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From my Manhattan Window (2 Viewers)

Some colourful birds and

Hello all,

Today, i had a good time, spending three hours in the Park, including a cup of coffee, at the Loeb Boathouse. I started the day, at Strawberry Fields, where my first bird was a male Baltimore oriole, followed by another rose breasted grosbeak, which has made daily appearance in the Park, and another indigo bunting.
I then headed for Bow Bridge and the Point. Along the way, I spied a great egret high in a tree, over the Lake's shore. As I was observing it, a summer tanager turned up, a little west of the Oven. Then I saw a house wren in some leaf litter. At the point, I saw both a northern waterthrush and a Louisiana waterthrush, as well as a magnolia warbler. There were common yellow throats, American redstarts and numerous hermit thrushes about, as well.

After my coffee, I headed for the feeders, where the rose breasted grosbeak and the summer tanager turned up, again. I headed north to the Maintenance Meadow, where many people were staring at a tree. I looked at the tree and finally saw a brown bird, a chuck-will's-widow. This bird was at the very northern edge of its range and is a rare visitor to Central Park.
Drawings are by Lois Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 

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More warblers, of course

Hello all,

Weil, I have been seeing more warblers, over the last week, including warbling vireos, blue headed vireo northern parulas and chestnut sided warbler. Other birds include a swamp sparrow, red bellied, downy and northern flicker woodpeckers and a black capped chickadee, of all things. The most common warblers may still be the common yellowthroats and the American redstarts. Since I can only post four images, more will have to come.

Wednesday, i had an important labour union meeting, Thursday was rainy, but I keep on with pursuing and missing our migratory birds.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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Another tanager

Hello all,

First, let me write that I saw neither the Lincoln sparrow nor the blue grosbeak, reported in Central Park, today. I have seen red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, a fair number of ovenbirds, plenty of grackles, white throated sparrows, blue jays and gray catbirds.

Today, there were still plenty of American redstarts and common yellowthroats, but I finally saw a Wilson's warbler, I saw more black throated blue winged warblers, and the occasional wood thrushes. After I decided to leave the Park, the best bird of my day, a male scarlet tanager, landed in some branches, above my head, south of the Belvedere.

When I returned home, my neighbor asked about "a really red bird with dark wings," which he had seen in a tree, down the street. :eek!:

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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A different sparrow

Hello all,

American redstarts, magnolia warblers, black and white warblers are all still around, as are common yellowthroats. There seems to be a nest of song sparrows on the island in the Lake, as I have seen a couple of them. I have seen only one yellow rump, aka Maryland or butter butt, in the last few days.

However, I have seen Canadawarblers, a blackpoll warbler and a red eyed vireo. The best bird of the day was a Lincoln's sparrow.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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flycatchers

Hello all,

It has been slow going for me and warblers. Plenty of American redstarts, common yellowthroats, blackpoll, magnolia and even a black throated green, Canada and Wilson's warblers. I even saw a male scarlet tanager, again.I did see a yellow warbler, today. But I have hit it big on flycatchers. First of all, I had two sightings of Eastern wood pewee, then a glimpse at kingbirds, while yesterday, I saw a yellow bellied flycatcher, a life bird.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 

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End of the migration

Hello all,

It has been a bit of a disappointment, but the warblers' spring migration through Central Park is pretty much finished. American redstarts are still around. Earlier, I mention the blackpoll warblerand the Swainson's thrush, formerly known as an olive backed thrush, but I did not attach any illustrations. There was much excitement, for several days on the sighting mourning warblers, which I may have seen in a willow above the Upper Lobe of the Lake. However, I sure saw an olive cheeked warbler. Finally, I actually saw an gray cheeked thrush, moving, on the ground..

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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An unusual nesting bird

Hello all,


The spring warbler season is on its last legs. I can report a northern waterthrush at Triplets Bridge, today. I have also seen a nice male Baltimore oriole, which always catches the eye. A big treat was a green heron. They used to nest, every year, at the Upper Lobe of the Lake but have not since the Lake was "restored."

Over the weekend, a ruby throated hummingbird has nested in a tree near the northeast end of Oak Bridge. Finding that nest is taxing but worth the search. It is a female, as the male has nothing to do either with hatching the eggs or raising the brood. This would be the first recorded nesting hummer in Central Park!

