Category: Other Animals

Extralimital, Other Animals, Other Birds

Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland, Canada

My last set of photos from my vacation in Newfoundland are from the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, a set of islands off the Avalon Peninsula. The main island is home to the largest Atlantic puffin colony in North America, as well as to nesting Greater Black-backed Gulls, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Common Murres, Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, and Herring Gulls. The waters around the islands are home during the summer to numerous Whale species, including Humpbacks.

Other Animals

Eastern Coyote

A very nice surprise on Tuesday to find an Eastern Coyote in Central Park. It was using a location that a coyote used a few years ago. A few observers tried to keep track of it after it went off for the night, but we quickly lost track of it.

Other Animals

Cottontail Rabbits

I’ve been having a relaxed August. I’ve been out birding but doing very little photography. Fall migration has started and a trickle of interesting birds have been making their way through Central Park over the last few weeks.

The Red-tailed Hawk fledglings have become much harder to find. My last sighting was a week ago. One of the TCC fledglings was high above The Pool chasing Chimney Swifts, who were much more agile that the youngster. Silly Teenager!

The Cottontail Rabbits continue to multiply. Two of them have been easy to find at the south end of the Maintenance Meadow, in the late afternoons.

Central Park Snowy Owl 2021, Other Animals

Last Year’s Snowy Owl and Eastern Coyote

On February 26th last year, I had one of most incredible experiences of my life, seeing both a Snowy Owl and an Eastern Coyote on the North Meadow of Central Park. With the anniversary of the Snowy Owl’s arrival, I started to review old footage. Last year, I had presented the video as two different post. But we saw them at the same time.

As the Snowy Owl moved from a backstop on the eastern side of the North Meadow to one on the western side, she basically flew over the Eastern Coyote drawing our attention to the animal. It was an evening I will never forget, and something I never expect to see again. So, don’t let anyone tell you Central Park isn’t wild!

Other Animals

Mouse Capades

A White-footed Mouse spent at least an hour on the frozen ice of The Lake running around in circles on Wednesday, in Central Park. There are a few recordings of mice doing the same thing in other locations on YouTube. I wonder if in the below freezing temperatures on Wednesday had the mouse doing its best to raise its body temperature. Or it could just be pre-Winter Olympics hype sponsored by NBC/Comcast.

Update: Based on discussions on my Facebook page, it could be a neurological problem due to a raccoon roundworm infection. A primer on Baylisascaris procyonis has been written by the USGS: https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1412/cir1412.pdf