Sharp-shinned Hawk and Eastern Screech-Owl

While leaving the Wildflower Meadow, I flushed an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk by accident.  I was able to watch its wing beats and see its tail shape to confirm it was a Sharp-shinned, rather than a Cooper’s Hawk.  It was just another reminder that summer was almost over.  The light was already starting to fail, so the pictures aren’t that great.

It was great to see something completely unexpected.  Migrations season can be like that.  You think you know what to expect and then you’ll see something unusual.

I did get to see one of the Eastern Screech-Owls in their roost tree.  They really seem to have settled down again now that most of the tree removal work is done.

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Riverside and Broadway

I spent the early afternoon looking at the Riverside Red-tailed Hawk pair on Saturday.  There nest is just off the Hudson River near 8st Street and looks great.  Last year they laid eggs around mid-March, so the female should start sitting on the nest soon.

Other nests in Manhattan are doing well.  Inwood Hill Park, Highbridge Park, St. John the Divine and 5th Avenue nests are doing fine.  The Highbridge nest is back to its old spot.

The Central Park South pair is still there but I don’t have any details about their nest.  The Houston female lost her mate last year, and may be nesting on the ConEd plant around 14th Street.  The pair that was around the City College campus remains a mystery.

Sightings of hawks this winter around the north end of Riverside Park and around the Court House buildings on Center Street make these locations possibilities for new nests this year.

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When leaving Riverside Park, check out the American Kestrels that have a scrape at 80th and Broadway.  One of them is usually on the building south of Zabar’s or on the church at 79th and Broadway.

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Bald Eagles

During the winter, about an hour north of Manhattan on the Hudson River, you can find Bald Eagles.  On Saturday, Teatown’s Hudson River Eaglefest 2009 was held along the river.  I drove up with James O’Brien and Ben Cacace and we ended up seeing over sixty eagles!  (We might have actually seen more, but we didn’t count the eagles we saw on the west side of the river to avoid double counting.)

We birded both sides of the river from Croton-on-Hudson on the east bank, up to George’s Island and Bear Mountain and down as far as Haverstraw on the west bank.

Map
The early morning view from George’s Island Park.
The view across the river from George’s Island.
There was a nice mix of adult and juvenile eagles on the river.
If you count closely, you’ll see ten eagles out on the river.  This photo was taken about two miles south of Bear Mountain Bridge on the east side of the river.
Fishing!
More Fishing!
Eagles were not the only ones riding the ice, the Greater Cormorants were too.