From my Manhattan Window (4 Viewers)

Pinewood · Sep 2, 2016

Hello KC,

Yes, it was, especially considering the humid hot summer we have had.

I was gone from the city for twelve days. First I travelled to a family event and then I took my "culture vulture" holiday.

Since returning I have had poor pickings. The only thing new was a black throated green warbler,{b]red eyed vireo[/b] and a glance at a Phildadelphia vireo.

I also met with a mishap during yesterday's rain. I stepped out the loo at the Maintenance Shed only to slip on a board acting as a short ramp. I twisted and strained some muscles in my left thigh. Fortunately, I did not fall and I managed to put myself on a nearby bench. For a few minuted, I could not lift that leg. I got up and hobbled home at a very slow speed. For the nautically inclined, it was only a little faster than dead slow. Today, I resumed my usual walk but only slightly impaired.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

KC Foggin · Sep 2, 2016

So sorry to hear about your leg injury. Not good when you're a birder and want to get out to look for birds

Right now, we've had 9 inches of rain so far today with 4 more expected with the Tropical Storm so no birding for me today.

Mono · Sep 2, 2016

Arthur,

Get well soon,

Mono

Pinewood · Sep 9, 2016

Hello KC and Mono,

I am on the mend but extreme heat has returned to New York, crimping my birding hours.

Of late, I have seen a hooded warbler, a warbling vireo, an ovenbird and a juvenile or female common yellowthroat.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Sep 9, 2016

Glad to hear you're on the mend Arthur. I hear you about the heat guy. Very bad down here too but speaking of Ovenbirds, I got me one last week. They usually make a yearly visit so I was happy to see it.

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/564968/ppuser/243

Pinewood · Sep 14, 2016

Birds, another time around

Hello,

I am still seeing black and white warblers, as well as black throated blues. Firsts for the season are a black capped chickadee, a northern parula, a carolina wren, a rose breasted grosbeak, a ruby throated hummingbird and a red breasted nuthatch. The red breasted nuthatches are rather plentiful, easily sighted in the Pinetum near the Park's Great Lawn.

Red tailed hawks and even an osprey have been seen aloft. Today, I had four sightings of northern flickers and just one of a red bellied woodpecker.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Merlin · Sep 14, 2016

You are making me jealous Arthur.

Best regards

Merlin

Pinewood · Sep 18, 2016

Hello,

The other day, i had a triple monochrome experience. In short order I saw a black capped chickadee, a female downy woodpecker and a black and white warbler. Some time before my last post, I saw a waterthrush in the stream at Triplets Bridge. I thought that it was a Louisiana waterthrush, even it was late in the season.
Since my last post I have seen a veery, a Philadelphia vireo, and a hermit thrush. Today's new birds were a pair of ruddy ducks in non breeding colours, near the south gatehouse of the Reservoir.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Sep 23, 2016

Autumn begins

Hello,

Today is the first full autumnal* day, but we expect a high temperature of 31ºC.

Recent sightings include a northern waterthrush, on the Point, a female northern pintail duck on Turtle Pond and chestnut sided and magnolia warblers, a brown thrasher and a Swainson's thrush, all at Azalea Pond.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

*Americans use the word "fall," for this season, to the amusement of many British and even to the amusement of the Irish. The word has strong roots in British English, perhaps as a contraction of "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year."
This usage and harvest, have fallen out of use in the British Isles.

Pinewood · Sep 25, 2016

Hello,

Today, with the temperature around 21ºC, I have seen black and white warblers, black throated blue, American redstarts, myrtle warblers [aka common yellowthroats] magnolia warblers, a Swainson's thrush, a song sparrow
and a palm warbler, a ruby crowned kinglets, a brown creeper, firsts for the season. I heard a red bellied woodpecker, and I saw northern flickers and another first for the season, a yellow bellied sapsucker.
I also saw a whole flock of cedar waxwings, including juveniles.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes,

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

Pinewood · Sep 28, 2016

A sure sign of autumn

Hello,

I am still seeing ruby throated hummingbirds, kinglets, black and white warblers, red bellied woodpeckers, flickers and all the usual birds.

A couple of days, ago, I saw a white throated sparrow, a clear sign of autumn. A phoebe also turned up. Within a few minutes on Monday I saw three different vireos blue headed, Philadelphia and red eyed vireos

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Oct 13, 2016

Hello,

I have had some appointments and events which have kept me from the Park. However, I did see my first Eastern Towhee, yellow warbler, golden crowned kinglet and swamp sparrow of the season. I also saw a cooper hawk, yesterday.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

Pinewood · Oct 27, 2016

Hello all,

I have been with many other things over the last few weeks. About ten days, ago, I saw blackpoll and yellow rumped, aka myrtle warblers. Within the last week, I saw my first tufted titmouse of the season. I am still seeing brown creepers.

About two weeks, ago, a diving duck on the Reservoir. It was larger than a mallard, all gray with a touch of white on the trailing edge of the wing. I could not identify it. Its size ruled out quite a few diving ducks, so I am puzzled. Are there any suggestions?

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Oct 31, 2016

I see them later than others do

Hello,

After almost two weeks of others reporting northern shove(l)lers in Central Park, I saw several on Turtle Pond. As long as the ponds, the Pool or , the Lake or the Meer are free of ice, they will be around until the end of winter. For me, their arrival marks late autumn, even if yesterday was rather warm with temperatures reaching 23ºC. On the Lake several gadwalls have joined the ruddy ducks.

