From my Manhattan Window (4 Viewers)

[Pinewood]

Autumn, at last

Hello all,

From yesterday, through this morning, we had high winds and more than 8 cm of rain. This morning, when the temperature was about 9ºC, the paths were covered with leaves, branches and conkers . Still the best colours are on the sugar maple trees.

A winter bird, northern shovellers have arrived. I saw my first one, today, on Turtle Pond.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

 

[Pinewood]

Hello,

I got another glimpse of a red bellied woodpecker and the pleasure of my first sighting of the season hooded mergansers both on Turtle Pond and on the Reservoir. I am still seeing American coots on the Reservoir. Finally, Central Park Lake is beginning to look autumnal.
Bird images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes; Central Park Lake photographed with my iPod Touch.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

 

[KC Foggin]

That's a lovely image Arthur! No colored leaf display down here. Just dead leaves. Wonder why?

 

[Pinewood]

That's a lovely image Arthur! No colored leaf display down here. Just dead leaves. Wonder why?

Hello KC,

I would guess that you have had ample rain and mild weather.

Upstate New York and New England experiences very weak autumnal colouring.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

[KC Foggin]

Yup, plenty of rain and warmer temps. Thanks Arthur

 

[ceasar]

Arthur and KC,

We have also experienced very weak autumnal coloring in the Pocono Plateau of Northeastern PA this fall after a dry summer. Most of the leaves will have fallen shortly except for the Oak trees.

Bob

 

[Pinewood]

waterfowl

Hello all,

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing two pairs of buffleheads on the Reservoir.

Today, I paid another visit to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Aside from shovel[l]ers, an egret, a pie billed grebe, and ruddy ducks, I spotted American black ducks, rafts of brant, spotted sandpipers, a life bird a merlin. The images are from The Birds of New York, by Eaton, The New York State Museum, 1912-1914. The images were drawn by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. I should note that the merlin, falco columbaris, was listed as a pigeon hawk. Fortunately, I found the Latin name in Peterson's guide and could use it to find the images.

At the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the West Pond was breached by tropical super storm Sandy. This artificial pond then filled with sea water. Now that the breach has been repaired the pond is slowly returning to fresh water.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

 

[KC Foggin]

Sounds like it's been a productive week for you so far and congrats on your lifer Arthur

 

[Pinewood]

Local waterfowl

Hello all,

Sometime last week, I saw a song sparrow, perhaps the last of the season. A black capped chickadee, last week, and a fox sparrow, today, were firsts for the season.

I am still seeing hooded mergansers on both the Reservoir and Turtle Pond. Today, on the Reservoir, were more hooded merganser, mallards, norther shovel[l[ers, many ruddy ducks, coots, buffleheads, wood ducks and a pie billed grebe

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

[Pinewood]

Seaonal changes

Hello,

I have begun to notice a lot of common grackles in the Park. I was in the midst of a large flock, at Triplets Bridge, today. I got a glimpse of a tufted titmouse, also today.
Yesterday, those wood ducks were on the Lake, as was a male northern pintail, which ad decided to move from the Pond, in the southeast corner of the Park. Yesterday, I also started seeing juncoes, both male and female.

While looking at the pintail, from the Point, I heard some splashing and the beating of wings very close to me. It was a red-tailed hawk. I wonder if it was trying to get a mallard on a nearby log. It flew off, without any prey, to the top of the Bethesda Fountain. Both the Pond and the Bethesda Fountain might be familiar to those who have seen the film Home Alone 2.

Yesterday, when I entered the Park, there was a group of Japanese tourists looking up a tree, tablets and mobile 'phones, at the ready. They were not looking at birds only gray squirrels.

Paintings by Lous Agassiz Fuertes, the pintail among the mallards was taken with an iPod Touch.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

 

[KC Foggin]

How strange about the visitors being focused on the squirrels Arthur. One of my least favorite of all wildlife.

 

[Pinewood]

How strange about the visitors being focused on the squirrels Arthur. One of my least favorite of all wildlife.

Hello KC,

Tourists are often fascinated by New York's squirrels. A true New Yorker regards them as rats with bushy tails. I had one come into my apartment, which would have been a true problem but I chased him out almost as soon as it entered.

