MiddleRiver
Well-known member
Peace and a good New Year to you too Arthur!
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From my Manhattan Window (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Pinewood
- Start date
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
I had a nice walk on Boxing Day, the feast of Stephan. Unlike good King Wenceslas, I found no snow but there was some ice on a couple of Central Parks footpaths. As the temperature worked its way up from around -7ºC, I included the Reservoir in my walk , as the Lake and Turtle Pond were frozen over, which yielded nothing new but, all told, I did see twenty species:
Wood duck, male
American coot
hooded mergansers
buffleheads
mallards
northern shovellers
ruddy ducks
American robins
northern cardinals
redwings blackbird, male and very late
white throat sparrows
tufted titmice galore
fox sparrow
blue jay
common grackles
mourning doves
red tail hawk
Cooper hawk
black capped chickadee and a
yellow bellied sapsucker
Stay safe,
Arthur
I had a nice walk on Boxing Day, the feast of Stephan. Unlike good King Wenceslas, I found no snow but there was some ice on a couple of Central Parks footpaths. As the temperature worked its way up from around -7ºC, I included the Reservoir in my walk , as the Lake and Turtle Pond were frozen over, which yielded nothing new but, all told, I did see twenty species:
Wood duck, male
American coot
hooded mergansers
buffleheads
mallards
northern shovellers
ruddy ducks
American robins
northern cardinals
redwings blackbird, male and very late
white throat sparrows
tufted titmice galore
fox sparrow
blue jay
common grackles
mourning doves
red tail hawk
Cooper hawk
black capped chickadee and a
yellow bellied sapsucker
Stay safe,
Arthur
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You had quite the day Arthur!!
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello KC,
I should add that the male wood duck likes to court female mallards but few in New York are upset at the idea of interspecies relations.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello and a happy New year to all,
I listened to Big Ben chime in the new year via computer, so the twelfth chime must have been a little late. When I did this by short wave, transmission was almost spot on. As it was new year, GMT, UTC, I decided that it was global new year and retired early. I did not even hear the fireworks over Central Park.
Today, the first day of the new year, I saw:
White throat sparrows
blue jays
mourning doves
tufted titmice
American robins
Cooper hawks
red tailed hawk
black-capped chickadees
house finches
American goldfinches
fox sparrow
red belly woodpecker, actually I only heard one
Northern saw whet owl, my first in years
wood ducks
horned grebe
gadwalls
hooded mergansers
buffleheads
northern shovel[l]lers
ruddy ducks and
American coots.
Stay safe,
Arthur
I listened to Big Ben chime in the new year via computer, so the twelfth chime must have been a little late. When I did this by short wave, transmission was almost spot on. As it was new year, GMT, UTC, I decided that it was global new year and retired early. I did not even hear the fireworks over Central Park.
Today, the first day of the new year, I saw:
White throat sparrows
blue jays
mourning doves
tufted titmice
American robins
Cooper hawks
red tailed hawk
black-capped chickadees
house finches
American goldfinches
fox sparrow
red belly woodpecker, actually I only heard one
Northern saw whet owl, my first in years
wood ducks
horned grebe
gadwalls
hooded mergansers
buffleheads
northern shovel[l]lers
ruddy ducks and
American coots.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Indeed KC.... a list to drool over from this side of the pond LOL
I hope you have a wonderful 2023 Arthur - thanks so much for entertaining us with your NY reports my friend.
I hope you have a wonderful 2023 Arthur - thanks so much for entertaining us with your NY reports my friend.
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
Since New Year's Day, I see the usual suspects but a red breasted merganser turned up on the Reservoir. To my surprise, this week I saw an Eastern towhee.
I also attach a photo of the reservoir with a flock of ruddy ducks and a photo of me, at wearing my newly purchased Gloverall duffel coat, AKA toggle coat or stadium coat, on this side of the Pond. My old Gloverall coat became shabby after twenty winters, especially where I used to keep my binocular bag.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Since New Year's Day, I see the usual suspects but a red breasted merganser turned up on the Reservoir. To my surprise, this week I saw an Eastern towhee.
I also attach a photo of the reservoir with a flock of ruddy ducks and a photo of me, at wearing my newly purchased Gloverall duffel coat, AKA toggle coat or stadium coat, on this side of the Pond. My old Gloverall coat became shabby after twenty winters, especially where I used to keep my binocular bag.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
It is the dead of a fairly mild winter. Nevertheless, I was surprised to have two sightings of a brown creeper in the last two weeks. As in many winters, I did see a great blue heron, in the past week. On the Reservoir, I did see an occasional visitor: a common loon. Otherwise, it is the usual assortment of birds.
