I began to observe a pair of Cooper's Hawks building a nest, high in the canopy of an oak tree on a residential street adjacent to Monticello Park on March 28. The male is an adult and its mate is an immature female. Both birds had been bringing sticks and lining material to the nest and copulating frequently. Prey observed had been both birds and rodents.

On April 10, it appeared that the birds were beginning construction of a new nest about a block and a half away, abandoning the original nest. As of April 12, they were continuing to bring sticks to this new nest located in an even taller oak tree than the first.

The second nest produced two healthy chicks who were well cared for by the parents. On July 2, one of them was seen vigorously exercising its wings in the nest. Within a half hour, a fledgling was observed preening and exercising on a branch of an adjacent tree, about 20 feet away. The nest appeared empty. Perhaps the sibling of the fledged bird was also out exploring nearby branches, or just snoozing deep in the nest, dreaming of its first flight.

Photos are arranged from latest to oldest. A video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6TBoZNM5Lc