A Great Horned Owl has returned to Central Park. I found it around 6:30 p.m. and was able to keep track of it for over an hour. It flew to various trees along the Lake from the Indian Caves to the Oven. The owl seemed to go wherever there were groups of quacking ducks.
The Great Horned Owl was harassed during the day by owl watchers when it was last here, so these photos will remain hidden form the public until the owl leaves the park.
Audubon’s Chrismas Bird Count is a wonderful tradition that started in 1900. It’s a great event that welcomes birders of all skill levels. These counts no longer are held on Christmas day, but on the days surounding the holiday.
In New York City, the dates are on the weekend before and after Christmas. I’ll be attending the Central Park count on Sunday, December 20th.
For more details on the New York City counts, see the NYC Audubon website.
Tonight, we couldn’t find either owl until after fly out. Both owls seemed to arrive from the tops of trees over Glen Span Arch. This is going to be tough to figure out.
It was the coldest night of the fall so far. Freezing and very windy.
Surprisingly, the female was sitting at the edge of her cavity as though it was warm out. When a raccoon went by, she was highly suspect perking up her ears and turned her head all around to keep track of the intruder.
At fly out she hopped around on a few close by tree branches before flying southeast. I soon found her with her mate. Despite the cold temperatures, neither owl was frigid tonight! She called, he responded and they copulated.
She then went to the ground and although I can’t be entirely sure, I think she returned with a mouse.
They fly out tonight reminded me so much of last year it was like a time warp. Same stump, same owl, same fly out pattern. And hundreds of runners going right past her…
Three rabid raccoons have been found in Central Park this year, two in the last two weeks. The NYC Health Department’s latest press release warns Central Park visitors to stay away from raccoons and other animals that might carry rabies. Dogs should also be kept on leash in the park and be properly vaccinated.
The full press release is on the NYC.gov website.
The Health Department reminds us that the last New York City rabies case in a human was in the 40s, so there is no need to panic. Both the Bronx and Staten Island have had rabies outbreaks in raccoons in recent years without humans getting infected. That said, the Health Department still recommends taking basic precautions against getting our pets or ourselves infected.
Update 2-27-10: Since this was posted, rabies has spread exponentially throughout the park. This latest press release from the Health Department shows 39 positive animal cases in 2010 in Manhattan.
