Birds of Inwood

Black-crowned Night Herons have settled into the life of the Salt Marsh in Inwood Hill Park this summer, and I have been surprised by seeing so many of them. Both adults and juveniles have found the marsh to their liking, offering many overhanging branches at water’s edge for shade and nesting with plentiful food in the water for fishing.

I’m growing in awareness of their presence here, or I have learned to expand my field of vision, at least with the help of my zoom camera and looking farther afield. I have seen Black-crowned Night Herons in the waters of Inwood Hill Park in previous summers and early autumns, but I like to think that they will thrive and grow in numbers.

I first saw an adult Black-crowned Night Heron on July 14 on the bank of the Salt Marsh, and I first saw two juveniles playing in the shallow rivulets of water on July 25. One of my most memorable sightings of the summer was seeing the resident Great Egret and an adult Black-crowned Night Heron jockey into a perching position on the kayak launch. That was July 30.  

Around noon on August 14, 2023, I was standing near the end of the boardwalk at Muscota Marsh when I saw some movement along the water’s edge on the north side of the river in Spuyten Duyvil (Bronx). Looking past the familiar Double-crested Cormorant perched on the dock on the Inwood side, I was able to view a Great Blue Heron flanked by two adult Black-crowned Night Herons. As I was watching them, a Metro-North train rolled by on the Hudson River line. They didn’t flinch.

The couple of juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons have taken to the waters around the shuttered kayak dock in the larger Salt Marsh this August. They have been delightful to watch as they perfect their fishing skills. The herons are stocky and oval, with ample spotted feathers, big eyes and a strong beak, giving them an overall prehistoric appearance. 

I have been eager to watch their maturation process, because the juveniles and adults look so different. While the young ones are stocky and a little awkward, they will grow into an unmistakable elegance. Adult Black-crowned Night Herons develop a light-colored chest and dark blue crowns with a sporty plume emerging from the backs of their heads. 

On August 21, I saw two young Black-crowned Night Herons, one fishing near the dock in the Salt Marsh (cover image) and another across the river from Muscota Marsh. I was able to see through my zoom lens the young heron standing in profile as the water’s edge. Was it looking at fish swimming by or its own reflection? The immature heron looked like it was losing its juvenile appearance and on its way to becoming a fully grown Black-crowned Night Heron. 

Cover: Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. August 21, 2023. Salt Marsh.

Read a follow-up post from 2024 – The Wonderful Twos of a Black-Crowned Night Heron.

Recent posts

• 
  Observing Birds Outside the Window: The Comforts and Surprises of Birdwatching During a Winter Storm
• 
  A Thanksgiving with Hawks and All the Birds of Inwood
• 
  Easy Fall Birding with White-throated Sparrows
• 
  The Birds for Our New York City Moment
• 
  Fall Birding Falls Into Place: Notable Birds of Inwood During Mid-October

Now on Threads!

Are you on Threads yet? Follow me there.

Subscribe to Birds of Inwood!

Support Birds of Inwood

Thank you for supporting this website! You will automatically be subscribed with your donation.