Urban Hawks

January 2, 2015December 25, 2020Other Birds

Another Day With The Couch’s Kingbird

Friday was a tougher day to see the Couch’s Kingbird, than Thursday. It was harder to find and when found didn’t stay around as much.

When I was watching it, the most reliable location was 11th and 4th Streets again. I did find a berry tree just south of 11th Street, which could be seen from West 4th and Perry, where American Robins and the Couch’s Kingbird were eating berries. I suspect the bird is eating and then taking advantage of the sun on 11th Street to digest them.

January 1, 2015December 25, 2020Other Birds

Couch’s Kingbird

Another rare Kingbird, is in New York besides the Cassin’s in Brooklyn. It’s a Couch’s Kingbird and is in Greenwich Village. I saw it as my first bird of the New Year. (It was a life bird for me.) The bird was discovered by Zack Winestine.

The bird which is normally in Mexico and southern Texas, is for some reason in some of the most charming blocks of the Village. This afternoon, it was mostly at 11th and 4th Streets. (In the Village, these two streets do meet!)

From the looks of the seeds it’s regurgitating, it’s surviving on a diet of mostly fruit rather than insects.

December 26, 2014December 18, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Time For The Kids To Leave

Adult Red-tailed Hawks generally tolerate juvenile hawks in their territories in the fall but start be aggressive with juveniles once the days start getting longer in the winter.

Today, after watching the adult male of Tompkins Square Park begin to do some hunting, all hell broke loose as a youngster came into the park. Soon both adults were chasing the youngster around the park and calling loudly. I wasn’t able to capture the action very well, since it was late in the day and I only had a 600mm lens with me, but it was exciting to see.

This was the hawk causing all of the commotion.

December 21, 2014December 19, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Dinner in Tompkins Square Park

While the female spent the afternoon on a chimney around 4th Street, the male hunted and ate a rat in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday.

December 14, 2014December 25, 2020Other Animals

Opossum

Today was the Christmas Bird Count for Central Park. The count had a fairly standard variety of species and population of birds. The highlight was three Ring-necked Ducks on the Reservoir.

But the real attraction for me was an Opossum that was found on the west side of the park. It was a first for me in Central Park.

November 23, 2014December 25, 2020Other Birds

Cassin’s Kingbird, Continues at Floyd Bennett Field

The Cassin’s Kingbird, continued to be visible at Floyd Bennett Field on Sunday. I couldn’t resist going out to Brooklyn to continue studying this bird’s behavior.