Urban Hawks

February 24, 2010December 16, 2020Central Park Coyotes

Should It Stay Or Should It Go?

My photos and videos of the Central Park Coyote have generated lots of email. They have mostly been about what to do with the Coyote. The emails I’ve gotten have basically fallen into three categories, Shoot It, Move It or Leave It.

An interesting article in Scientific American (just for full disclosure, a division of the company I work for) details recent studies of Coyote populations in suburban and urban areas. It turns out they aren’t so bad, if you don’t feed them or leave your pets outdoors.

A very nice PDF has been created by the Cook County Coyote Project. It explains the results of an extensive study of the Chicago area population of Coyotes by Dr. Stanley Gehrt of The Ohio State University.

As wild mammals and raptors reclaim our urban areas, they bring with them new urban wildlife management issues. It’s fascinating to see how unprepared our local governments are for these arrivals.

I went looking for the Coyote tonight and missed seeing it. However, others did see it. There are two ends of the Hallett Sanctuary fence. One end is near Gapstow bridge. The other end is near Sixth Avenue and the Coyote can exit by walking over a small dam without getting wet. I had staked out the wrong end of the fence tonight!

Update: Robert Sullivan (author of Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants) wrote a nice piece for the Intelligencer column of the March 8th issue of New York Magazine about this evening.

February 22, 2010December 21, 2020Owls

Still Single

Just back from vacation, I went up to The Pool to see how the female Eastern Screech-Owl was doing. She’s doing just fine but it’s clear she’s a widow now.

Tonight, as she left the cavity, it looked like she was banded. I haven’t seen a clear look at a band this season, so this was a surprise.

After fly out she went to a tree to the west of the cavity, rather than east, and then ended up going across the ice to Sweetgums on the north shore of The Pool. She then went up to the Great Hill and out of sight.

February 22, 2010December 16, 2020Central Park Coyotes

Coyote Continues In Central Park

I’m back from vacation and went by The Pond in the southeast corner of the park after dark looking for the Coyote. Other than my sighting up at The Pool, most of the other sightings have been from this location. The Pond is steps away from The Plaza Hotel, Bergdorf Goodman and the flagship NYC Apple store.

To the west of The Pond is Hallett Nature Sanctuary. This is an area free of the presence of dogs and humans. It would be a perfect place for the Coyote to sleep during the day and was the favorite spot of the 2006 Coyote, Hal.

As luck would have it, I had chosen the right spot and time. The Coyote came out onto the ice four times. It played with a bottle, went after some ducks, and eventually disappeared. It seemed quite shy, hiding in the sanctuary between forays onto the ice.

I frown on giving wild animals or birds names. But if this new Coyote needs a name, rather than giving it a name like Hal II or Hal Jr., I vote for Urbana as an homage to Arthur C. Clarke and 2001. It retains a reference to Hal(lett) and includes Urban in the name.

February 6, 2010December 25, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Extralimital

London Peregrine Falcon Pair

I’m in London on a business trip without my birding equipment, however I had a pleasant experience with a pair of Peregrine Falcons just the same on Saturday afternoon.

I’m staying in a hotel with a view of the British Library and the St. Pancras train station. As I was waiting for the elevator, a Peregrine flew within twenty feet of the hotel. After a few minutes, it flew back and perched on St. Pancras’s clock tower.

I left the hotel and went in search of the Peregrine. I couldn’t find it, but after about ten minutes saw a Peregrine fly towards a construction crane at Kings Cross. It landed on top of another Peregrine and they copulated. The male then returned to the St. Pancras clock tower.

Londoners were like many New Yorkers, that Saturday afternoon. Other than myself, no one seemed to be aware that birds of prey were in the area, as they rushed to get their trains or the underground.

February 4, 2010December 28, 2024Owls

She’s Stopped Being Quiet

Tonight, the female was vocal again. She called after fly out and again about twenty to thirty minutes later. If she keeps being vocal, it will certainly make owl watching easier.

We got disturbed by a helicopter, which appeared to be looking for the coyote, just after fly out.

(I’m away for two weeks, so don’t expect any updates until mid-February.)

February 3, 2010December 16, 2020Central Park Coyotes

Central Park Coyote

A coyote has been seen in Central Park this week. Tonight, it wandered across the ice of The Pool, which is in the northwest corner of the park up at 102nd Street east of Central Park West.

There were Park Enforcement Police chasing after it. Given how they were chasing the coyote (from their cars!), it should stay free for quite awhile.

Rolling around in the snow on top of the ice covered waters of The Pool.