High In The Sky
In the fall, raptors migrate over Central Park in great numbers when the winds are right. Last weekend, I watched hawks from the Belvedere Castle terrace. Among the raptors seen were a Broad-winged Hawk and Juvenile Bald Eagle.
Fall In Central Park
I had lots of fun birding in Central Park this weekend. It’s a great time because you never know what you’ll see and where. A Red-tailed Hawk, a Brown Thrasher, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, bright yellow male American Goldfinch, and some Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds where some of the highlights.
Another Hummingbird
This one was calmly perching for about a half hour with small breaks in a patch of Jewelweed in the Upper Lobe area of Central Park’s Lake. It’s so great to have them migrating though this time of year.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
There were at least three Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds in the Jewelweed in a cove of Central Park’s Lake called the Oven. This one had a favorite perch making it easy to photograph.
Tuesday Evening in Washington Square
After being away for Labor Day weekend, I made a visit to Washington Square Park. One of the adults was on a flagpole, then the cross and then One Fifth Avenue. I think it was Bobby.
Central Park BioBlitz 2013
For 24 hours on Monday and Tuesday, the Central Park Conservancy and the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY hosted a BioBlitz studying the flora and fauna of Central Park.
On Monday night I had the privilege of taking a small group of CUNY students around the North Woods looking for nocturnal birds. Our targets were Black Skimmer, any owl, Nighthawks, Nightjars, and Night-Herons.
August is a tough time to see owls in the park, especially since the Eastern Screech-Owls reintroduced in 1999 and 2002 are no longer in the park. The other birds are tough to find at night on a good day, especially up north. So, we only ended up seeing sleeping waterfowl — Mallards, a few domestic ducks and a Canada Goose. Outside of birds, we also saw a few Eastern Racoons, some Brown Rats and heard a Bull Frog.
After our survey work was done we joined up with Dr. Rodrigo Medellín’s bat team. Both Eastern Red Bats and Silver-haired Bats had been captured in mist nests, so the students got a chance to see the bats up close. While I always see lots of bats hunting at dusk during the summer in Central Park, this was my first opportunity to see them up close.
Kudos to both the Central Park Conservancy and the Macaulay Honors College who did a fantastic job organizing a great learning event for hundreds of NYC college students.
