Hawk Watch: Livestream Life Inside NJIT's Rare Red-Tailed Hawk Nest
NJIT has landed some unexpected residents recently, and they’ll be getting plenty of “airtime” as they settle into their new home. In fact, they’ll have their own channel where you can check them (and their new crib) out, 24/7.
Two red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) have begun a rare urban nest on a sixth-story ledge of the campus’s Albert Dorman Honors College (ADHC) Residence Hall on Colden Street.
Contrary to most red-tailed hawk nests found in nature, the nesting site is so unusual that a team of NJIT faculty, students and staff have set up a YouTube livestream for viewers to be able to monitor the hawks’ daily activity throughout the spring.
The pair — named Aurora (female) and Redwing (male) — will be fortifying the nest, getting food and raising baby hawks (or eyas) for about 6-7 weeks once their eggs hatch.
Footage and time-lapse photos taken from the university’s “HawkCam” stationed on the ADHC building’s roof will be used for student-faculty urban ecology research, thanks to a collaboration between ADHC, NJIT’s Biology Department and the university’s Facilities Systems Department.
The hawks’ nesting plans were first spotted by honors college suitemates, William Kuo and Adhithya Rajasekar, who found the hawks boldly stacking up sticks outside their apartment’s hallway window in mid-February.
“Initially, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing … the hawk was casually building the nest outside the window. As I started taking photos, it even turned its head to look at me!” recalled Rajasekar ‘24, a biology and mathematics double major. “Will and I both immediately contacted Dean Hamilton at the Honors College to discuss ways to monitor the hawk. We were excited at the prospect of watching this all unfold at such proximity.”
“We wanted to spread the word, albeit carefully, to make sure people don’t scare away the hawks,” said Kuo ’22, a biomedical engineering student. “As a precautionary measure, both Adhithya and I asked to get approval to set up a black sheet over the window with a ‘do not disturb sign’ while a livestream camera could be set up.”
The Hawks Have Landed: What Could It Mean?
NJIT biology professor Gareth Russell and the university’s Urban Ecology Lab have taken an interest in the new residents.
While red-tailed hawks (or red-tails) are considered the most common species of raptor in the Eastern U.S., Russell says it’s uncommon to find them nesting in a busy urban environment as these hawks have — the pair’s nest occupies a ledge overlooking the bustle of Smashburger patrons on the building’s ground floor.
Typically, the hawks prefer a more serene natural environment, occupying tall trees.
However, they have been known to start similar urban nests on buildings near Central Park after an expansion of green spaces in the city in the 1990s, according to Russell. Such environmental changes can invite more natural prey for the hawks in the area, in turn leading to nesting events like this.
“We’ve seen these hawks flying around campus for a few years, but it’s exciting that they are now comfortable enough making a nest here,” said Russell. “We’re interested in what the presence of this nest says about changes in urban biodiversity in Newark and University Heights specifically. This could be an ecological indicator ... the hawks wouldn't be here if there wasn't a suitable amount of prey and nesting material for them now.”
This species typically eats small rodents and isn’t considered dangerous to humans. However, they and their nest should be left undisturbed.
Russell suggests the hawks will likely forage in nearby green spaces including Branch Brook Park, and anticipates activity in the nest to increase over the coming weeks. Aurora has already begun laying eggs and the pair can be seen taking shifts incubating while their partner scouts and retrieves food.
“Our lab is planning to use the observational data from the camera to understand some basics about their timing and behaviors, like how long they spend in the nest and how often they take turns incubating,” said Russell. “Generally, we want to better understand the life of this pair and perhaps even predict what they may do in future years on campus.”
Viewers can take note that Aurora, like other females of her species, is slightly larger than her male counterpart. Russell says she could lay up to five eggs, but three or four is most likely.
After the eggs start to hatch (expected in early April), she’ll begin helping their fledglings grow until they leave the nest by late May — fittingly, around the time of Commencement 2022.
“We may never know exactly why they built this nest on the ADHC building, but I’m glad they did,” said Russell. “My hope is that as viewers get this new window into the life of these beautiful birds, people will think more about ways in which humans and nature can live side-by-side.”
Above: Livestream of the red-tailed hawks' nest
