A number of Snowy Owls are in the New York Area this Thaksgiving weekend.  I caught up with one in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon. 

(Care needs to be given to not stress these owls.  If you’re not familiar with the etiquette around how to observe owls, please take some time to research how to behave around them before you go looking for them.)

At least one Northern Saw-whet Owl continues to be seen in Central Park.  It’s a joy to watch, even when it tries it’s best to hide from bird watchers!

As winter ends, it looks as though many Red-tailed Hawk pairs in Manhattan have started preparing for brooding.  Nests have been rebuilt and relocated slightly in Inwood Hill Park and Highbridge Parks, and other nests have been tidied up.

As of today, I know the following:

• Inwood Hill has a new nest which will be easy to watch and is further away from the owls in the park.
• Highbridge Park also has a new nest.  The old one was destroyed during Sandy.
• The 175th and Fort Washington pair have been seen this winter, but I don’t know where they are nesting this year.
• CUNY’s uptown campus has activity according to The Origin of Species blog.
• The Saint John’s nest seems to have lost its male, and it’s unclear just yet how things are developing.
• The Randalls Island nest seems to be in good shape.
• There is a pair trying to establish themselves in the ’90s of Central Park.
• Pale Male and his mate look to be all set for Spring.
• The Central Park South pair with a nest they built last year on the Crown Building and a secondary nest on The Plaza Hotel, look to be all set for Spring.
• The Washington Square Park nest is ready to go, but it looks like it might be without a webcam this year.

Let me know if you have additional news.

A Northern Saw-whet Owl has been seen in the park for about the last week in a new location.  Today it was hard to get a clear picture, but it was definitely a Saw-Whet.