Today, there was ample rain in the morning. Tomorrow, the Thanksgiving Day Parade makes visiting the park rather problematic.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur

 

[KC Foggin]

Well have a good Thanksgiving Arthur!

 

[Pinewood]

Well have a good Thanksgiving Arthur!

Hello KC,

I hope that you and all those who celebrate Thanksgiving may have a wonderful holiday.


With warm regards to all,
Arthur

 

[Pinewood]

Hello,

On Thursday, America's Thanksgiving Day, I could not enter anywhere near my home. I took the Metro to 104th Street and visited the Pool. As I anticipated, there were mallards and buffleheads but nothing unusual. I did see a mallard try diving rather than dabbling but it splashed a lot more than any diving duck. The Reservoir provided views of American coots, ruddy ducks, shovellers, more mallards, and hooded mergansers.

On Sunday, Briding Bob's group discovered a likely Hammonds flycatcher. On Monday and Tuesday, I only saw a glimpse of the birding flying off. The bird would be about 3,000 kms, off it range, in the far west. I also saw a Wilson's warbler.. On Monday, I got a nice look at a brown creeper. Both are laggards.

Today, I saw my first American goldfinch of the season and I had good look at a Cooper hawk, above Azalea Pond.

I append two views in Central Park, one of the Gill, the other of Azalea Pond, which show how sylvan the Park's Ramble appears.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

 

[Merlin]

Arthur

It sounds good to me, I saw my very first ever American Goldfinch in Central Park.

best regards

Merlin

 

[Pinewood]

Hello all,

Visiting the Reservoir is still a pleasure. Shovellers, mallards, ruddy ducks, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, American coots, pie billed grebes and the occasional wood duck, the male in fine feather, all turn up. The only thing missing from the possible sightings is a common loon.

Unfortunately, I have seen few new passerine birds. I did see my first black capped chickadee of the season and house finches The great blue heron turned up in the shadows of the Lake.

Saturday, it snowed all day, more than 12 cm, but I found the paths too treacherous on Sunday. Snow packed down by walkers freezes very nicely with cold overnight temperature, even -1ºC, and there are few workers to clear the paths on Sunday. Nowadays, ice keeps me away, so I did not venture far in the Park.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

 

[Pinewood]

snowy weather

Hello,

There was enough snow on Sunday evening to make many of the paths in Central Park to be too icy for me. Today, the major paths were cleared, so I made my usual round except for some of the Ramble.

Today, the Reservoir had the usual assortment of waterfowl: American coots, buffleheads, mallards, northern shovellers, ruddy ducks, wood ducks and hooded mergansers. Additionally, there were ringed necked ducks. Elsewhere, near the frozen Lake were pine siskins.

Last week, I had a truly good look at a northern flicker, which was feeding on the ground near me. I believe that the flicker is the only woodpecker which feeds on the ground. In any case, I had a nice look at its remarkably striking plumage.

I add a photograph, taken with my iPod, of two year round park regulars: a mourning dove and a blue jay. The blue jay is very familiar in the American East but never seen in the far West.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe:

 

[Graham Osborne]

Thanks Arthur. I always enjoy your posts.

 

[Pinewood]

That elusive flycatcher

Hello all,

First of all, I appreciate Graham Osborne's kind comments, which encourages me to continue my posts, I am surprised at how many bird watchers look at my jottings. I suspect that many are curious about birds in a big city like New York.

Today, there was still ice on the Lake and on Turtle Pond, so I saw only a few mallards. I did see tufted titmice and a downy woodpecker, at the bird feeders as well as a great blue heron, at Turtle Pond.

Since the tenth, inst., there have been sightings of a Hammond's flycatcher. On the eleventh and twelfth, it was pointed out as it fly by, not far from Azalea Pond. Today, I noticed a sparrow sized bird, near the west side of the Lake, with odd markings. My glass, a now old fashioned Zeiss 8x30 BGAT*,, showed an epidonax flycatcher with two wing bars, the forward one less distinct than the after one, with a long tail. Dr. Robert de Candido, "Briding Bob," agreed with my identification of the Hammond flycatcher.
I was not seeking it, but I was happy to get a sufficiently good look to count it as a life bird. As I have written, an awareness of one's surroundings, patience and persistence are more important in this pastime than how much one spends on optics.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :scribe: