Cornell Hawks Webcam – Red-tailed Hawk Nest in Ithaca

The Cornell Hawks Webcam looks into the nest of a Red-tailed Hawk pair that has raised its young on top of a sports light pole at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, for more than a decade. The stick platform sits roughly 24 meters (80 feet) above Robison Alumni Fields in the middle of campus, and the female, Big Red, returns to it each spring with her mate Arthur. From late March the frame follows the whole cycle: eggs, weeks of incubation through cold and often wet weather, then chicks that grow from downy hatchlings into young hawks ready to leave the pole. A second, fixed camera on the same Fernow nest sits in the next tab, so you can switch between the two angles.

About the Cornell Hawks

This pair has nested above Cornell’s athletic fields since 2012. They have used two light towers over the years: one near Fernow Hall in 2012, 2015 and 2018 to 2023, and the one nearest Weill Hall in 2013, 2014 and 2016. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology installed cameras at both sites, so the stream can follow the birds whichever tower they pick. Big Red takes her name from the university’s sports nickname, and Cornell put her age at 22 in December 2025. Her earlier mate, Ezra, died; she and Arthur first spent time together in April 2017 and raised their first brood as a pair in 2018. The two average about three chicks a year.

The ground under the nest has changed more than the birds have. Construction of the Meinig Fieldhouse began on Robison Alumni Fields in 2024, and 12 aging light poles were due to come down. Cornell’s facilities crew demolished most of them but kept the two that had held Big Red’s nest, then ran new power and data lines to those poles so the camera could keep working. The fieldhouse, planned as indoor practice, competition and recreation space, uses bird-safe glass etched with dots spaced 5 centimeters (2 inches) apart. The reason is in the cam’s own records: 13 of the 41 hawks seen on the stream have been injured or killed in collisions.

It worked. On March 5, 2025, the cam came back online for its 14th season, and the pair were already shaping the twigs left from 2024 into a bowl on one of the surviving poles. Big Red laid three brown-speckled eggs that spring, unbothered by the building going up below. In 2026 her first egg arrived at 8:04 p.m. on March 23, and the clutch went on to reach four. Ithaca itself is a city of 32,108 people (2020 census) at 123 meters (404 feet) on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, with the campus on the hill above downtown.

Weather and Climate in Ithaca

Ithaca has a humid continental climate with long, snowy winters. January highs average about -1 C (31 F) and lows about -10 C (15 F), and the city gets roughly 160 centimeters (63 inches) of snow a year. That matters on this camera, because egg laying starts in late March while winter is still in charge. A brooding hawk can sit through snow, sleet and freezing rain with the eggs tucked beneath her.

Spring warms through April and May, when the chicks hatch and the fields below turn green. July is the warmest month, with average highs around 27 C (80 F) and lows near 14 C (58 F), and by then the young hawks are usually flying from the pole. Annual precipitation is close to 973 millimeters (38 inches), spread across the year.

Things to Do Near the Cornell Hawks Nest

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which runs this camera, is based at Sapsucker Woods, about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) northeast of the nest. Its building, the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity, stands in a wooded sanctuary with walking trails. Back on campus, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art holds the university’s art collection, and the gorges of Fall Creek and Cascadilla Creek cut through the edges of campus on their way down to the city. Ithaca Falls, on Fall Creek, is one of the easiest waterfalls in town to reach on foot.

South of the city, Buttermilk Falls State Park and Robert H. Treman State Park, which protects Enfield Gorge, both have gorge trails past their waterfalls. Taughannock Falls State Park lies about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of campus on the west side of Cayuga Lake, and its falls drop through a deep gorge toward the lake.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Cornell Hawks Webcam located?

The camera is on a sports light pole above Robison Alumni Fields on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York, near Fernow Hall and Tower Road. Ithaca sits at the southern end of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region.

What can you see on the Cornell Hawks Webcam?

The main view is the hawks’ stick nest, roughly 24 meters (80 feet) up, with the campus fields and roads far below. In spring and early summer it shows eggs, incubation, feeding and growing chicks. Outside the breeding season the nest is often empty, though an adult can still drop in.

Who are Big Red and Arthur?

Big Red is the female Red-tailed Hawk who has nested on these light towers since 2012, named after Cornell’s sports nickname. Arthur became her mate in 2017, after her earlier mate Ezra died, and the pair have raised young together every year since 2018.

When do the Cornell hawks lay their eggs?

Egg laying starts in late March. In 2026 the first egg came at 8:04 p.m. on March 23 and the clutch reached four eggs, while in 2025 there were three. Chicks follow in spring and leave the nest by summer.

Why do the Cornell hawks nest on a light pole?

Red-tailed Hawks usually nest high in tall trees. A stadium light pole gives the same height with open fields all around, and this pair has used two poles on the athletic fields since 2012. Cornell kept exactly those two standing when the other ten came down for the Meinig Fieldhouse.

What is the weather like in Ithaca?

Winters are cold and snowy, with January highs near -1 C (31 F) and about 160 centimeters (63 inches) of snow a year. Summers are warm, with July highs around 27 C (80 F).

Why is the Cornell hawk nest empty?

The pair only need the nest while they have eggs or chicks, so once the young have flown in summer the platform often sits empty through autumn and winter. The work starts again in late winter: when the cam came back online on March 5, 2025, the pair were already rearranging twigs in the old bowl.

Source: Cornell Lab Bird Cams