Tompkins Square Park Before Roosting
I got to the park just after sunset and got a brief look at one of the hawks before it went down Avenue A to roost.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
