From my Manhattan Window (13 Viewers)

Pinewood · Apr 16, 2015

Red bellied woodpecker nests

Hello all,

I have seen neither fox sparrows nor black capped chickadees for a couple of days, but the northern flickers are now common. However, I did see one swamp sparrow

For two weeks I have observed a red bellied woodpecker working on a London plane tree, just west of the Ladies Pavilion on Hernshead. On Sunday, the woodpecker was able to disappear in the cavity. On Monday, I saw two red bellied woodpeckers, there. So we have a nesting cavity. I will have to wait to find out if the woodpeckers can fend off those aggressive starlings, which seem to be interested in the nest. I also spotted a large cavity with a red-bellied near the oven, Monday, but no bird was there, today.

On Sunday, I got to the Reservoir, to see an occasional shoveller, a few buffleheads, a pie-billed grebe,and a single ruddy duck which was morphing: reddish sides and a blueish bill. For several days, an American coot visited the Lake.

There are numerous ruby crowned and golden crowned kinglets in the Park. A ruby crowned even visited my window For some reason the pine warblers and palm warblers are hanging around the eastern end of Turtle Pond, which also saw a visit from a yellow jumped warbler[/], once known as a "butter butt."

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur [scribe]

Pinewood · Apr 22, 2015

Unsuccessful red bellied wp's?

Hello all,

For two days, in a row, I have not seen the red bellied woodpeckers, at their nesting cavity, but a bloody starling visited the cavity, today.

I have not seen a shoveller for about a week; the tufted titmice, juncoes, black capped chickadees and white breasted nuthatches are now scarce. On the other hand, ruby kinglets, hermit thrushes and yellow rumped warblers are are easily seen along with the palm warblers. Additionally, black and white warblers and prairie warblers are turning up. Yesterday, I started seeing swallows, both tree swallows and barn swallows have been working both Turtle Pond and the Lake, but morning coffee with friends may mean that I have been too late for the best observing. Twice in the last four days, I have seen a purple finch, at the feeders, but today's had extraordinary colour. I saw another hairy woodpecker, today.

On Sunday, I saw a mature red tailed hawk, for a change along with an immature Cooper hawk, both near the Oven.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes

Pinewood · Apr 30, 2015

Fast and Furious

Hello all,

There was a pair of shovellers and even a coot, on the Lake, until yesterday. On Sunday, my walk "upstate," to the Reservoir was rewarded with a few buffleheads; wood ducks have been visiting Turtle Pond, over the last week. Daily, there are night herons on the Lake. Palm, black and white and myrtle warblers are very persistent, as are the swallows. I even sighted a northern rough winged swallow.

Passing through, there have been blue headed vireos, both Louisiana and Northern waterthrushes, black throated blue warblers, blue winged warblers, and yellow warblers. The waterthrushes required patience and persistence, as I had to make several visits to the stream, at Triplets Bridge, before I sighted the Louisiana and a a day later, the Northern There was a grey gnatcatcher, at the Point, this week, but today's pleasure was a male scarlet tanager, there. Yesterday's pleasure were my first gray catbirds of the season. It may be time for me to mothball my tweed jackets.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · Apr 30, 2015

More

Hello,

As an addendum to the previous post, which reached the limit of five attachments, I am posting images of the male scarlet tanager of the gray catbird and of a yellow warbler.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · May 3, 2015

'Tis the season

Hello all,

Let me add a couple from last week: Eastern Towhee and a rose breasted grosbeak and a northern parole. Today's birds included a black throated green, magnolia warbler, a Baltimore oriole

My best observation, today, was another red bellied woodpecker working on a nesting cavity. Maybe, the season is too far advanced for starling to displace the woodpeckers.

Al images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · May 8, 2015

Hello all,

I have had a poor week, personally. I had to untangle a mess created at the interface of health insurers and my pension. I pay for supplemental insurance, Medicare pays only 80%, and and for prescriptions. I was inexplicably dropped from them, on no notice. It took me two days on the 'phone to resolve the mess. We need a single payer, here in the "colonies."

However, I did get to see a few more birds. I had glances at warbling vireos and a male indigo bunting. I had good views of andAmerican redstart, a bay breasted warbler and a Cape May warbler.

After a long absence, I also saw one tufted titmouse and a black capped chickadee, with nesting material in its beak.

All images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

Pinewood · May 12, 2015

A life bird!

Hello all,

There seems to be bad weather in the Carolinas disrupting the migration. However, on Sunday, I heard a marvellous bird song. Its source was a little Carolina wren. It was delightful to hear.
On Sunday, I saw a kingbird, but today, I saw another kingbird, as I was trying to see a black billed cuckoo. I saw the cuckoo, which is a life bird for me.

I also saw a bird go by, which was identified by another as a Blackburnian warbler.

Near the San Remo block of flats, I saw a red-tailed hawk, circling with a branch in its talons. This is part of the mating ritual: the male is showing his readiness to settle down and build a home. I have seen this before, and I do not think that there may be a guarantee of a nest, at the San Remo.

Bird images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. The San Remo was photographed with my iPad, in April. Now the leaves are far fuller in the trees. The penthouse apartment in the left tower is up for sale by its owner, Demi Moore, she is asking $75 million for her flat of 650 square metres. The right hand penthouse is owned by Bono.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

KC Foggin · May 12, 2015

Today was our first dry but very hot day since the Tropical Storm Arthur.

I am blessed with about a dozen Carolina Wrens and I never tire of hearing them sing.

Pinewood · May 12, 2015

KCFoggin said:
Today was our first dry but very hot day since the Tropical Storm Arthur.

I am blessed with about a dozen Carolina Wrens and I never tire of hearing them sing.

Hello KC,

It was certainly beautiful and amazingly strong.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

Pinewood · May 19, 2015

More warblers

Hello all,

In the past few days, I managed to spot a Wilson's warbler, a Canada warbler, and a chestnut sided warbler. Additionally, I spotted a veery and a Swainson's thrush.

The weather has been oscillating between summer and spring, which is very typical of New York in the middle of May.

Images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · May 22, 2015

Just two

Hello all,

There must be one American start which follows me. That is almost the only bird which I have seen, of late.

I did see a gray cheeked thrush a red eyed vireo. That is all which has come my way.

This is a holiday weekend and I have been taken from my usual haunts and won't see much, until next week.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi

Pinewood · May 29, 2015

some repeats

Hello,

My best bird this week was a single cedar waxwing, at Azalea Pond. This bird almost always turns up in flocks. On another day, I saw a blackpoll warbler near that pond.
I also saw a northern waterthrush behave slightly oddly. I saw it in the middle of the stream at Triplets Bridge in Central Park. It flew to one bank, crossed over to the other, then flew off. They usually work both sides of a stream, first one band, then the other.

Finally, I did see a female gadwall on Turtle Pond.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Jun 5, 2015

in the doldrums

Hello,

The warblers seem to have disappeared, but on Tuesday, a white throated sparrow turned up. Of interest or amusement was watching a double crested cormorant try to swallow a large fish. After watching him for four or five minutes, I moved on, but the cormorant still struggling. At the beginning of the week, that gadwall was still on turtle pond.

A good day, this week, for me was seeing an Eastern kingbird which is probably nesting in Central Park; a cedar waxwing; an egret, at Turtle Pond a red bellied woodpecker and a northern flicker.

The only thing new I can hope to see might be some some flycatchers. I will take my walk and see what turns up.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Jun 14, 2015

Hello,

More than a week's worth of birding and the only thing new was, as predicted, a flycatcher. In this instance, an alder flycatcher. I am still seeing kingbirds but the only treat was seeing a male red winged blackbird, with bright red shoulders, circle an egret.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Jun 17, 2015

Happy Birthday Arthur. I hope you are enjoying the day to its fullest

delia todd · Jun 17, 2015

Ooooh!!! Many happy returns Arthur.

Hope you're having a great day.

Pinewood · Jun 17, 2015

Hello KC and Delia,

I thank you for your kind felicitations on my natal anniversary.

It was a very ordinary day, plagued with aches from a cold. However, i did get to see nesting Baltimore orioles, which were busy making feeding runs for thei chicks. The nest is a wonder of gossamer like thread, forming an amazing sight.

If you go to this site, scroll down a little, and click for the fourth field mark, you get a nice image of a nest. In the sunlight, the nest I saw looked more fragile.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

KC Foggin · Jun 17, 2015

There nests are wonderful looking. Unfortunately I only get these beauties as winter guests. No nesting here.

Sorry, you are a bit ill Arthur. Feel better soon guy.

Pinewood · Jun 23, 2015

Summer doldrums

Hello all,

After seeing the orioles nest on Wednesday, I saw it again on Thursday. Friday, it was still active. On Sunday, a pair of bird watchers asked me if there was anything interesting, so I gave them directions to the the nest. I arrived to hear their disappointment over "an abandoned nest." We waited a few minutes, then the male Baltimore Oriole turned to up, to feed perhaps two chicks. It was busy, yesterday, as well, but today, I saw no activity while waiting ten minutes.

Otherwise, my best sightings were on Turtle Pond. On Sunday, I saw an egret hunting in the shallows, two [b[black crowned night herons[/b], a double crested cormorant and a pair, male and female, of wood ducks. The wood ducks approached very close to the dock on which I was standing, letting me see all the details of their plumage.

Today's best bird was a downy woodpecker.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

Pinewood · Jul 3, 2015

A decade, on

Hello all,

I have been watching birds for almost a decade, which means I have lots to learn even if I have internalized a few aspects of the pastime. I could not recognize a bird, even with the help of a guide, but posting in BF was useful. On the other hand, a little while back, I thought that the only new birds to be seen would be flycatchers.

I was right about the flycatchers. Yesterday, I spotted a puzzler which was identified by BFers. It was a great crested flycatcher, a life bird! I have to admit that I first thought it was something else but I did not look at the bottom of the page in my guide.

On Monday or Sunday, I had a fleeting glimpse of a bird which looked like a small common grackle. Another observer thought that it was a shiny cowbird. I am far from certain but they have been reported as far north as New Brunswick, Canada.

Otherwise, I am relying on Turtle Pond for good birds: egrets, wood ducks, and night herons. I saw a kingbird by the Lake, on Wednesday, so they are around.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

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