The salt marshes of Inwood Hill Park continued to be lively this week with a pair of visiting Great Egrets, the arrival of shorebirds, and migrants visiting the surrounding trees.
On the morning of August 8, while the continuing Great Egret and the Great Blue Heron fished or preened in the main marsh, two Great Egrets flew over the river from the north side of the river to Muscota Marsh on the south side.
The visitors looked starkly immaculate, with pristine feathers and clear beaks. Probably young egrets, they seemed inquisitive about everything.
The fishing has been good of late, and all the birds of the marsh caught sizable fish this week.
Shorebirds usually arrive here around this time of August, so I was not surprised (but thrilled!) to see my first Spotted Sandpiper of the season. A small shorebird, the young sandpiper scurried around the muddy flats at low tide, scavenging for anything it could find.
The light in late summer has grown softer, and the temperatures have been mild. The general atmosphere suggests the gradual change of seasons. In the forest, the sounds of Wood Thrushes are fading. Park regulars such as the Northern Cardinal and Blue Jay are beginning to molt. Hawk activity is picking up.
I’ve seen a Yellow Warbler here and there, the bright yellow flash of an American Goldfinch, and I’ve heard American Redstarts. I saw an Eastern Phoebe perched on the back of a park bench. Warbling Vireos are around though often hard to see at the tops of trees. Baltimore Orioles are here, too.
Based on observations from past summers, bird life in and around Inwood remains true to the season. Still, the arrival of the two egrets shows that birdwatchers should expect surprises.
In my birdwatching, one informed by regular meditation, I have learned not to go looking for any particular bird but to set forth and accept what is unfolding in the current moment. Awareness takes practice.
Cover: Visiting Great Egrets. August 8, 2023. The Sightings pages are regularly updated. See August 2023 for more daily images.
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