• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

From my Manhattan Window (4 Viewers)

An unusual visitor

Hello all,

Sunday was notable for my first autumnal sighting of American goldfinches in winter garb. I also had a nice sighting of several handsome cedar waxwings.

Monday, the talk of the Park was a great horned owl. The first word was near the "swampy pin oak," which meant nothing to me. Then I saw it just south of exit of Azalea Pond. This marks my second sighting in ten years. It looked like a sack of potatoes on a branch but even with contre jour lighting my binocular was able to make out the makings on its chest.

Today, rain kept me from the Park.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

Attachments

  • Waxwings, cedar.jpg
    Waxwings, cedar.jpg
    54.5 KB · Views: 77
  • goldfinches in winter.jpg
    goldfinches in winter.jpg
    26.4 KB · Views: 64
  • Great horned owl.jpg
    Great horned owl.jpg
    68.8 KB · Views: 68
Autumnal summary

Hello,

Of late I have been seeing:
white throated sparrows,
northern cardinals,
blue jays,
American goldfinches,
red bellied woodpeckers,
downy woodpeckers,
the immature red headed woodpecker
that great horned owl, which apparently moved on Sunday, to a better location, according to informants it was nearby, at the Avodia Field,
small flocks of shovel[l]ers on Central Park Lake,
mallards,
juncoes,
common grackles,
mourning doves,
the occasional purple finches
white breasted and one possible red breasted nuthatch
black capped chickadees
tufted titmice
hermit thrushes
one male red winged blackbird
cedar waxwings
and one unexpected gray catbird, today.

I am sure that there are more waterfowl species, at the reservoir, including American coots and buffleheads, but appointments have kept be away.

Our autumnal foliage is fading or disappearing, but the red maples are just about at their most impressive.

Bird illustrations are by Louis Agassiz Fuertes; the red maple was photographed with my iPod.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe
 

Attachments

  • Purple finch, male.jpg
    Purple finch, male.jpg
    14.6 KB · Views: 81
  • nuthatches II.jpg
    nuthatches II.jpg
    56.7 KB · Views: 88
  • catbird, gray.jpg
    catbird, gray.jpg
    35.1 KB · Views: 74
  • Red Maple.jpg
    Red Maple.jpg
    88.5 KB · Views: 87
Last edited:
Arthur

Every time you post I just want to be back in Central Park, hopefully it will not be too long before I return.

keep posting Arthur
best regards

Merlin
 
Arthur

Every time you post I just want to be back in Central Park, hopefully it will not be too long before I return.

keep posting Arthur
best regards

Merlin

Hello Merlin,

I guess that there may always be some birds of interest, in the Park, but do not come too soon. Winter is a bit of a drag, and we can have some remarkably frigid days.

That great horned owl was near the feeders, today.

Yesterday, I enjoyed watching a red tailed hawk soar above the Great Lawn.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

Attachments

  • red-tailed hawk, aloft.jpg
    red-tailed hawk, aloft.jpg
    43.4 KB · Views: 68
Firsts for the season

Hello,

That great horned owl is still roosting near the feeders. The Park is hosting two immature red headed woodpeckers.

I managed to see yellow bellied sapsuckers, on Tuesday. Wednesday, I spotted a fox sparrow near Azalea Pond, as well as a Cooper hawk up a tree. Just a little later, I saw a red tailed hawk on a branch overlooking Turtle pond. On Turtle Pond, I saw hooded mergansers, for several days. However, today, I saw an American coot on Turtle Pond.

Wednesday, I was at the Reservoir, where I saw a flock of ruddy ducks. Thursday, I was at the Pool, where I saw buffleheads. The Lake sees more and more northern shovel[l]lers.

On Monday, of last week, I saw a Pacific flycatcher, which made a short visit to the Park.

The illustrations are by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi;
 

Attachments

  • yellow bellied sapsucker.jpg
    yellow bellied sapsucker.jpg
    28.5 KB · Views: 75
  • Fox sparrow.jpg
    Fox sparrow.jpg
    31.9 KB · Views: 83
  • cooper hawk.jpg
    cooper hawk.jpg
    18.8 KB · Views: 77
  • coot.jpg
    coot.jpg
    17.7 KB · Views: 71
waterfowl and more

Hello,

I have not seem much new but that great horned owl disappeared for a few days, then it returned to the feeders, as of today.

I took a walk to the Reservoir, today. Just before I arrived at the south gate house, often misnamed a pump house, I saw a group of bird watchers staring at an immature red tailed hawk. Oddly, there was a gray squirrel on a branch quite close to the hawk. Generally, squirrels are common prey for the red tailed hawks, but this squirrel was actually quite safe, as the hawk has to swoop on its prey.