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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Slow going

Hello all,

Yesterday, I met Étudiant, near the hummer's nest, and accompanied him for most of walk. Prior to meeting him, I was serenaded by a gray catbird, which was doing far more than mewing and I saw a solitary cedar waxwing, which almost always turns up in a group. After hearing a warbler Étudiant managed to find yellow warbler, high in a tree, while I was able to brown headed cowbird, at one of the feeders. Together we noted a flock of the waxwings.
At about six cm. high, that hummingbird nest is not easy to find. I generally use a 6.5x binocular, but I had to resort to higher power to find it. Once, I had my landmarks in mind, I could see the newest with the lower power binocular. Last week, I had little trouble with an 8x binocular.

All drawings are by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
 

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Waders

Hello all,

We are now between migrations. I do no expect to see much new, for weeks. Perhaps I will fortify myself for an few kilometers of walking and visit parts of Central Park, where I usually do not tread. As I like to say, "I do not usually go upstate," an expression of a Manhattanite's parochialism.

That [/b] ruby throated hummingbird[/b] is still sitting on her nest, which I will illustrate with the same Fuertes illustration, pulled from a different source. Yesterday, I saw an egret, working the Lake, but today, after a long interval, I saw another black capped night heron, which are usually plentiful in the summer. Shortly after seeing that heron, torrential rain drove me home. The usual suspects are still in the Park, but I often hear the red bellied woodpecker, at work, and I sometimes manage a sighting.
Yesterday, I saw two raccoons, up a tree, sleeping in a hollow.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 

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Sad news

Hello all,

Nothing much to report on bird sightings. Instead, I must report of what I did not see. Fifteen minutes observing that hummer's nest went without seeing the hummingbird. "Birding Bob" informed me that yesterday, a Baltimore Oriole ate the eggs, so the hummingbird has abandoned the nest.
Nature has its own rules.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :eek!:
 
The doldrums

From now, until the last week of August, I can only hope to see the occasional flycatcher and very few new birds. Grackles, gray catbirds, blue jays, norther cardinals are the usual sightings, punctuated by the occasional wader. For instance, today's best was a black crowned night heron, which has been hanging around the bridge where the Gill empties into the Lake.

However, there turtles are on the move. I have seen two new turtle nests, which must be full of eggs and thrice,I have seen turtles, at quite a distance from the water. I tried to stop someone from carrying a turtle back to Turtle Pond. He thought that she was wandering. If she had not yet laid eggs, his action was rather harmful..

I have also seen Baltimore Orioles, a couple of times. I guess that I should have no hard feelings about the hummer eggs. This is just nature like Aesop's fable about the frog and the scorpion.

Happy bird watching


Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 
a cruise

Hello all,

Sunday night, was clear with a light wind, perfect for a river cruise. I joined a friend for a trip, on the East River, from the South Street Seaport, to beyond the Hell’s Gate Bridge, about ten km,, in each directon. The cruise was sponsored as an “Eco Cruise,” by the New York Audubon Society. The main object was to look at the bird life on the islands and islets of the East River, which is really a tidal strait. Our vessel was a New York Waterways Taxi, a substantial boat which had a head, or loo, and a bar, all the mod cons for a nice trip.

The first island was U Thant Island, a pile of rocks and trees, just opposite the United Nations Building. The former secretary general of the United Nations, U Thant, was said to enjoy being rowed there for contemplation and meditation. It is really an artificial island formed from rubble excavated for a streetcar tunnel under the river. The tunnel was later included in New York’s metro. Great black backed gulls and American herring gulls share the islet with double crested cormorants. The cormorants are numerous, on the East River, where they enjoy good fishing in the waters.

The next island was Roosevelt Island, where hospitals and a prison, once stood. Today, it is well populated with many blocks of flats. Some of the old buildings are used by the New York Fire Department for training.

Farther upriver, we had a glimpse of a peregrine falcon atop a tower of the Cornell University New York Hospital building. Their nesting box is often visited by intrepid ornithologist who check on the chicks, in the proper season. The peregrine, also known as a duck hawk, likes stony outcrops near water, so a limestone clad tower, near the East River, is a fine home for this raptor.

Mill rock has both black crowned herons and great egrets as well as cormorants. It was also hosting fish crows, which are smaller than our usual crow and have a different call. The island is bounded by deep water, so the birds visit Central Park or the New Jersey Meadowlands for food and return to regurgitate the half digested goodies for their young. In addition to adult herons, there were many immature herons, which are brown.

