Long-eared Owls Continue
Long-eared Owls continue to be seen in Central Park. Two were visible on Saturday in a tree south of their last location. It was great to see them again.
Pale Male and Mate Late On Friday
I got to watch Pale Male and his new mate go to roost on Friday. They choose different trees near the East Drive.
One of the funny things about hawk watching is explaining to tourists that hawks don’t live in their nests like Monk Parakeets, but that they perch and roost all over their territory when not actually using the nest to raise offspring. I think anyone who watches Pale Male has repeated this explanation thousands of times.
In the video Pale Male is at the bottom of the screen, and his mate above. The shots in the tree are all of the female.
Quiet Afternoon
These photographs are from Sunday. I’ve been too busy to post them earlier. It was a relaxed afternoon, with Pale Male on his nest and his new mate on a nearby building.
Owl Watching Done Correctly
On Saturday, a group of bird watchers stood carefully across the road from the roost and observed the park’s Eastern Screech-Owl. The group was wonderfully handled by a NYC Urban Park Ranger. They kept their distance from the owl, were quiet and didn’t disturb her in the least. Her ears stayed flat the whole time the group watched them.
A few hearty souls quietly followed her after fly out and were rewarded by getting to see her preen and call.
Plat Du Jour
The Plat Du Jour Saturday afternoon was squirrel. Pale Male caught it next just inside the park opposite the nest building. He went to about five different spots to eat it. While eating he called to his new mate, so he could share, but she never came to eat “seconds”.
Calling Continues
The North Woods Eastern Screech-Owl continued her calling this evening. She ventured up to the Great Lawn to advertise her availability.
Before fly out she did some grooming, and there were a few frames of video that clearly showed she is banded.
While she is doing all of this calling, I certainly hope Dr. Robert DeCandido does not lead an “Owl Tour” and play his Screech-Owl tapes. She certainly doesn’t need to be confused by Birding Bob as she looks for a mate.
