Julia and Isham?

We wanted to log steps on the Fitbit http://www.fitbit.com/store this morning, so we walked north to Muscotta Marsh and Spuyten Duyvil.   On our way home I saw a gentleman stopped on the sidewalk craning his neck to gaze up into a tree. Thinking he might have spotted a  bird of prey,  I looked up and saw not just one, but a pair of red-tailed hawks! 

Male and female red-tail hawks

The male is lower down the branch.  From where we were standing we could see the coppery red of his tail.  The female was fluffing her feathers to stay warm.   A hawk nest and a pair with at least one fledgling had been spotted in Inwood Hill Park in the woods near the soccer field last year.   We were on the corner of Indian Hill Road and Seaman Avenue. Are these two that pair or another?  

We didn't see the birds mating, but you can see they weren't far apart.  They were courting (first sign of spring!), technically speaking,  in a tree in Isham Park, as opposed to Inwood Hill Park, on property given to the city of New York by Julia Isham Taylor and Flora Isham.  The two women,  were pioneer philanthropists.  They were the first to give land, specifically for the benefit of all of its citizens for use as parkland,  to the City of New York.  Millions of New Yorkers have benefited from their generosity. The first gift of Isham land was made in 1912.  At some point over the course of the century since the gift was made the section west of Seaman Avenue  was incorporated into Inwood Hill Park.  

Have you read  Red Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park by Marie Winn? http://www.amazon.com/Red-Tails-Love-Wildlife-Central-Departures/dp/0679758461 You won't be able to put it down, as Marie's style is delightful and  the story of raptors versus celebrities and city bureaucrats is packed with drama.  Marie maintains a website with the current comings and goings of her favorite Fifth Avenue denizens here: http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/.  

If I am so lucky as to see these birds again, I shall call the female Julia, after Mrs. Julia Isham Taylor,  and the male Isham, in honor of William Isham, who was Julia's uncle and the owner of the estate that is now Isham Park. 

Are you intrigued by birds of prey?  Do you have any good urban raptor stories or photos?