From my Manhattan Window (3 Viewers)

Pinewood · Dec 18, 2016

Winter's chill has arrived

Hello all,

Thursday morning the temperature was -9ºC; Friday morning it was a little warmer. Friday night we had about 4 cm of snow, followed by rain, Saturday afternoon and evening. By my Sunday walk ice was no problem for me, but the ducks had very little open space on the Lake, which was covered by mist; no open water, at all on Turtle Pond but the Reservoir was ice free. The reservoir had the full complement of waterfowl: ruddy ducks, hooded mergansers, northern shovel[l]lers, buffleheads, American coots and mallards. I did see a pie billed grebe on the Lake, again.

I saw an immature mute swan, whiter than the one in the link walking on the Lake's ice. This is the only I one have seen in Central Park for years, since the Conservancy destroyed some favoured habitat on a little island on the Lake.

I had a three woodpecker day last week: downy, red bellied and a northern flicker, which is uncommon this time of the year. I also had a three hawk day: Cooper, red tailed and sharp shinned, which I do see not very often.

Finally, last week gave me a purple finch and a swamp sparrow.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Dec 25, 2016

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!
Buon natale!
Joyeux Nöel!
God Jule!
Happy Hannukah!
and a happy day off to all.

I have seen just two new birds: a hairy woodpecker and a rusty blackbird. However, I have seen some laggards which surprised me: [a ruby crowned kinglet[/b], a brown creeper and a gray catbird, which turned up on Thursday and was a total surprise. Those birds do not follow the guide books!

Today was warm: warming up to 6ºC, but there was still ice on both the Lake and Turtle Pond.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Mono · Dec 25, 2016

Merry Christmas Arthur, hope you are fine and dandy.

Best wishes

Mono

delia todd · Dec 25, 2016

A merry Christmas to you Arthur.

Many thanks for your entertaining posts in this thread. I may not always respond, but I do read them.

KC Foggin · Dec 25, 2016

And a Merry Christmas to you Arthur!

Yes, my son tells me you guys are enjoying some nice weather

Pinewood · Dec 25, 2016

Dear Delia, Kc and Mono,

I thank you for your kind wishes.

Over the last four years, my readership has grown from about 75 per each post of mine to well over one hundred.

I recently met a bird watcher in Central Park who had visited a friend in Massachusetts. The friend asked, "Do you know Arthur?" It amazes me that so many people read these posts. I suspect that many are curious about bird watching in a large urban park.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur B

KC Foggin · Dec 25, 2016

Unfortunately, I did not get into birding until after I moved from NYC so never availed myself to Central Park.

Pinewood · Jan 1, 2017

Happy New Year

Hello all,

As I look at my clock, I realize that the New Year has reached the UK and Ireland but there are some hours before it reaches my side of the Pond. So I wish all a happy New Year of good health, of wonderful bird sightings, and of peace.

In the past week, my best sightings were at the Reservoir: ruddy ducks, northern shove[l]lers, American coots, hooded mergansers, a pie billed grebe, mallards and buffleheads. Unlike the Lake and Turtle Pond, it has yet to freeze over.

My most notable sighting was of both both white breasted and red breasted nuthatches at the Park's feeders, on two consecutive mornings.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Jan 1, 2017

A Happy and healthy New Year for you too Arthur.

Pinewood · Jan 12, 2017

Not much

Hello,
In the first week of the new year, I saw a brown thrasher, which was certainly a surprise, and a pair of gadwalls. There was still a brown creeper about the Park. There has been a notable lack of juncoes and fox sparrows compared to previous years, but there has been a plethora of tufted titmice.

Today, I saw a white throated sparrow with a rather white throat and head stripes. This is usually associated with the spring but today we did high of about 15ºC. Today's trip to the Reservoir brought the usual waterfowl: northern shove[l]lers, mallards, ruddy ducks, hooded mergansers, pie billed grebes, American coots and buffleheads.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Jan 25, 2017

Nothing truly new

Hello,

The next two months short be rather short of anything new. The most exciting thing happened last week, when I spotted three different hawks in one day: red tailed hawk, Cooper hawk and a sharp shinned hawk.

Until five weeks ago, I had never seen a snow goose over Central Park. On Sunday, I saw three more over the Park and circling the Reservoir. Also on Sunday, I saw American black ducks. The next day, I saw the black ducks, hooded merganser and ruddy duck on the Lake, which rarely happens, as I usually see the ruddy ducks and hooded mergansers on the Reservoir or just the hooded mergansers on Turtle Pond.

