Urban Hawks

November 21, 2024November 21, 2024Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Bald Eagle on Central Park’s Reservoir Again

The Bald Eagle seems to have switched the times of its visits to the Reservoir to earlier in the day to be somewhere between 12:15 and 1:30. I caught up with it early this afternoon, when it was raining lightly.

It took off towards the northwest, flying fairly low. It wasn’t clear if it was off to perch in a tree along the west drive or was leaving the park and flying towards the Hudson.

While the eagle ends up clearing the Reservoir of all the gulls, it doesn’t not seem to be hunting gulls or fish. It simply is wading in the water and drinking.

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey

Bald Eagle on Central Park Reservoir

Late in the afternoon, a Bald Eagle visited Central Park’s Reservoir today. It stayed for at least 30 minutes. It took a few drinks of water and a few American Crows kept an eye on it. When it left it exited the park, it appeared to go west down 96th Street.

The earlier Bald Eagle visits this fall, seemed to be correlated with the warmer days, but today was in the 60’s. I’m happy to have my theory about the eagle visits only being on warm days disproven, as I’d like to see the eagle continue to visit as it gets colder in the late fall and winter.

November 11, 2024Other Birds

Gone Fishing on Turtle Pond

Late this afternoon a Great Blue Heron was fishing on Turtle Pond. It had a great hit rate. I would say eight out of ten tries.

November 10, 2024November 11, 2024Other Birds

Orange-crowned Warbler

Thanks to the good eyes and I.D. skills of fellow birders, I was able to photograph an Orange-crowned Warbler at dusk this evening at the Turtle Pond Dock. It was just west of the blind.

November 10, 2024Other Birds

American Wigeon

Turtle Pond had an American Wigeon on Saturday.

The wigeon was found by Chuck McAlexander’s Saturday Slow Birding walk group. As fall migration winds down, rare waterfowl are often found on the lakes and ponds of Central Park, as they make their way further south.

November 10, 2024November 10, 2024Other Birds

Indigo Bunting

Sparrow Rock has had an Indigo Bunting for a few days. It’s been eating grass seeds. Seed eating bird have beaks that let them separate the husk from the kernel. Watching this bunting, strip of grass seeds, and then husk the seeds, has been fairly easy. It has often been eating seeds within fifteen feet of observers.