At the Reservoir, there were shovel[l]lers, which were absent from the Lake, today. There were also plenty of ruddy ducks, buffleheads, an American coot, and hooded mergansers. Turtle Pond has been host to hooded mergansers for the past week, with as many as seven on the Pond. Lastly there was a ringed neck duck on the Reservoir. I have not seen that duck for years.

All illustration by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

Attachments

  • shovellers.jpg
    shovellers.jpg
    239.1 KB · Views: 70
  • Ruddy duck.jpg
    Ruddy duck.jpg
    9.1 KB · Views: 69
  • buffleheads.jpg
    buffleheads.jpg
    10.2 KB · Views: 74
  • hooded mergansers.jpg
    hooded mergansers.jpg
    72.5 KB · Views: 70
  • ring billed duck.jpg
    ring billed duck.jpg
    17 KB · Views: 70
Last edited:
Unexpected

Hello,

On Friday, I saw a scarlet crowed kinglet, which was certainly unexpected, but not unknown for the twelfth of December.

That great horned owl is still near the feeders but that immature redheaded woodpecker seems to have moved on. In the past week, I saw northern flickers and red bellied woodpeckers. There is a fellow who is in the Park near the oven, daily. On Friday, he throws a peanut at a red bellied woodpecker which caught it, in its' beak. I was amazed.

On Tuesday, I saw a Cooper hawk sitting on a branch. Today, I saw one sitting in shallow water, in the oven. As it was 17ºC and humid, perhaps it was just cooling office.

Today, I was at the Reservoir, which had very much the same waterfowl, as it did last week: no American coot but there was a pie billed grebe, in non breeding colours, not as illustrated. At the Reservoir and at Turtle Pond, there were hooded mergansers.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

Attachments

  • kinglets.jpg
    kinglets.jpg
    61.9 KB · Views: 64
  • flicker.jpg
    flicker.jpg
    38.7 KB · Views: 66
  • cooper hawk.jpg
    cooper hawk.jpg
    18.8 KB · Views: 70
  • pie billed grebe.jpg
    pie billed grebe.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 71
It was Christmas Eve and the temperature was 22ºC

Hello all,

First of all, a Merry Christmas to all.

We have been enjoying record breaking temperature for a while. Of course, I am all confused and our birds are suffering similarly. With open waters, our northern shovel[l]lers have not arrived on Central Park Large in large numbers. I had neglected to write, in my last post, that I had seen a song sparrow near Triplets Bridge. Last week, I am certain that I saw an olive sided flycatcher in Strawberry Fields. In the past week, I have seen several hermit thrushes, Cooper hawks, red-tailed hawks, house finches, titmice, white breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers and today's best bird, a brown creeper.

That great horned owl is still roosting near the feeders, but if her deciduous tree sheds a few more leaves, I suspect that it will fly off, either to a large conifer, which are in short supply in much of the Park, or off to a more distant location. Hooded mergansers have become scarce at Turtle Pond.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

Attachments

  • Song sparrow.jpg
    Song sparrow.jpg
    20.9 KB · Views: 79
  • Olive sided flycatcher.jpg
    Olive sided flycatcher.jpg
    12.3 KB · Views: 71
  • Hermit thrush.jpg
    Hermit thrush.jpg
    19.9 KB · Views: 71
  • Brown creeper.jpg
    Brown creeper.jpg
    17.5 KB · Views: 68
Thanks once more for your lovely reports through the year Arthur.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas.
 
Winter has arrived

Hello,

Thank you, Delia,

I hope that you and all those who read this thread, may have a Happy New Year of joyous occasions, of continued friendships, of good health and of peace.

Today's morning temperature was -1ºC, but it dropped to -2º, sometime during the day.

My new year started with my first sighting of the year of a hermit thrush, but it may have been the last of the season. Since New Year, Central Park has returned to winter. I do not expect to see a hermit thrush again, for many weeks.

Yesterday's best birds were a pine siskin and a double crested cormorant on the Reservoir, a bird I have never seen in the winter. Many ruddy ducks continue to visit the Reservoir. Most days, I see hooded mergansers on Turtle Pond and often a male bufflehead.

The female horned howl is still roosting above the Park's feeders, to the delight of many.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

Attachments

  • pine siskin.jpg
    pine siskin.jpg
    58.6 KB · Views: 66
  • Double crested cormorant.jpg
    Double crested cormorant.jpg
    19.9 KB · Views: 64
Sunday, 12ºC and rainy

Hello all,

In my last post I neglected to mention a cedar waxwing which was on the small island in Turtle Pond. Wednesday, I did see a sharp shinned hawk not far from Azalea Pond. It was also the last day I saw the great horned owl.
Also on Wednesday, I saw a red-tailed hawk near the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
It turned out to be Pale Male. If you go to Pale Male's web site, you will see some good photos of him but first there will be a polemic against the Park's private management. If you scroll all the way down, you will find an explanation of the horned owl's departure.

