On Thursday afternoon, The Linnaean Society of New York hosted a hawk watch on the steps near Belvedere Castle. While it was a bit too late in the season to get Broad-winged Hawks, we had lots of raptors, Turkey Vultures, Canada Geese, and one Bald Eagle.
A local American Kestrel showed up on a tree on the opposite side of Turtle Pond and eventually perched on an antenna on Fifth Avenue.
A Nelson’s Sparrow was found up at the Pool of Central Park on Saturday. It’s a bird I’m used to having other trek out to the Bronx Kill on Randalls Island to see, so it was nice to have one closer to home.
A Yellow-billed Cuckoo was feasting on Spotted Lanternflies in the late afternoon by just north of the Swedish Cottage in Central Park. The bird must have caught at least eight, while I was watching it.
Three Green Herons were seen high in a Amur Cork tree on the southern path of the Azela Pond in Central Park on Sunday. It was an amazing sight to them high in the tree, and not alongs some shoreline. Plus three seems to be a record number all in one tree for Central Park.
A Common Nighthawk was in the same River Birch tree, presumably the same bird that was there Tuesday, on Thursday. The best view was from south of the 79th Street transverse, and while thermal distortions interfered with my images I got to see some great behavior.
Tonight four Common Nighthawks flew over the Ramble and Turtle Pond. It was nice to see them eating insects after watching two of them perched on Tuesday.