Yesterday, I saw two different wrens: a winter wren and a Carolina wren. Oddly, I thought I saw an ovenbird but certainly there are many hermit thrushes in the Park, along with kinglets and myrtle warblers. I had a fleeting glimpse of an American goldfinch near the feeders. Not far from the feeders, at Azalea Pond, I saw an immature red tailed hawk take a quick dip in the water.

All images by Louis Agassi Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Nov 11, 2016

More beautiful autumnal day

Hello,

Last weekend was Marathon Sunday: a personal inconvenience. Many entrances to Central Park were closed; areas, including the Ramble, were unreachable. I did walk to the Pool and had a good look at the Reservoir but nothing turned up.

On Monday, I did see three woodpeckers: red bellied, downy and a yellow bellied sapsucker. White throated sparrows, tufted titmice, black capped chickadees and white breasted nuthatches are ubiquitous. Northern shovel[l]lers have visited the Lake but are daily visitors to Turtle Pond. Juncos have arrived but I do not see them daily

On Thursday, on the Reservoir,I saw hooded mergansers. Today, there were gadwalls, ruddy ducks and my first buffleheads on the Reservoir. At first, I saw a female, which did not register on my brains, for a short period of time. Then a male popped up from below the surface. Buffleheads may be my favourite diving duck.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Nov 14, 2016

Ducks and duck like birds

Hello,

In my last post, I neglected to mention seeing a pie billed grebe at the Reservoir. Yesterday, there were hooded mergansers at Turtle Pond, alongside a fair number of northern shovel[l]lers.

Today, at the Reservoir, there were more ruddy ducks and buffleheads, as well as an American coot. I am fairly certain that I saw American black ducks on both the Lake and on the Reservoir. Near the reservoir, an acorn hit me on the head. It must have fallen from quite a height but my Donegal tweed hat was enough protection.

Near Stone Arch Bridge, a bird scurried in the brush. My guess is that it was an Eastern towhee. At Azalea Pond a Cooper hawk landed in a branch above me.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Nov 23, 2016

Rather cool weather

Hello,

Autumn is advancing in winter. Morning temperatures are flirting with 0ºC, but not quite there. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving with its parade and limited access to Central Park from the West Side.

I have not seen much in the way of new birds but I have seen interesting sights. On Sunday, there were buffleheads, hooded mergansers, northern shovel[l]lers, and mallards on Turtle Pond. The hooded mergansers have been regulars there but turned up yesterday on the Lake, as well. On Thursday of last week, I saw nine American Coots on the Reservoir which is odd because I have seen solitary ones in the past.

I have seen downy woodpeckers and I hear red bellied woodpeckers but I was delighted to spot a northern flicker on Monday. The flickers are fairly uncommon, now. I spotted two flocks of American crows, which have seen a revival in eastern America. Last week, I saw my first fox sparrow of the season, on the ground, south of the feeders. Yesterday, a female house finch turned up at the feeders.

All autumn I have been looking for wood ducks. Although they have been seen by others, I finally found two males and several females in one of their favoured spots, under cover at the southwest shore of the Point. This bizarre bird always delights me.

All illustrations by Louis Agassiz Fuertes from Birds of New York.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Dec 2, 2016

Hello,

I have not seen much of anything new but one uncommon bird was quite welcome. Last week, I saw a juvenile red headed woodpecker, in just about the same place, as I did last year. Unlike the one in the link, my specimen did not have a read head. I had a hard time identifying it because at first it was in deep shadow but the white of the trailing edge of its wing was a help. Another bird watcher and I concluded that it was a juvenile red headed woodpecker.

I also saw a brown creeper, last week. The creepers are supposed to be gone by November but there is an occasional laggard. On Wednesday, another bird watcher pointed out a small flock of cedar waxwings up a tree. They are always a pleasure to see. The red bellied and downy woodpeckers are easily seen. I have seen a number of cooper hawks as well as red tailed ones.

The hooded mergansers and shovel[l]ers are regulars on Turtle Pond. The wood ducks are hanging around the point hiding among a tangle of logs, trunks and branches. I saw the pie billed grebe on the Lake, on Tuesday, but it is a regular on the Reservoir, with the coots, the ruddy ducks, the buffleheads, more mergansers and the occasional gadwall.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Dec 2, 2016

All my Red-heads have moved on but they are always a delight to see Arthur.

Pinewood · Dec 12, 2016

winter approaches

Hello all,

This evening I saw my first snow of the season. It was not much, maybe half a cm, but there is surely more to come.

I probably saw my last ruby crowned kinglet, last week. Those wood ducks must have departed on Thursday, after I last saw them on the Point. On Wednesday, I was watching a little flock of wood dogs, on the Lake, when a pie billed grebe popped up between two males. Also last week, for the first time I saw a hooded merganser surface from a dive with a fish in its beak. That was on the Reservoir.

I met some "serious bird watcher" at the Reservoir. They were happy to learn of the American coots near the south gate house. When I asked if there were any shove[l]lers on the Reservoir, I was told no. However, when I carefully examined distant ducks, I saw them, even with my 6.5x binocular.

Unfortunately, both juncoes and fox sparrows are hard to find. I seem to be meeting immature red tailed hawks with some frequency. Last week, I saw one making breakfast of something which was out of sight. There are still red bellied and downy woodpeckers to be found in Central Park.

I have seen only two new birds: a great blue Heron, at the "oven," and a flock of snow geese flying south overhead, another sign of winter.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

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