Central Park was delightful this afternoon. After visiting the reservoir to see the Ring Necked Duck that’s been hanging around the southeast corner, I found a Peregrine Falcon perched on the south tower of The Eldorado.
Soon after, I found a Red-tailed Hawk in the Pinetum, who was joined by a second hawk. They circled over Seneca Village before moving out of sight.
My last bird of the day was the Great Horned Owl that has now been in the park for three weeks.
At the top of a tall pine this afternoon by the 79th Street Transverse north of the maintenance building, was an American Kestel eating what looked to be a house sparrow. This small falcon is one of New York City’s most beautiful birds.
The fall and winter months bring Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks to the park. On Halloween day, it was a Cooper’s Hawk that I saw in Central Park. An immature bird that was born this year.
I went to Governors Island for the afternoon, and did the typical tourist stuff. But I did get some great view of an American Kestrel. The ferry to the island is only $2 and runs through the last weekend in September.
The Osprey nest in Darien, CT no longer has two little ones, but two large fledglings flying on and off the nest. They’re doing great and it was fun to watch then for an afternoon. Highlights included a number of “food fights” over fish the father brought, and watching the mother go wading and then bathing in the ocean.
The birds with rows of small dots on the wings and yellow on the back of their necks are the fledglings, and the mother has markings on her upper breast, which are much fainter on the male.
Over the July 4th weekend, I got to watch a pair of Opsrey and their two young ones on a tiny island in Long Island Sound. So, much more fun than fireworks!