Stay safe,
Arthur
It is the dead of a fairly mild winter. Nevertheless, I was surprised to have two sightings of a brown creeper in the last two weeks. As in many winters, I did see a great blue heron, in the past week. On the Reservoir, I did see an occasional visitor: a common loon. Otherwise, it is the usual assortment of birds.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
Last Saturday, we had the coldest morning in many years, -15ºC, 4ºF, which kept me out of the park. Even a winter coat ['see post #970] with a jumper would have been of limited use for an extended walk. Since then the weather has been milder but with overnight
frost. Today, the Lake was almost covered with ice but there was no sign of ducks. A visit to the Reservoir, which was mostly open water, let me shovellers, hooded mergansers, American coots, ruddy ducks and bufflehead. Oddly, I did not see any mallards.
Cooper hawks are seen almost daily, but last week one landed right in from of me, so I had a good look at one.
On January 31st, I did see an unexpected pair of birds: a gray catbird and a hermit thrush. The former may have been wintering in the Park. I will note that our resident blue jays have started to singing, instead of their usual raucous call.
Images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, from Eaton's Birds of New York, 1912-1914.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Last Saturday, we had the coldest morning in many years, -15ºC, 4ºF, which kept me out of the park. Even a winter coat ['see post #970] with a jumper would have been of limited use for an extended walk. Since then the weather has been milder but with overnight
frost. Today, the Lake was almost covered with ice but there was no sign of ducks. A visit to the Reservoir, which was mostly open water, let me shovellers, hooded mergansers, American coots, ruddy ducks and bufflehead. Oddly, I did not see any mallards.
Cooper hawks are seen almost daily, but last week one landed right in from of me, so I had a good look at one.
On January 31st, I did see an unexpected pair of birds: a gray catbird and a hermit thrush. The former may have been wintering in the Park. I will note that our resident blue jays have started to singing, instead of their usual raucous call.
Images by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, from Eaton's Birds of New York, 1912-1914.
Stay safe,
Arthur
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Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
I have seen gray catbirds, a hermit thrush and a brown creeper, as mentioned in posts #971 and #975, but now they are more likely to be migrants than birds who wintered in Central Park.
Last week, I did see an American woodcock, which often eludes me. I can go a year between sightings this master of camouflage but many years ago, one appeared out my window in the autumn. It took another bird watcher to point the woodcock out to me. Other migrants include song sparrows, field sparrow, at least I think it was a field sparrow, double crested cormorants, and a phoebe.
Stay safe,
Arthur
I have seen gray catbirds, a hermit thrush and a brown creeper, as mentioned in posts #971 and #975, but now they are more likely to be migrants than birds who wintered in Central Park.
Last week, I did see an American woodcock, which often eludes me. I can go a year between sightings this master of camouflage but many years ago, one appeared out my window in the autumn. It took another bird watcher to point the woodcock out to me. Other migrants include song sparrows, field sparrow, at least I think it was a field sparrow, double crested cormorants, and a phoebe.
Stay safe,
Arthur
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Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello,
I have seen a few more new spring migrants in the last few days. Today's newcomers were a great egret on the Central Park Lake, a Carolina wren, a ruby crowned kinglet, and a female gadwall on Turtle Pond. Other birds seen today were:
Fox sparrows
juncoes
song sparrows
black capped chickadees
white breasted nuthatch
downy woodpecker, female
red belly woodpecker, female
Eastern phoebe
white throat sparrows
tufted titmice
redwing blackbirds, male both mature and immature
mourning doves
Northern cardinals
red tail hawks
blue jays
mallards
Northern shovellers
Stay safe,
Arthur
I have seen a few more new spring migrants in the last few days. Today's newcomers were a great egret on the Central Park Lake, a Carolina wren, a ruby crowned kinglet, and a female gadwall on Turtle Pond. Other birds seen today were:
Fox sparrows
juncoes
song sparrows
black capped chickadees
white breasted nuthatch
downy woodpecker, female
red belly woodpecker, female
Eastern phoebe
white throat sparrows
tufted titmice
redwing blackbirds, male both mature and immature
mourning doves
Northern cardinals
red tail hawks
blue jays
mallards
Northern shovellers
Stay safe,
Arthur
