-
BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!
Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
A rank beginner in New York, New York (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Pinewood
- Start date
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Jacquot,
I never had a chance to see the chat.
My usual short perambulations have been lacking in sightings of waterfowl, since the Lake is frozen over, but that should change, soon, if temporarily, as the meteorology types predict warmer weather. Without ducks and mergansers, I have seen fewer species. There are still American robins about and I even saw an American crow on top of a building on a side street. Along with the occasional titmouse, I saw my first black capped chickadee of the season.
You can see a nice image of a black capped chickadee from the BF Gallery here.
That hawk and I cross paths and it still likes to fly at me or past me at a relatively low attitude. It no longer unnerves me, so I am enjoying the close up view of this immature bird.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
I never had a chance to see the chat.
My usual short perambulations have been lacking in sightings of waterfowl, since the Lake is frozen over, but that should change, soon, if temporarily, as the meteorology types predict warmer weather. Without ducks and mergansers, I have seen fewer species. There are still American robins about and I even saw an American crow on top of a building on a side street. Along with the occasional titmouse, I saw my first black capped chickadee of the season.
You can see a nice image of a black capped chickadee from the BF Gallery here.
That hawk and I cross paths and it still likes to fly at me or past me at a relatively low attitude. It no longer unnerves me, so I am enjoying the close up view of this immature bird.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
Last edited:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Dave,
I did not get a chance to see the Scott's Oriole, but yesterday's political rally, at Union Square, would have scared it off. These presidential candidates do not respect rarities.
I took a little detour today to look at the feeders in the Park's Ramble, where I saw many house finches, white breasted nuthatches, and titmice. The Lake now has open water which mallards, shovelers and ring billed gulls enjoyed. The best bird of the day was a red bellied woodpecker, but there were the usual wintry birds: blue jays, cardinals, white throats and grackles.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
I did not get a chance to see the Scott's Oriole, but yesterday's political rally, at Union Square, would have scared it off. These presidential candidates do not respect rarities.
I took a little detour today to look at the feeders in the Park's Ramble, where I saw many house finches, white breasted nuthatches, and titmice. The Lake now has open water which mallards, shovelers and ring billed gulls enjoyed. The best bird of the day was a red bellied woodpecker, but there were the usual wintry birds: blue jays, cardinals, white throats and grackles.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Last edited:
Dave Hall
Bumbling Bears
Hi Arthur / Bob Highlight this side of the pond for the last few weeks now has been a White-crowned Sparrow in the east of England (Norfolk) about as far off course as the Scott's Oriole ! there is a photo of the Oriole at www.surfbirds.com in the North American stop press gallery
Good Birding
Dave
Good Birding
Dave
Dave,
I couldn't find it on the link you supplied. It may have been deleted. I did find it in another section of surfboards. http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/search2.cgi
I hope it downloads. On my last try it didn't. Find it through the "Search Galleries" link if it won't download.
It doesn't look like a Scott's when compared with the other's shown therein. I don't know what it is. Maybe another escaped exotic?
Bob
I couldn't find it on the link you supplied. It may have been deleted. I did find it in another section of surfboards. http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/search2.cgi
I hope it downloads. On my last try it didn't. Find it through the "Search Galleries" link if it won't download.
It doesn't look like a Scott's when compared with the other's shown therein. I don't know what it is. Maybe another escaped exotic?
Bob
Last edited:
Hi Dave and Arthur,
Go to the Photo Galleries on Surfbirds (see thread 1, above) and click on "Search Galleries," Enter Scott's Oriole, then New York City, then USA. Photo's 1, 4 and 5 are Scott's Orioles. Photo 6 is the NYC "Scott's" Oriole. Notice the bright yellow medium coverts on the 1st 3 birds which the NYC bird does not show. Also the NYC bird's head is a much duller black than the 1st 3 birds and the bird does not look as streamlined overall as the other 3. http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/search2.cgi ( Durned link still won't work!)
Cordially,
Bob
Go to the Photo Galleries on Surfbirds (see thread 1, above) and click on "Search Galleries," Enter Scott's Oriole, then New York City, then USA. Photo's 1, 4 and 5 are Scott's Orioles. Photo 6 is the NYC "Scott's" Oriole. Notice the bright yellow medium coverts on the 1st 3 birds which the NYC bird does not show. Also the NYC bird's head is a much duller black than the 1st 3 birds and the bird does not look as streamlined overall as the other 3. http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/search2.cgi ( Durned link still won't work!)
Cordially,
Bob
Last edited:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Good for you, Luke!
I am unable to get to Union Square, as home and my part time job conspire to keep me on the West Side.
However, today's little walk did bring two good birds: an immature great blue heron and an American black duck, both at the Central Park Lake. As part of the reconstruction, a lot of overhanging branches were cleared from the Lake's shore. Dredging has removed the phragmites, as well, probably making the Lake less attractive to wood ducks. We'll see if they turn up, again, but they have not turned up very often, in the past.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
I am unable to get to Union Square, as home and my part time job conspire to keep me on the West Side.
However, today's little walk did bring two good birds: an immature great blue heron and an American black duck, both at the Central Park Lake. As part of the reconstruction, a lot of overhanging branches were cleared from the Lake's shore. Dredging has removed the phragmites, as well, probably making the Lake less attractive to wood ducks. We'll see if they turn up, again, but they have not turned up very often, in the past.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
There have been great changes in the weather, of late: -11ºc and then up to +12ºC, within in a few days. The American robins have gone again, but up to six pairs of hooded mergansers were on the Lake, when it was not frozen. My best bird of today was a hermit thrush.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
dolphinbride
Bean Éanlaithe na Coillte
Hi Arthur,
I am so jealous! What a lovely visitor, on Valentine's Day of all days! I'll be lucky to hear the Hermit Thrush's lovely song two month's from now, let alone see him! Central Park is a very special place!
Any Bluebirds in the meadow? I saw one of these harbingers of spring this Saturday at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation!
All the best,
Kristina
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Kristina,
I have never seen a bluebird in Central Park. Although the Eastern bluebird is our state bird, I do not recall ever seeing one.
Sunday, my best bird was that immature great blue heron, which was standing on a rock off the Lake's shore, but I encountered a large number of tufted titmice or the same four or five were following for several hundred meters. Otherwse, the hooded mergansers provided some interest with their diving. Today, when the Lake was completely free of ice, the shovelers were around for the first time, since the Lake froze over. That immature hawk has not been near me of late.
Should anyone wish to have a good first bird watching trip to Central Park, he should visit:
http://www.birdingbob.com/
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
I have never seen a bluebird in Central Park. Although the Eastern bluebird is our state bird, I do not recall ever seeing one.
Sunday, my best bird was that immature great blue heron, which was standing on a rock off the Lake's shore, but I encountered a large number of tufted titmice or the same four or five were following for several hundred meters. Otherwse, the hooded mergansers provided some interest with their diving. Today, when the Lake was completely free of ice, the shovelers were around for the first time, since the Lake froze over. That immature hawk has not been near me of late.
Should anyone wish to have a good first bird watching trip to Central Park, he should visit:
http://www.birdingbob.com/
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
Last edited:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Today, my patch yielded its best daily wintry total. All were regular winter birds: American robins, white throated sparrows, blue jays, grackle, red tailed hawk, mourning dove, white breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse, northern flicker, red bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, grackle, ring billed gulls, mallards and a northern mockingbird. The Lake in Central Park was too frozen for other ducks and I did not see a northern Cardinal but I avoided much of an icy path where I often see them.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello Marcus,
Why so I did, in error, as I only saw one species. It was a common grackle.
At home, I have been fortunate in the last week, as I have spotted a slate colored junco out my window and northern mockingbirds, at the front of my building.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
Pinewood
New York correspondent
A wren in the winter but not a winter wren
I was out this morning when the temperature was -7ºC, or 20ºF. In Central Park, I spotted something out of the ordinary, small, with spotted brown feathers, yellowish feathers near the throat, an eye stripe and long tail. Immediately, I recognized it as a wren. Without reference to a guide, I thought that it was a winter wren, but with that tail, I now know that it was a Carolina wren.
Here is an image from the gallery.
It was one for my life list.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
I was out this morning when the temperature was -7ºC, or 20ºF. In Central Park, I spotted something out of the ordinary, small, with spotted brown feathers, yellowish feathers near the throat, an eye stripe and long tail. Immediately, I recognized it as a wren. Without reference to a guide, I thought that it was a winter wren, but with that tail, I now know that it was a Carolina wren.
Here is an image from the gallery.
It was one for my life list.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Pinewood
New York correspondent
A warm Sunday for early March
Today's bird of the day, for a warm day in early March, was a brown creeper, as pictured in this image from the BirdForum Gallery:
HERE
Two days, ago, on a frigid morning, I saw something unusual among a bunch of sparrows, which looked like a warbler but it was the last day of February! After some thought, I think that I may have seen a blue headed vireo like
This one
Quite a surprise.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Today's bird of the day, for a warm day in early March, was a brown creeper, as pictured in this image from the BirdForum Gallery:
HERE
Two days, ago, on a frigid morning, I saw something unusual among a bunch of sparrows, which looked like a warbler but it was the last day of February! After some thought, I think that I may have seen a blue headed vireo like
This one
Quite a surprise.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Winter is coming to a close
Today's walk brought two signs of equinoctial change of seasons. First , I saw a turtle poking its head above the waters of Central Park Lake. This particular turtle may be a little early, but we have had a few days of warm weather.
The second sign was a male red-winged blackbird, singing on a branch near the Lake. It looked rather like this, except its red patch was still a little dull.
I have been seeing red tailed hawks with regularity. Two were engaged in a contact sport above me, yesterday. One seemed to have disengaged and retired while the other pursued and then settled on a branch near me. Today, a tourist from the Great Smoke, inquired about one near us. When he heard that it was a hawk, he seemed rather pleased at his good fortune.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
Today's walk brought two signs of equinoctial change of seasons. First , I saw a turtle poking its head above the waters of Central Park Lake. This particular turtle may be a little early, but we have had a few days of warm weather.
The second sign was a male red-winged blackbird, singing on a branch near the Lake. It looked rather like this, except its red patch was still a little dull.
I have been seeing red tailed hawks with regularity. Two were engaged in a contact sport above me, yesterday. One seemed to have disengaged and retired while the other pursued and then settled on a branch near me. Today, a tourist from the Great Smoke, inquired about one near us. When he heard that it was a hawk, he seemed rather pleased at his good fortune.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:
Last edited:
