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From my Manhattan Window (7 Viewers)

Hello,

The winter doldrums continue but another Sunday visit to the Reservoir made an interesting New Year's Eve list:
mallards
norther shovellers
American coots
buffleheads
ruddy ducks
hooded mergansers
wood duck
mourning doves
white throat sparrows
blue jays
fox sparrow
brown creeper, quite unexpected for this date,
northern mockingbird
northern cardinal, male
downy woodpecker

To all, my best wishes for a New Year of good health, of happiness and of peace,
Arthur
As ever, thanks so much for the grand reports you regularly post for us to enjoy, especially with the artwork too.

I hope you have a wonderful 2024 Arthur/
 
Hello all,

At the end of last years and in the beginning of this year, a great blue heron visited the Park, a few times. That hermit thrush and brown creepers also turned up until the end of the year. I did see a small flock of purple common grackles, after a long absence.
great blue heron.jpggrackles.jpg

By extending my walk to the Reservoir, I managed to see the following birds:
Northern shovellers,
mallards,
American black duck ,
hooded mergansers
American coots,
Buffleheads,
Ruddy ducks,
Wood duck male,
Ring billed gull,
Northern cardinals,
Cooper hawk,
Mourning doves,
Blue jays,
Downy woodpeckers,
Red belly woodpecker,
House finches and
White throat sparrows.

Stay safe,
Arthur
 
Hello,

For a few weeks, I have not posted for a lack of something of note. On Wednesday, I did see both a gray catbird and an American goldfinch, in winter plumage. The former was as likely to have wintered in Central Park as to have been an early migrant. Today, I saw a female common merganser.
American goldfinch.jpg mergansers, common.jpeg
However, with a trip to the Reservoir, in addition to the common merganser, I saw
a ring billed gull,
mallards,
northern shovelers
an American black duck,
hooded mergansers,
ruddy ducks,
buffleheads,
American coots,
blue jays,
northern cardinals,
white throat sparrow,
mourning doves,
downy woodpecker, female,
a red tail hawk, immature and a
Cooper hawk.

Stay safe,
Arthur
 
Hello,

This morning, I enjoyed a temperature of -5ºC, although it is near +3ºC, by now. Another week and mot much new to report. Of late, I did see my first double crested cormorant, probably a juvenile, of the season. Today, I got to see a loon which has been resident of the Reservoir for several days. Loons are occasional visitors to Central Park but this one has been around for a five days. On Friday, I saw a golden crowned kinglet.
Double crested cormorant.jpgLoon,common.jpggolden crowned Kinglet.jpg

Today, aside from the loon, I encountered:
a ring bille gull,
mallards,
Northern shovellers,
hooded mergansers,
common mergansers,
ruddy ducks,
buffleheads,
Northern cardinals,
white throats sparrows,
blue jays, by call,
mourning doves,
red belly woodpeckers by call,
downy woodpeckers, and
a Cooper hawk.

Stay safe,
Arthur
 
Hello,


Another Sunday, another morning temperature of -5ºC, another trip through Central Park to the Reservoir, but it was not quite as good as last week. Today, I saw three loons: a pair and a single one, all in winter plumage. It is very likely that the lone loon was a red throated loon, but I am uncertain. However, a red throated loon was reported where I saw the lone loon.

Aside from the loons, today I saw:
mallards,
northern shovellers,
wood ducks, male, on the Lake and on the Reservoir,
buffleheads,
American coot,
white throat sparrow,
Northern cardinal, male,
blue jay,
downy woodpecker, małe,
Cooper hawk, immature, and
grackles.

The celebrated Eurasian owl, Flaco, died after colliding with a building. It has yet to be determined if he may have been sick, when he died. I had never encountered Flaco while he was at large.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
Red throat loon.jpeg
 
Hello,

I did see my first male redwing blackbirds, last week. Spring is in the air with crocuses blooming. In Central Park, another sign of spring are Tibetan Azaleas, which bloom earlier than other azaleas.

Stay safe,
Arthur
red winged blackbirds.jpgTibetan Azalea.jpg
 
Hello,

Spring is in the air, the daffodils are in bloom and the cherry blossoms will soon appear.

However, the migratory birds are standing off. I did see a swamp sparrow, many song sparrows and even a male rusty blackbird, since my last posting.

Swamp sparrow.jpgSong sparrow.jpgrusty blackbirds.jpg

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

Eight days ago, I saw a pair of gadwalls on the Reservoir; last week I had several sightings of phoebes, our earliest flycatcher, and of northern flickers and gadwall.jpgphoebe.jpgNorthern Flicker (Eckstrom).jpgDowny.JPGRed bellied woodpecker.jpg which are certainly turning yellows. Today, I had my first three woodpecker day in a long time: a northern flicker, downy woodpeckers and a red belly woodpecker.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

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Hello all,

On Friday, I saw my first warbler of the year, a pine warbler. Earlier I saw my first hermit thrush and a great egret of the year. In post #1071. I noted a theree woodpecker day. Today, I saw the same three, a downy, a red belly, a northern flicker and a yellow belly sapsucker, making a four woodpecker day for my first time. I also include a photo of Central Park's Cherry Hill in full bloom, from Bow Bridge.Hermit thrush.jpgPine warblers.jpgegret.jpgyellow bellied sapsucker.jpgCherry Hill from Bow Bridge, April 4, 2024.jpg

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

Black crowned night herons have arrived in Central Park. Yesterday, I saw my first chipping sparrow of the year as well as a palm

warbler
, a yellow rump warbler, aka myrtle warbler and a night heron.jpgchipping sparrow.jpgpalm warbler.jpgMyrtle Yellow.jpgkinglets.jpg
ruby crowned kinglet.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

Saturday of last week, I saw three northern flickers , see post #1171exploring the lawn of my block of flats. They were undisturbed and worked the area for almost half an hour. Two weeks back, I saw red tail hawks bringing branches to a nest on the San Remo building. Earlier this week, I did see a blue gray flycatcher, while today I saw an Eastern towhee.

red-tailed hawk, aloft.jpggnatcatchers.jpg
towhee, etc.jpg
Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a bird high on a branch, which I did not recognise. After some cogitating, I decided that it was a female American kestrel, formerly known as a sparrow hawk. Athough I have seen many male kestrels, this was the first female, which I have identified. Today, a male kestrel flew over my head.
Of the spring migrants, I have had limited success: a brown thrasher, a warbling vireo, migratory gray catbirds, and black and white warblers. For sure, more to come.

Sparrow hawks.jpeg
Male on the left, female on the right.
brown thrasher.jpgwarbling vireo.jpgcatbird, gray.jpgblack and white warbler.jpg

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

I guess that the warbler season is in full swing, but I have not been terribly successful. However, I have a yellow warbler, a magnolia warbler, and an American redstart, a female, Yellow warbler.jpgwarbler, magnolia.jpgAMERICAN redstart, female.jpegcowbird.jpgPurple finch, male.jpg, as well as a brown headed cowbird, and a purple finch.

More to come.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 
Hello,

In the last few days, I have seen bay breasted warblers, blackpoll warblers, a Blackburnian warbler, as well a female rose breasted grosbeak and an Eastern wood pewee.
Bay breasted warbler.jpegBlackpoll.jpgblackburnian warblers.jpgrose breasted grosbeak.jpgEastern Wood pewee.jpg

All images painted by Louis Agassiz Fuertes from Eaton's Birds of New York, 1912-1914.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur
 

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