Urban Hawks

March 29, 2008December 23, 2020General News

50 Birds in 50 Days Follow Up

In March of 2008, I gave the following lecture:

50 Birds in 50 Days with Bruce Yolton
Saturday, Mar 29, 2008
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Bruce Yolton is an amateur photographer, popular blogger, and avid birder who has lived in New York City for over twenty years. Bruce discovered birding three years ago when Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates prompted him to walk every path in Central Park, and he has been hooked ever since. He shares his joy of learning about birds with others in his blog about Central Park birding, called Urban Hawks.

Now, you too can learn how to go from beginner to seasoned birder as Bruce shares his birding experiences and tips in person at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. In Bruce’s lecture presentation, 50 Birds in 50 Days, he will display his birding photographs, teach how to select a field guide and choose binoculars, and divulge the best walking routes and viewing spots in Central Park.

It was a great deal of fun to share my love of birding in Central Park.

If you missed the lecture, here is a summary of the links and the slides from the talk:

March 28, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Friday, 3-28-08

Both owls came out of the nest cavity tonight. The male spent time on the tree where he had offered a mouse to the female, what seems like ages ago, although it is only six weeks.

The male continued to guard the neighborhood trying to show the raccoons who is boss. I wonder if he is preparing the area for fledglings?

March 26, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Tuesday, 3-25-08

The male was back by the bridge this evening. He flew around us and buzzed the raccoons a few times.

The female came out and went back in. This is the first time we’ve caught her returning.

March 24, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Monday, 3-24-08

The male was back in the nest cavity today. He flew out in fairly bright light. I wonder if he’s got a job to do?

The female appeared and I couldn’t tell if she flew out or went back into the cavity. There was a small bit of gray, left in the cavity, which could have been her head, a feather or a nestling? At this point I’m confused. I can’t wait for this puzzle to be solved.

March 23, 2008December 21, 2020Owls

Sunday, 3-23-08

Tonight was lots of fun.

The male was in the cavity by the bridge. He was in his usual spot, jumped around to the “back door”, and flew out towards to the same tree he had used the night before. He then flew around the nest area scoping out the squirrels and raccoons.

He then did something I had thought I had seen him do before, but this time I got to see for sure. He knocked a squirrel off the side of a tree, making him fall twenty feet. The squirrel managed to grap a limb of a bush in order to break its fall. It was amazing to watch. Gray Squirrels are three times heaver than an Eastern Screech-Owl.

While watching the male after this, Jean saw an owl fly into the cavity. It wasn’t the male, since I could see him the whole time. So, the female had taken a short break and returned to the cavity.

Lots of action. It’s going to be tough to watch the two of them being so independent. You can only be in one place at a time!

We keep hoping for a glimpse of a nestling but haven’t seen one yet. We really have no idea where they are in the nesting cycle.

March 22, 2008December 23, 2020Tompkins Square Red-tailed Hawks

Lower East Side

The female is now brooding on the Lower East Side. Locals report that she seems to be free of the plastic bag that was on her leg on Friday. Luckily, the male picked up and send to a rehabber a few blocks north of the nest, turns out not to be part of this pair.

I received an email that suggested there was a rush to read her band number. It was suggested that the school be contacted so someone could look out the window. I would suggest restraint and wait until the juveniles fledge.

However, if someone wanted to contact the school to help them build an art and science curriculum based on the hawks that might be fantastic. Hawk Mountain already has a number of coloring books, study guides and teaching outlines. I had hoped that New York City Audubon already had a curriculum for an inner city school but they don’t seem to have one.

Here are some pictures of the male on two buildings and the female’s tail, which is the best picture she would give me in the late afternoon.