Randall’s Island is parkland devoted to sports activities with a small stadium and various sport fields.

We reached the Brother Islands, as the sun set. South Brother Island is deserted, as is North Brother Island but North Brother was the sight of a quarantine hospital, which housed Typhoid Mary. It was later used as housing for students. Now, it is in complete decay, and overgrown but barn swallows have found homes in its buildings.

Off Hunts Point, on the mainland we turned back, passing a fossil fueled power plant and over some experimental turbines which use the swift currents of the river. Maybe one day, the East River will be powering much of the city. We returned to the South Street Seaport as twilight ended.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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Hello KC,

I try to write about what I see. I am heartened that former New Yorkers recognize Gotham in my scribblings.

This week I saw the same non-breeding black crowned night heron on the Lake and on Turtle Pond. It looks like an adult except for the lack of that long feather which goes from the head back. It was otherwise notable for seeing both bronze race common grackles and a rusty blackbird. I have not been seeing many swallows but I did see a tree swallow, today.

Earlier, this week, I came across a turtle laying eggs, practically in the middle of a footpath. I also attach an iPod Touch photograph, showing the summer view from Oak Bridge.


Happy bird watching,
Arthur :egghead:
 

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Welcome visitors

Hello all,

The best birds of the week were gadwalls and a wood duck on Turtle Pond. Both were seen by Birding Bob who gave me the lead. The wood duck had moved in the brush, on the shore, but I am certain that I saw it. I did catch a glimpse of a northern flicker and there must be a nesting pair of Baltimore Orioles in the Park because I see them, occasionally. Swallows turn up often, but today, all I saw was barn swallow.

I thank KC for her kind remarks on my snapshot, from Oak Bridge.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

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dog days of summer

Hello all,

Slim pickings, as expected. I did see a pari of Baltimore orioles, near the Maintenance Meadow but I am "down" on Baltimore orioles, see my post of the fifteenth, ult. Barn swallows still turn up over the Lake or over Turtle Pond. On the Lake, there is a pair of Canada goslings, trailing their parents, which is a rare mention of that species from me. I have also seen a juvenile double crested cormorant on the Lake, which I rarely see. It feathers were almost downy and it lacked the orange on the neck.

Today's best bird was a red bellied woodpecker, which I hear more than I see.
Two or three days in a row, an egret was on Turtle pond. He approached me, as close as 4m.

A bird watching regular reported a black and white warble near the Stone Arch bridge

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

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Eurasian Collared-Dove, Chelsea Waterside Park

Just a short note in case subscribers aren't set up to get eBird alerts. There is a Eurasian Collared-Dove present at Chelsea Waterside Park - likely in the area since late June. It tends to be in and around the picnic tables by the wichcraft cafe, which is roughly at the end of 22nd Street. It also gets to the rock garden, or across the West Side Highway in the grassy areas adjacent to the astroturf playing field. Possibly best in the morning (with less disturbance), it has been seen throughout the day. Present this afternoon until 3.00pm. Film of the bird can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFk2stUWGls
 
Just a short note in case subscribers aren't set up to get eBird alerts. There is a Eurasian Collared-Dove present at Chelsea Waterside Park - likely in the area since late June. It tends to be in and around the picnic tables by the wichcraft cafe, which is roughly at the end of 22nd Street. It also gets to the rock garden, or across the West Side Highway in the grassy areas adjacent to the astroturf playing field. Possibly best in the morning (with less disturbance), it has been seen throughout the day. Present this afternoon until 3.00pm. Film of the bird can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFk2stUWGls

Hello Baglee,

Thanks for the information.

I hope that all may be well.

Happy bird watchig,
Arthur
 
Has the autumnal migration commenced?

Hello all,

My almost daily ramble has brought few new birds. I did have the pleasure of seeing a great egret catch a fish on Turtle Pond, and a black crowned night heron take a fish on Azalea pond. Wood ducks were on Turtle pond last week.

I started seeing eastern kingbirds, last week, around Turtle Pond. This is a little strange because a correspondent, in Belize, saw one,in the past week, as it made its way to South America.

The best bird of the day may have been the warbling vireo, which I saw in the Maintenance Meadow. One good bird may not mean that autumn has commenced but I think that it may count as the start of the autumnal migration.

Both images are by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 

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