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Cooper's Hawk Nest in Construction Site at NCSU



Hello all,

Yesterday I received the following email from Will Rowland - there has
been more word on the status of the nest today so those emails also
follow.  The nest will be preserved until the young have fledged.   

Construction around my building on campus has exposed an active Cooper's
Hawk's nest.  The foreman stopped when the nest was discovered about 40
ft up a pine.  (There was a thick stand of pine just outside the
building and Cooper's have used it every year I've worked here.)   I
don't know what the project managers are planning to do but I asked them
to leave the nest tree and a few around it standing.  I estimated the 3
chicks have about 3 weeks before they can fly.  I gave them Wildlife
Welfare Inc.'s and the Carolina Raptor Center's number if they needed
assistance. For anyone who's interested, there's a very good view of the
nest and chicks, especially with a scope, and the female is often in
full view nearby.

The building is the Environmental Health and Safety Center located
between Sullivan drive and Western Blvd, on west NC State campus.  Take
Gorman to Sullivan and we're behind Admin. Services Bldg.  The tree is
inside the construction fence just east of the EH&S bldg.
respectfully submitted by,
Will Rowland


Wednesday AM
I just spoke with the project manager who was very anxious to talk with
me about the birds. He and his supervisor, the director of Construction
Management, Carol Woodyard, are very supportive of the hawks and
indicated they spoke with US Fish and Wildlife who told them not to
disturb the nest tree until after the birds fledge.  I asked them also
to keep the heavy equipment activity as far as possible from the base of
the tree, as this would only add stress to the young and parent birds. I
think the best service we can provide them at this point is to estimate
the age of the birds and the time to fledging as accurately as possible.
Since they're adjusting their timeline on this project, an accurate
estimate would be useful.

Will Rowland

Wednesday PM
Will and I just spoke regarding the status of the nest.  There are
actually four nestlings and both parents were seen today - Dad with a
bird that was passed to Mom who had feeding duty.  She fed the babies by
pulling off bits of meat and feeding on a first come first served basis.
Will said all of the activity is very visible from the student parking
lot EAST of the Administrative Services Building and the EH&S buildings
on Sullivan Drive.  This parking lot is locally called the West Lot but
I don't know how the entrance from Sullivan Drive is labeled.

Hope a lot of you Triangle birders will have an opportunity to visit.

Best regards,
Lena

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lena Gallitano
Raleigh, NC