Other Birds Archives - Page 69 of 78

December 6, 2006December 25, 2020Other Birds

East vs. West, Where Did The Amsterdam Monks Come From?

Where did the Monk Parakeets on Amsterdam Avenue come from? Neither are banded, so they probably came from a wild colony in either New Jersey or Brooklyn.

The closest colony to Amsterdam Avenue, is in Edgewater, New Jersey. If a bird flew directly across the Hudson River it would arrive at around 138th and Riverside Drive going over the water for about a mile. (One of the unanswered question is do Monk Parakeets fly over large bodies of water?)

The nearest Brooklyn nest is about 8 miles away in Red Hook Park.

Monk Parakeets were seen in Central Park at various times over the last two years (see NYC Bird Report for details.) There have also been a number of reports from Riverside Drive this summer.

103rd Street is a great gateway between Central Park and Riverside Drive. Two blocks of 103rd are a pedestrian walkway through the grounds of the Fredrick Douglas Houses. It is also south of the 113th Street Cathedral Red-tails and north of the 96th and Broadway American Kestrels, so it may be a safe street for a Parakeet. Look it up on Google Maps. Or better yet, use Steve Baldwin’s map of Brooklyn and New Jersey Parrots and scroll up and zoom into Amsterdam and 103rd, after selecting Hybrid mode to get a sense of the surroundings.

So, did these two come from New Jersey? Did the Riverside Monk meet up with the Central Park Monk? Who knows.

December 3, 2006December 25, 2020Other Birds

Sunday Monks

I spent Sunday morning with the two Monks of Amsterdam Avenue.

The nest is under the air conditioner on the top floor.

The nest with the Monk’s fire escape perch on the left.

At times one would sing loudly while the other went to break a branch. It seemed that the louder and longer the song, the longer the branch that was brought back. Anyone want a free Ph.D. thesis idea?

By the time I left they had started an arch over the nest.

Periodically, the pair would stop and cuddle.

December 2, 2006December 25, 2020Other Birds

Monk Parakeets

Just before Thanksgiving, Marie Winn posted an article detailing the discovery of Monk Parakeets on Amsterdam Avenue by Rebekah Creshkoff. Donna Browne followed up with pictures and a few reports on her blog last week.

Brooklyn has had Monk Parakeets (aka, Quaker Parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus) for decades. Steve Baldwin’s website, www.brooklynparrots.com documents their history in the city.

Monk Parakeets are native to South America, and there feral populations in North America are controversial. A good discussion of the issues can be found at the Institute for Biological Invasions.

I arrived around 11:30 to find lots of nest building activity taking place. The nest is below a window air conditioner and is occupied by a pair of Monk Parakeets.

There is a fire escape a few feet away and the birds stop there on their way into the nest.

A great number of tree branches were broken off and taken to the nest.

Monk Parakeets are the only parrots that build woven nests with branches.

This was no casual nest building, but a full scale project

For about fifteen minutes the nest building was interrupted for berry picking.

This was a neat discovery. The berry was picked from the tree by the stem and then eaten

A brief rest before going back to nest building.

Taking another break from nest building. (By the way, don’t worry about these Parakeets this winter. There is a feral population of Monk Parakeets in Chicago!)

November 25, 2006December 17, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks

Five Red-tailed Hawk Saturday

On Saturday, I had a slow start. I started in the Ramble trying to chase down the White-crowned Sparrow without much luck. I then walked to Turtle Pond and found a cute group of Buffleheads among some Mallards and Northern Shovelers.

Then I saw a hawk flying south of the Beresford. It was Lola, the Fifth Avenue female.

She landed on a water tower on south side of West 77th Street. The building is just west of the New York Historical Society. After about 15 minutes, she flew due east.

I thought she had gone to the Model Boat Pond, so I walked there. When I arrived I saw that Pale Male was on a building two blocks south of the nest location. (Lola may have stopped in the Ramble for a late lunch.)

Pale Male posed for pictures and then flew off towards the Met.

It was such a nice day, I thought I would look to see what the Central Park South hawks were up to. Charlotte was on the Essex House sign.

The nest still looks to be in good shape.

The Essex House boiler could use an overhaul.

Soon Charlotte went NW and circled around and then above the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

Then she landed on the top of a construction crane on a new building being built on Central Park West between 61st and 62nd.

Junior soon joined her. If I got it right, she’s on the top and he’s below her.

Having seen four of the six building-breeding Manhattan Red-tailed Hawks, I went up to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. My luck ran out, as I was only able to see the male of the Cathedral pair. However, five out of six isn’t that bad!

The Cathedral nest looked to be in good condition as well.

November 24, 2006December 20, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds

Friday in the Park

I made it to the park on Friday! Finally, a sunny day where I didn’t have to work. I spent a few hours trying to photograph a White-crowned Sparrow without success. I did see it a few times, but just as I tried to take a picture it would be scared off by a passing tourist.

Lola spent at least an hour in the afternoon on the NE tower of the Beresford.

Mute swans arrived on The Lake a few weeks ago. They are very good at getting food from tourists. I wonder if they spend the summer on an urban lake in Canada?

November 4, 2006December 20, 2020927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, Other Birds

Late Saturday Afternoon with Pale Male and Lola

There’s no doubt fall has arrived in New York. It was in the low 40’s, the leaves have turned to wonderful fall colors. Another sign of fall has arrived is the return of Buffleheads to the Reservoir.