Category: Owls

Inwood Hill Park Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds, Owls

Inwood Hill Park

I went up to Inwood Hill Park to look for the Pileated Woodpecker on Saturday. I found it with the help of two local birders, and was also able to see one of the resident Eastern Screech-Owls and the Inwood Hill Park Red-tailed Hawk nest.

I also found a great way to get to Inwood Hill Park from the East Side of Manhattan! I had been taking the E train, then taking A train to the end of the line, but it’s a long trip. I discovered on Saturday, that one can the BxM1 Express Bus. It goes up Third Avenue and then stops in Inwood at 207th Street and Broadway before going on to the Bronx. The trip only took me 35 minutes each way!

Owls

Barred Owl

I finally had a chance to catch up with the Barred Owl. It called once and did its normal stretches before fly out. It then spent some time looking at squirrels near the roost site before quickly going west. It ended up chasing a Red-tailed Hawk and we lost track of the owl.

Owls

Northern Saw-whet Owl

On Saturday, due to the mobbing of Bluejays and a Tufted Titmouse, I found a very well hidden Northern Saw-whet Owl. These birds are really hard to find and I was thrilled to be able to find one with the help of the mob! It was tucked deeply in the branches of a tree, and could only be seen from one narrow window.

Owls

Barred Owl

I only had time to watch the fly out tonight and couldn’t stay to follow it. It was a fairly average fly out, with the owl flying to a tree in the woods between the roost and the Balancing Rock.

The owl perched for about ten minutes before hearing some squirrels “argue” before going to bed. She went after them, and as she normally does she missed them. It was then off to toward to the west.

Just as a matter of etiquette, it’s a good idea to stay on the paths and out of the woods around the roost. Avoid jumping the fences, even the short ones. The owl often keeps track of the rodents around the roost, and if people stay out of the woods, she often will give everyone at the fly out a great show after she flies out. However, if people jump the fences, go into the woods, and rustle the leaves, she often leaves the area quickly.

Owls

Barred Owl

I watched the Barred Owl fly out for the first time in about a month. The Snowy Owl, certainly upstaged the Barred Owl for the time it was here!

The owl flew out just after Pale Male flew by to go to roost. The owl when to familiar spots, bathing for a minute and then going off to a favorite spot to hunt. It didn’t catch anything, and few off in the direction of another location it hunts from.

It was nice to see the owl was in the same routine it’s had for months. This is the longest we’ve a Barred Owl stay in my memory. I’m going to keep enjoying it, while it’s still here.

Central Park Snowy Owl 2021, Owls

Backtops and Infields

Tonight the Snowy Owl arrived at the Compost Heap, but due to the high winds, aborted her landing and when directly to the eastern side of the North Meadow. It was backstop, ground, backstop, backstop, backstop, hunt, eat for a very long time, then some play in a few puddles. Then a puddle in the home team dugout before going out to 1st Base, and then we lost track of her. Similar to when she arrived, she used the infield sand right next to grass.

She took at least an hour to eat the first half of the Brown Rat, but then ate the second half in a few seconds.

She was done hunting and eating her first rat by 9:00 pm. Usually we would have looked for where she went after eating, but it was just too cold with high winds and dropping temperatures, so most of us went home.