Currently, the Ramble is undergoing a great deal of work, including new paths. I heard an allegation that the paths were ruined by preparation for Cristo's Gates, ten years, ago. This is New York, where Central Park and contention go together.

I asked my landlord to fix or replace some cracked or chipped tiles in my bathroom. This has blossomed into a four day job, rather reminiscent of Flanders and Swann. It also has put a crimp in my bird watching.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
 

Attachments

  • Waxwings, cedar.jpg
    Waxwings, cedar.jpg
    54.5 KB · Views: 75
  • Sharp shinned hawk.jpg
    Sharp shinned hawk.jpg
    16.6 KB · Views: 63
Last edited:
A Manhattan first for me

Hello All,

I was at the Reservoir, on Sunday, when I saw a snow goose, my first one in Central Park. The ring necked duck and double crested cormorant were still there.

On Friday and Sunday, I saw a rusty blackbirds, which turn up from time to time.

Both images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 

Attachments

  • rusty blackbirds.jpg
    rusty blackbirds.jpg
    43.8 KB · Views: 68
  • snow goose.jpg
    snow goose.jpg
    14.6 KB · Views: 64
Don't send it over here Arthur.

(I am travelling via New Jersey Airport in two weeks and hope it will have gone by then?)
Keep warm and safe Arthur.

best regards
Merlin
 
Hope you toasty warm and out of the snow Arthur

Hello Merlin, Mono and KC,

I am toasty warm in my flat. Central Park is dangerous, as snow laden branches might fall without warning. All 'bus service stopped at noon and automobiles have been banned from the streets. As of two hours ago, there was a half metre of snow in Central Park and the current forecast from the National Weather Service is a further, "total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible." That would be another 7.5 cm to 17.5 cm.

This past week saw the return of the great horned owl, which had been absent for two weeks. On Thursday, there were flocks of ruddy ducks, shovel[l]lers, mallards, ring billed gulls, the pie billed grebe and , buffleheads on the reservoir but there are few waterfowl on the Lake, as it is frozen over.

I have been seeing the usual birds: white throated sparrows, northern cardinals, blue jays, tufted titmice, house finches, American goldfinches, red bellied woodpecker, even one working on a nest, downies, and white breasted nuthatches. The most unusual bird this week was a brown headed cowbird.


Happy bird watching, :hi:
Arthur
 

Attachments

  • cowbird.jpg
    cowbird.jpg
    32.1 KB · Views: 55
Last edited:
After 68 cm of snow

Hello all,

Last Saturday, New York was subjected to more snow in a single day, than had ever been recorded. Needless to write, your intrepid correspondent did not go bird watching either on Saturday or Sunday.

On Monday, most paths were impassable. On Tuesday, I moved around a bit, only to find no great horned owl. On Thursday, I managed many of the paths and saw brown creepers for the first time in quite a while. The great horned owl had returned only a few meters from her familiar roost. It was engaged by one Cooper hawk and two or three red tailed hawks including Pale Male, calling and displaying near the owl. It was a very exciting incident. The hawks eventually left, which must have allowed two fox sparrows, my first ones in weeks, to appear.

I also went to the Reservoir, which had little ice, in comparison to the Lake, which is almost frozen over. So I saw ring billed gulls, hooded mergansers, shovel[l]lers, buffleheads, mallards and many ruddy ducks.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

Attachments

  • Great horned owl.jpg
    Great horned owl.jpg
    68.8 KB · Views: 46
  • Brown creeper.jpg
    Brown creeper.jpg
    17.5 KB · Views: 50
  • cooper hawk.jpg
    cooper hawk.jpg
    18.8 KB · Views: 54
  • Red-tailed on a branch.jpg
    Red-tailed on a branch.jpg
    29.8 KB · Views: 51
  • Fox sparrow.jpg
    Fox sparrow.jpg
    31.9 KB · Views: 47
A little more snow

Hello all,

Friday we had about 7 cm of snow: enough to keep me away from the Park.

Our great horned owl has finally figured out that a conifer is the place to roost during the winter with its ample cover. It has picked a hemlock, just north of the Loeb Boathouse. As there is a restaurant in the Boathouse, it will probably find nice tasty rodent for sustenance.

On Monday, I saw a yellow bellied sapsucker and precious little of interest. However, today, at the reservoir I saw gadwalls, that pie billed grebe, and flocks of ruddy ducks. One of the ruddy ducks was actually ruddy, at least chestnut sided, which surprised me as it is rather early for breeding plumage, but the weather has been very unseasonable.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

Attachments

  • yellow bellied sapsucker.jpg
    yellow bellied sapsucker.jpg
    28.5 KB · Views: 50
  • gadwall.jpg
    gadwall.jpg
    28.8 KB · Views: 55
  • Ruddy duck.jpg
    Ruddy duck.jpg
    9.1 KB · Views: 52
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top