Red-phase Eastern Screech-Owl Reappears
The Red Eastern Screech-Owl seen a few weeks ago reappeared today. I only got to see it for a few minutes at fly out. Welcome back.
Additional Saturday Birds
In addition to the Snowy Owl, on Long Island and at Jamaica Bay, I photographed a Merlin, some Snow Geese, and a few Green-winged Teals on Saturday.
Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow
There have been two Snowy Owls hanging around one of the barrier islands on the south shore of Long Island for the past week. I’ve been having bad luck finding life birds this fall. But today, I found this species within five minutes of parking my car!
(There have been reports of them being harassed by birders and photographers this week, so be careful if you see them. A Park Ranger told me that today, a photographer chased one of the owls down the beach. The owls are down here looking for food because food ran out further north. They’re in a stressful period of there lives. If they fly off, you’ve gotten too close. Please don’t chase after them. We’ve got to do our best to welcome and protect these birds.)
The bird I saw was most likely a young male.
Thanksgiving Day
I went looking for Eastern-screech Owls today, but didn’t have any luck finding them. The familiar cavities and locations from last year, all turned up empty. A few cavities even had squirrels where owls had been roosting last season.
The day wasn’t a wash out however. It included an adult Cooper’s Hawk who led me from the Ramble to the Locust Grove. It also included two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks, who seem to get along just fine. Both had just finished meals, and were in trees no more than 100 yards apart.
2008-2009 Owl Season Has Begun
Thanks to Stella Hamilton, who with the help of some Bluejays found the bird, and Lincoln Karim who sent me a text message, I got to see my first Eastern-screech Owl of the Fall today. (It was in a very busy place, so forgive me if I keep its location private.)
The owl, a red morph, may be the owl that was released by a rehabber a few weeks ago. While I was observing it, some of its neighbors were not too welcoming, including a Black-capped Chickadee, a Gray Squirrel and a Tufted Titmouse.
Young vs. Established
The young hawk I had seen yesterday was in the same general area today. I first saw it around the playgrounds north of Tavern on the Green, and then on a C.P.W. building around 68th Street. Then it took off towards the Heckscher Ball Fields. When I caught up with the hawk, it had just finished up eating and was cleaning its beak.
Then I spotted Charlotte, the female hawk from Central Park South, on one of the Ball Fields. She took off towards the young hawk’s tree with some prey.
The young hawk left, but ended up moving to a number of trees around the Ball Fields as Charlotte ate. I could not figure out all of the dynamics, but something was surely going on between the two of them.
