Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are enjoying feeding on the Jewelweed flowers in Central Park this season, and occasionally rest on branches nearby. This young bird rested on the same branch every five minutes or so, sometimes staying only a few seconds but sometimes stayed for as long as two minutes.
The highlight of my bird watching Labor Day weekend was a very cooperative Hudsonian Godwit (a large sandpiper). The bird was on the East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. It was a new bird for my “life list”.
The bird breeds in Tundra locations in Alaska and Canada and winters on the Atlantic coast of South America.
It’s ironic, given that I’m Red/Green Colorblind, that my two good birds of the day on Saturday were a Red-tailed Hawk and Green Heron.
The Red-tailed Hawk was the same bird I saw Friday. It was again perched on a window railing of 2 East 70th Street.
The Green Heron was in a shallow area of the The Pond north of Gapstow bridge. These mudflat areas are import to wading birds, but they’re constantly being removed by the Central Park Conservancy. The original landscaping of the park had water bodies with clean sculpted edges, which removed the transitional areas of marsh and mud needed by many birds. Luckily, natural erosion does a great job of bringing these mudflats back!
At about 6:56 on the video is a great shot of the Green Heron “licking its lips”.
I’m still out at the Grand Canyon and found this young Turkey Vulture on a cliff face.
It’s so great to be on vacation and see the breeding locations of birds you see migrating through New York City in the spring and the fall. I’ve never seen a young Turkey Vulture before! Cute, but still with a face only a mother could love!
I had the good fortune to see these five California Condors arrive outside my hotel room during the World Cup Final. Five Condors is 7% of the wild AZ/UT population! Guess what took priority! The tag numbers were 23, 30, J1, J4, L3.
| Tag# | SB# | Age in 2014 | Sex | Bred At: | Release/ Fledge Year |
| 23 | 123 | 19 | M | LAZ | 1997 |
| 30 | 530 | 5 | M | LAZ | 2011 |
| J1 | 521 | 5 | F | WCBP | 2011 |
| J4 | 541 | 5 | F | WCBP | 2011 |
| L3 | 593 | 3 | F | Portland | 2012 |
American Woodcocks have been in Central Park for about the last week. I caught up with one on Saturday. They’re very well camouflaged, worm eating birds with a silly walk and mating ritual.
The bird was doing a good job of hiding, but we did get some glimpses!
