The Great Horned Owl continues to be seen in Central Park. It would be great if it stayed around for the Christmas Bird Count. Tonight it few to a nearby tree and we watched it for about five minutes before it flew briefly to another tree and then out of sight.
Central Park was delightful this afternoon. After visiting the reservoir to see the Ring Necked Duck that’s been hanging around the southeast corner, I found a Peregrine Falcon perched on the south tower of The Eldorado.
Soon after, I found a Red-tailed Hawk in the Pinetum, who was joined by a second hawk. They circled over Seneca Village before moving out of sight.
My last bird of the day was the Great Horned Owl that has now been in the park for three weeks.
At the risk of being repetitive, here are some more photographs of Central Park’s Great Horned Owl. I’m off to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving, so you’ll have a break from owl photos for a week! Tonight the owl explored the tree it was roosting in, by jumping/flying to three additional perches before flying out for the evening.
My visit to Central Park started with the search for the Western Flycatcher. It was the star of the day. A vagrant from the west coast, it is unclear if it is a Pacific-Slope or Cordilleran Flycatcher. It was photographed by at least twenty photographers, so I decided just to watch it. A fun bird to watch and get to know, even if it looks a bit scruffy. The two species interbreed, so the discussion about “which species this is?”, is really fascinating. See the NY State Bird List for an interesting discussion.
The end of the day was with the Great Horned Owl which was cooperative before and after fly out. It tends to like the tops of bare trees after fly out, which helps greatly while following it after fly out.
The Great Horned Owl which wasn’t found last Sunday, was found mid-week and this Saturday. Today, it was on an open branch giving birders excellent looks. I’m glad it’s stuck around so long!
The Great Horned Owl in Central Park was difficult to photograph and observe today. It faced away from the easy spots to photograph from this afternoon and evening. Fly out was a little later than the last few nights, but it was a clear rather than cloudy night so this was to be expected. Except for a a brief second flight, we were unable to track the owl tonight.
Update: The owl was not seen Sunday morning, 11-15-15
