Urban Hawks

August 11, 2009Riverside Park Red-tailed Hawks

Riverside Update

I've been by Riverside Park a few times over the last week, but haven't seen the fledgling since the 4th of August. I suspect that the fledgling is exploring and is somewhere in a twenty block radius of the nest. Any news of sightings would be appreciated.

This is one of the frustrations of Red-tailed Hawk watching. When the kids leave home, they don't give you any warning. They just go!

Update: August 17th, 2009. Pam Langford was kind enough to send me an email saying that the fledgling was near the 83rd Street Playground on the evening of Sunday the 16th. It was nice to hear the fledgling was doing fine.

August 8, 2009December 24, 2020Extralimital

Yellowstone Gray Wolf

I spent about eight hours trying to see a Yellowstone Gray Wolf, and finally did for about 30 seconds. I only ended up with one fuzzy picture but it was worth it.

Wolves were reintroduced to the Yellowstone in 1995, and have generated interest with the general public since then.

The “wolfers”, are a die hard group of wolf watchers. Spending a few mornings and afternoons with them, reminded me of what hawk watching is like in New York. The group had the same spectrum of individuals as the New York hawk watchers, hard-core scientific experts, addicted animal lovers, and casual watchers. Many of the wolfers plan their Yellowstone vacations around wolf watching or live and/or work in surrounding areas and spend evenings or weekends in the park looking for wolves.

The wolfers have a network, just like the hawk watchers too. They use radios and the internet to communicate about sightings and keep in touch with each other.

Below are pictures of a morning wolf watching.

August 8, 2009December 24, 2020Extralimital, Other Birds

Grand Teton Sandhill Cranes

I got to see three different pairs of Sandhill Cranes in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons but photographing them wasn’t easy. Here are the best photographs I had. They had a wonderfully prehistoric sounding call.

August 8, 2009December 24, 2020Extralimital

Yellowstone Pronghorn

Yellowstone Pronghorn were easily spotted on my trip in two valleys, the Hayden and the Lamar. They’re sometimes called Antelope. They’re known for their great eyesight and quick speed.

August 8, 2009December 24, 2020Extralimital, Other Birds

Yellowstone and Grand Teton American White Pelicans

American White Pelicans were numerous along the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers. This was yet another species I was familiar with from visits to Florida, that I didn’t expect to see in Wyoming. I guess salt water or fresh water doesn’t matter as long as their are fish to eat.

August 8, 2009December 28, 2024Other Animals

Yellowstone Coyote

Watching nature is about being in the right time at the right place. But sometimes getting up early to see one thing yields another. This was the case with this Yellowstone Coyote. I had gotten up before dawn to see wolves, but instead got to see this frisky Coyote near Canyon Village.