Red-tailed hawk Oren soaring above the Syracuse University campus. (Photo courtesy of Anne Marie Higgins)
Soaring Into Another Nesting Season
A familiar duo has returned to a Lyman Hall archway to raise their 2026 brood. Oren and Ruth, the mated pair of red-tailed hawks, have made the campus their year-round home since 2023, and once again are nesting on Lyman Hall. Viewers from around the world can watch the hawk pair raise their chicks in real time, thanks to a overlooking the pair鈥檚 nest that sits atop a ledge in the northern archway on the east side of Lyman Hall. The camera, generously funded by alumna Anne Marie Higgins 鈥76, G鈥90, offers a clear view of the day-to-day activities of the beloved raptor family.
A Front-row Seat
The nest cam provides a front-row seat to an extraordinary natural story as it happens. Viewers will see everything from nest building and egg laying to incubation, hatching, feeding, sibling interactions and the thrilling moment when the chicks take their first flights. The camera runs continuously, operated by Higgins and dedicated volunteers, giving the campus community and wildlife enthusiasts the chance to witness round-the-clock activity throughout the 2026 nesting season.
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Oren and Ruth鈥檚 presence on campus continues a remarkable lineage. Oren is the 2020 offspring of the legendary SU-Sue and Otto, the red-tailed hawk pair that nested on campus and raised 28 chicks between 2012 and 2022 before both died of avian influenza in early 2023. Oren and his mate Ruth first appeared together on campus in March 2023. They initially nested in a ginkgo tree in 2024 and successfully raised two chicks. In 2025, they moved to the Lyman Hall southern archway, refurbishing one of SU-Sue and Otto鈥檚 old nests, to raise another pair, both of whom fledged in June and spent the summer mastering flight and hunting on campus.
Their names, too, reflect the University鈥檚 legacy: Oren honors Oren Lyons 鈥58, H鈥93, acclaimed Haudenosaunee faithkeeper and Syracuse University lacrosse standout, while Ruth is named after alumna Ruth Johnson Colvin 鈥59, H鈥84, founder of Literacy Volunteers of America and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Oren and Ruth aren鈥檛 the only hawk pair you might spot around the university. On South Campus, Cliff and Ensley (with Ensley being a 2016 offspring of SU-Sue and Otto) have built a new nest on a light tower. They are named after the Clifford Ensley Athletic Center, where they often perch within the athletics complex. Although no camera will be installed at that site this year, Higgins and her team will continue monitoring the pair from the ground.
Livestream Made Possible by Alumna
The live stream is part of a multi-year effort made possible by Higgins in loving memory of her late husband, the Honorable Thomas W. 鈥淭im鈥 Higgins Jr.聽 Avid bird watchers, Anne Marie and Tim shared a special affection for hawks. After Tim鈥檚 passing in 2009, Anne Marie found comfort in hawk sightings and in the Cornell University nest cam. Everything changed in 2016 when she learned of a hawk family nesting at Syracuse University and witnessed, in person, five chicks exploring the southern ledge of Lyman Hall and one chick that had already left the nest. That experience sparked her commitment to bringing a nest cam to Syracuse University.
For Anne Marie, supporting the cameras is both a tribute to Tim and a gift to the community. She leads Zoom classes for schools around Central New York to share what she鈥檚 learned about red-tailed hawks, helping kids understand how these birds live and what they need to thrive. By giving the community a closer look at Oren and Ruth as they raise their brood, she hopes to spark a simple curiosity about wildlife and encourage a stronger connection to the natural world.
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