Juan Monroy

With the threat of afternoon showers, I took the subway instead of riding my bike to NYU today. As I was walking through Washington Square Park this morning, I saw a woman, who was walking two dogs, standing in the middle of the pedestrian path with her camera phone pointed at one of the benches. On that bench was a hawk. It was quietly perched there.

The hawk had captured the attention of those who are always a presence on the park’s west end, such as the chess players, dog walkers, and various others passersby. All of us were cautiously taking photos of it. I had snapped one with my iPhone, but since that camera has such a short focal length, I reached into my bag and pulled out my G12. That allowed me to “get closer” shots since that camera has a zoom lens.

Hawks have been making their home around the park and atop Bobst Library, although this is the first time I saw one of them in person. I’m not sure if this is one of the celebrity hawks (such as Pip or Violet).