Urban Hawks

Wednesday was a wonderful evening.  Our little group of five birders got to see two owl fly outs, a Great Horned Owl and an Eastern Screech-Owl.

I was running late, having rushed out of my office to make it up to the North Woods.  It was already dark when I arrived, and the Great Horned Owl soon flew out.  It stayed in the North Woods for a few minutes and then moved south to the North Meadow.

While tracking the Great Horned Owl, we walked past a tree occupied by at least one Eastern Screech-Owl.  In the dark, our eyes slowly adjusted. We then found the Eastern Screech-Owl, who soon flew out.  (It was so dark, I couldn’t focus my camera, no matter how hard I tried.)

Our little group of five birders then resumed our quest for the Great Horned Owl.  We walked south through the center of the North Meadow and in a tree overlooking the ball fields we found the Great Horned Owl.  It stayed for about six minutes perched on a low branch.

Update: On Thursday the Great Horned Owl returned to the Ramble.  The picture below may the last one ever taken of the Owl in the North Woods!

Marie Winn had wondered on her site if the four owls we had been seeing were actually just three. (Update: On of Marie’s reader’s wrote in to report having seen all four in the same day.   I think we all ended up agreeing that there were four owl.)

So, I dug up some old photos from the Riviera and the West Drive cavities.  The first two owls are from the East Side and the second two owls are from the West Side  I’d say we have (had?) four owls, but you could argue three.

On Sunday, the Great Horned Owl was in the North Woods for the second day. It had chosen a much safer location than its Saturday tree. It was in a much quieter and more secluded area. It had also chosen a higher perch.

Unlike on Saturday, when the owl was wide awake and alert most of the afternoon, on Sunday the owl for the most part looked to be sleeping, opening its eyes and turning its head only on a few occasions when I saw it around 2 p.m.

If you go birding in the North Woods,  please keep the noise levels down around the Great Horned, keep your distance and avoid flash photography.  We have a day sleeper who needs some shuteye as our guest!  Let’s be good hosts.

The American Birding Association has an excellent Code of Birding Ethics.  It’s great reading, and reminds advanced birders to coach newer birders about birding etiquette.

After hearing reports of the possibility of Buteo hawks other than Red-Tails in the park, I went birding on a wonderfully warm Saturday starting at 105th and 5th Avenue hoping to find a new hawk species for my Central Park list. 

I walked past the Meer which had an interesting selection of birds: 2 Mute Swans, 3 female Wood Ducks, an American Coot, a male Gadwall, 2 Buffleheads, a few Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, Canadian Geese, and Ring-billed Gulls.

As I walked through the North Woods,  I heard an incredible number of jays harassing something on a path.  Oh, great I thought, a new hawk!  I went around and saw not only Blue Jays but Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and a Downey Woodpecker all around one tree branch.  Tucked behind a number of branches wasn’t a hawk, but a Great Horned Owl.  Most likely, the one who has spent the last month roosting in the Ramble.

Some pre-fly out stretches.  What should we call the last one?  The DeLorean?