The sun finally came out this afternoon and the nest site was much easier to photograph. One of the fledglings has become a really good flier and easily flies distances of one or two blocks. The father arrived this evening with a rodent, the mother bit the head off, and then delivered it to one of the fledglings. The pictures and video below contains some eating scenes. Viewer beware.
I only had about twenty minutes to observe the nest tonight. I saw both of the youngsters and both of the parents. All was quiet in a light rain.
Marie Winn’s Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife, her wonderful book about New York’s great park at night is now available in paperback for only $15. It goes on sale today. For more information about the book, visit her publlisher’s website at: www.picadorusa.com/centralparkinthedark
The book has received great praise:
“Central Park in the Dark is a delight; I’d follow Winn into the park at any hour.”–The New York Times Book Review
“A delightful chronicle of the animals that come out to hunt and play in the park at night . . . conveys the magic and enduring mysteries of Central Park.”–Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“Winn is an engaging writer, making us care about the evening denizens of the park (human or otherwise).”–Booklist
“Winn’s book is a revelation. . . . A worthy addition to any nature lover’s shelf.”–Buffalo News
“Exuberantly illuminates Central Park’s vibrant 843-acre nocturnal world.”–Kirkus Reviews
“From screech owl rescues to slug sex, Winn pulls the reader into this tight-knit circle of people all searching for the same thing: a glimpse of nature in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city.”–The Christian Science Monitor
I photographed the owl on the jacket in 2008. For my blog entries about owls over the last few years, click on any of the Eastern Screech-Owl Blogs links on the upper left hand corner of this blog.
It was a quiet evening with one fledgling exploring the nest tree and the other moving between trees. Both parents were around but didn’t spend much time near either fledgling. The kids were quiet, so I suspect they had been fed earlier in the day.
Both birds roosted away from the nest tonight.
The late afternoon at Riverside Park was crowded with inexperienced birders who harassed the birds by being too noisy, too close or acting like paparazzi.
These birds need to be given room to grow up without intentional or careless intervention. Nature knows what it’s doing. Let it work.
The fledglings were very active, as were their parents on Sunday morning. Food was brought by both parents One of the fledglings is a capable flier, while its sibling is still more a an advanced brancher.
It was happy to be back at the nest, although it was a difficult day, as I was asked “Where is the third baby” about twenty times. I had to relay the bad news and console too many people today.
