happening at the nest site on the Cornell University campus. If you follow me on Notes, you know I’ve been sporadically posting some nest updates as I happen to catch Arthur on the live cam bringing sticks to the site. We are coming up to the date Big Red laid her first egg last year, so I’ve been monitoring the live feed more frequently and this morning there was a fair bit of activity, so enjoy the photo essay below!

6:45 am: Before dawn, Arthur brings a stick to the nest and starts puttering

It’s a foggy, wet morning, but that doesn’t stop the father-to-be from building the nest. Both the male and female Red-tailed hawks bring sticks to construct the nest high in a tree or on a cliff – or in the case of the Cornell hawks, on a light tower overlooking the University’s athletic fields. This tower, near Fernow Hall, is one of two sites they’ve used since 2012.

Arthur returns to the nest a little while later after sunrise to continue working.

Arthur left, but then returned a little while later with a new stick to add to the structure.

Big Red showed up not too long after.

Big Red helps organize the sticks.

Big Red and Arthur conferring before he takes off.

Big Red stayed behind to continue working on the nest this morning.

She worked for 10 minutes or so before taking off. I’m sure the egg laying is happening soon. It’s exciting!

In addition to the live cam on campus, Cornell Lab of Ornithology partners with other ornithological and conservation organizations around the globe to give us an up close view of birds doing their thing. I’m also keeping tabs on the Barred Owl (fingers crossed that the eggs are viable this year) and the Royal Albatross (that chick has grown so quickly). Use the button below to access all the live feeds.

This year’s Expedition of Wonder focuses on birds and what they can tell us about our environment through their habits and behaviors. I’ll talk more about this and other news later this week.

Talk to you soon and happy Monday!

xoSusannah

P.S. Let me know if you are watching any of the live cams – we can have a little watch party in the comments!