No juncoes, few fox sparrows but there are still brown creepers in the Park.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Feb 5, 2017

Cold weather

Hello,

There has been ice on the Lake and on Turtle Pond, on some days, but the Reservoir has remained ice free. There are still brown creepers and red breasted nuthatches seen by others. Today, on the Reservoir, I managed to see brown ducks, ruddy ducks, hooded mergansers, buffleheads, pie billed grebes and American coots but no shovelers, which were on the Lake.

Today, along with a brown headed cowbird I saw three kinds of woodpeckers: downy, red bellied and a yellow bellied sapsucker. Unlike the one pictured, I saw a female sapsucker.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Feb 6, 2017

Not such a bad day for you Arthur

Pinewood · Feb 6, 2017

KC Foggin said:
Not such a bad day for you Arthur

Hello KC,

I cannot complain. I even went to the Pool but saw nothing new. See this map. The Pool is near West 103rd Street.

This year the coots and the pie billed grebes have been common. As I wrote, both juncoes and fox sparrows are hard to find.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Feb 6, 2017

I vaguely remember the Pool. Remember, I'm originally from NYC

Pinewood · Feb 6, 2017

KC Foggin said:
I vaguely remember the Pool. Remember, I'm originally from NYC

Hello KC,

The pool's source is the city's water mains flowing from a small grotto. The pool flows through the Loch, then empties into Ravine before reaching the Harlem Meer. I regard all those landmarks as "upstate," far from my usual points of observation. The Pool is known for waterfowl, for egrets and for herons.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Feb 23, 2017

Another fox sparrow

Hello,

I have seen nothing much for weeks. I was out of town for a week which is partly responsible for this dull period.

Before my absence, I finally saw another fox sparrow. I missed a red headed woodpecker whose appearance coincided with my week away. I have not seen juncoes but I am told that they staying in the northern part of the Park.

Yesterday, I saw another yellow bellied sapsucker and today I saw my first red winged blackbirds[/] of the year. They used to be seen almost all year round, but draining of some wetlands, around the Lake has reduced their numbers. There are still American black ducks on the Reservoir, and hooded mergansers on Turtle Pond.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Mar 9, 2017

spring is in the air

Hello all,

The first week of March has provided us with a roller coaster of wedding. The turtles came out at the end of February, as temperatures reached 19ºC, then plummeted to -9ºC.
Last week I had a four wood pecker day: downy, red bellied, yellow bellied sapsucker and a northern flicker. The latter only on one day.

Common grackles ae simply common, all over the place. We had a red necked grebe on the Reservoir. This bird has a story, as it was rehabilitated and released on the Reservoir. Then it stayed as it might not have been able to fly. On Sunday it was happily diving on the Reservoir, happily, fortunate that the extreme cold had not frozen its new home, even though Turtle Pond and the Lake, had frozen to some extent. Apparently, it would be rather uncommon in Central Park.

Today, I saw my first black crowned nigh herons and my first male wood duck, of the season.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

Pinewood · Mar 17, 2017

Back to winter

Hello,

Since my last post, we had some snow and frigid temperatures. I was busy with other activities on Sunday. Tuesday into Wednesday was snow. Yesterday and today the paths were too icy for me.

On Monday, I did see my first double crested cormorant of the season and I think that I may have heard a phoebe concealed among some leaves. Otherwise I have nothing about which I can write.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Mar 24, 2017

Out like a lamb

Hello,

I am sure that I saw a phoebe this week, so the is another sign of spring. I must write that it was disconcerting to see double crested cormorants on the Lake, near ice, but is has been that kind of March.

I have been seeing both song sparrows and fox sparrows near the feeders. The latter have been in short supply as have our juncoes. A male northern pintail wandered a bit north from the Pond, near the Plaza Hotel to the Point on the Lake. They turn up but never in numbers.

Since my last sighting of a northern flicker, one did turn up, near the Oven. One of the Park regulars has just obtained a binocular a Nikon Monarch 5. We had a little dispute as to whether it was a red bellied or a flicker. He had made out the red at the back of the head, while I had seen its spotted abdomen. This was not a matter of who had the better optics but rather a matter of patience before identifying a bird. Then again, my memory failed me in recognizing a juvenile red winged blackbird.

Twice this week, a fellow with a binculars asked if a woodpecker was an acorn woodpecker. Today, I told him it was a downy and that acorn woodpeckers are European birds.

All illustration Louis Agassiz Fuertes from Birds of New York.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur

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