One of the joys of winter is that it brings owls to Central Park. But this year, they’ve been scarce. Luckily, at least two Long-eared Owls have been in the park this week. Finally! From my very poor pictures you can see that these owls do a good job of staying under the radar! After fly out, after a few minutes of preening, the owl quickly caught a rodent and flew off.
I went up to Ulster County, NY to see the Gyrfalcon that has around for a few weeks. The bird, which depending on the day has been easy to find or hard to find, was very cooperative today.
In addition to the Gyrfalcon, I was able to photograph a Short-eared Owl. Definitely worth driving for four hours!
With the snow and ice, I only stayed in the center of Central Park today. I added two species to my year list, a Fox Sparrow and a Rusty Blackbird. Highlights also included a very tame Carolina Wren and a Long-eared Owl.
Sunday was as warm as Saturday, making it enjoyable to walk around Central Park. I started up north, and saw a Brown Trasher by the Pool, my 57th bird in Manhattan for the year.
While in the Conservancy Garden, I saw a Red-tail perch on the roofs of the Cardinal Cooke Heath Care Center and El Museo del Barrio.
Then after a walk to the middle of the park, I had two Long-eared Owls. A nice relaxing afternoon on Superbowl Sunday.
Finally a warm day, in the high 40’s to watch birds in Central Park. The cold was getting a bit old. My day started with a Cooper’s Hawk, and then some fun song birds at the feeders in the Ramble. It ended with two Long-eared Owls, one of which had an adventure with a gray squirrel and coughed up a pellet.
Snowy Owls continue in the area. This afternoon, I got to photograph one in the snow. White on White, what a delight to photograph.
