When fall first arrives, it’s often said, “Fall is in the air.” The phrase is meant to evoke a perceived change in the atmosphere, a feeling of the air’s chilliness or the soft light.
The mood tends to grow quiet, especially in contrast with the boisterous arrival of spring. Leaves brighten in warm colors before falling in the cold.
For a few short weeks in New York City, the fall migration of birds further enlivens the famous autumn in New York. Those weeks have begun. In the city and in the wilds of Northern Manhattan, those fall foliage colors often deepen from the last two weeks of October to early November. The peak usually coincides with the NYC Marathon (this year on Sunday, November 5, 2023), the same day the clocks fall back.
On walks this past weekend, I saw a host of small Ruby-crowned Kinglets flit about the bushes next to the Salt Marsh. Eastern Phoebes explored the snags over the water. A Red-headed Woodpecker, usually at home in the forest, climbed the Osprey’s tree. While migratory birds such as the kinglets, vireos, and Eastern Phoebes continue their journey south, the woodpeckers tend to stay.
On Monday, a Red-tailed Hawk dramatically landed on the Osprey tree, interrupting an otherwise peaceful stroll among the kinglets and phoebes. While looking at the kinglets, I had spotted a large rat at the edges of the marsh grasses. The hawk saw it, too, and seconds later, the hawk grabbed the rat and took it up to a nearby tree. There were onlookers who watched in awe at the gruesome spectacle of nature. I took a picture but will not share it here. After the hawk flew away to the higher forest, a murder of crows followed it. They were murderously loud.
In other parts of the forest this past weekend, several Blue-headed Vireos explored higher terrain. In one curious sighting, I watched a Blue Jay yell at something inside the crevice where the Eastern Screech-Owl lives in winter. What is in there?
As owls and hawks arrive for the season, who else arrives? Who leaves?
Cover: Eastern Phoebe at the Salt Marsh. October 16, 2023.
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Notes about the website: I’ve rearranged Birds of Inwood to make it easier to find posts on individual bird species. Look for the dropdown under “Birds” in the navigation. In the coming months, I plan to add more features, a map, and visitor information.
I have also added a new page for my artwork. Look for Artwork in the top menu.
Watercolor, colored pencils, graphite, and gouache on 5″ x 7″ inch Canson watercolor postcard.
October 14, 2023
Please continue to check out the Sightings pages, listed by month, for new entries between blog posts.
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
Birds of Inwood 
Comments welcome!