Checking In with Rose and Vince

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, Wildlife on January 11 2012, by Matt Newman

Not every New York institution knows the good fortune of having a surplus of skilled photographers. What better place to hone your picturesmith’s craft than a 250-acre utopia of nodding flowers, century-old trees, and classical architecture? I suppose it justifies the horde of zoom lenses I see on a daily basis.

This past weekend, friend of the Garden and long-time member Pat Gonzalez stopped by with her camera for another early-morning trek across the grounds. The woman must drink straight rocket fuel with her coffee to get up and in the gate before the sun even stumbles over the horizon most days. But she’s got a fantastical knack for snapping some of the most miraculous photos of our local raptors, so who’s to tell her not to?

Pat’s history with Rose and Vince is a long one, not to mention star-crossed. She’s either here at the right place and right time every time, or her subjects are just that vain about having their pictures taken. You may have caught one or two earlier Plant Talk posts about her adventures in birding with this mated pair of Red-tailed hawks; Rose herself has been in the Bronx for over six years, migrating between the Fordham campus and the NYBG, producing lively broods of miniature hawks that grow up to be just as alluring–if far more clumsy–than their regal parents.

With the reappearance of what looks to be Junior, one of Rose’s hatchlings from 2010, Pat informs me that there are now at least seven Red-tailed hawks calling the NYBG home. Not exactly a banner year for the chipmunk population, I imagine.

Age hasn’t diminished the beauty of these prolific parents. Pat explained that she caught Rose and Vince cruising overhead with a pair of younger hawks likely to be from their 2011 brood. The kids were bickering as siblings are wont to do, but no one was hurt. And for hawks, they’re certainly adorable–you would almost want to hug them if not for those monstrous talons.

P.S. — Please don’t hug the hawks. We don’t think they would much appreciate it.

Update: Pat has informed me that she is absolutely a tea drinker, and that a good breakfast is essential to any wildlife photographer’s schedule. Sorry, coffee fanatics.

Thinking of taking up birdwatching yourself? Debbie Becker leads the NYBG Bird Walk on Saturdays throughout much of the year. The expedition departs from the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center at 11 a.m. Bring a pair of binoculars if you can–we only have a limited number to loan out!

All photography by Patricia Gonzalez.