Birds of Inwood

I happen to love winter landscapes. I enjoy the sight of snow-capped peaks and winter trails. While I don’t ski, I often imagine sitting by a fire in a cozy ski lodge and looking at the slopes. When spring arrives, I often regret not having spent more time in a winter destination.

On Tuesday, seeing plenty of snow on the ground and wanting to see more, I took a Metro-North train ride to Cold Spring, NY in the Hudson Highlands. The 84-minute train ride from the Marble Hill station, the station closest to me in Inwood, follows the banks of the Hudson River all the way north to Croton-on-Hudson. The ride is its own adventure, with views of the Palisades and the wide waters of Tarrytown. From my window seat, I watched flights of birds using the snow-banked Hudson River as their compass.

Switching trains at Croton-Hudson typically involves moving from an electric train to an older type of locomotive. This switch always makes me feel that I have truly left town or even moved back in time. The route then veers inland through a mix of rusty industrial landscapes and golden marsh lands. After Peekskill, as the train rounds a bend and passes Bear Mountain Bridge, a more sweeping Hudson River view comes into wide focus. Here, we are entering the Hudson Highlands, a fjord system where the river deepens and glistens between high peaks. 

I have made this trip many times but never in mid-winter. Once I went to Peekskill during the normally slow month of February just to get out of the apartment. This time, though, I decided on Cold Spring because I wanted to see what the higher landscapes looked like in snow and to practice some plain-eir sketches. 

Cold Spring is a lovely historic town to visit with plenty of restaurants, a great outfitting store called Old Souls, several antique shops, and a fascinating history as a major foundry site during the Civil War. I was there to gape at the trio of peaks on the west side of the river – Crow’s Nest, North Ridge, and Storm King Mountain. They look stark and spectacular in the winter landscape, perfect for graphite drawing. I didn’t need to paint with my watercolors, for color was noticeably absent there.

I didn’t expect cute ducks. Shortly after I arrived and walked over to the waterfront, I saw a pair of adorable ducks swimming in the big river and occasionally diving into the water. They turned out to be Hooded Mergansers. As I didn’t bring my usual birdwatching camera with a good zoom lens, I can’t properly show them to you. I took these pictures with my older model of iPhone. I did have good look at the ducks through a small monocular.

From a great distance I spotted additional ducks, perhaps Buffleheads and Common Mergansers. Waiting for the train home, I also saw hawks flying over the West Point Foundry Preserve and eagles soaring over the river. Remembering that Constitution Marsh is nearby, I started making plans to return, the next time for the birds. I hope to go before everything turns green again.

Cover: Landscape view of the Hudson River and west shore from Cold Spring, NY. February 11, 2025

Closer to home

You don’t have to go north to see snow. We’ve had plenty to enjoy in Inwood Hill Park.

February Sightings

February sightings include the regular Red-tailed Hawks (now two seem to fly together often), a Cooper’s Hawk or two, and a great gaggle of geese and ducks.

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

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Upcoming workshops – Interested?

I plan to offer affordable workshops on drawing on location, with an emphasis on drawings birds in context. The trip to Cold Spring is an example of the sort of day trip I have in mind, though probably not this cold! The workshop and travel time would typically begin in mid-morning and conclude in the afternoon. All experience levels welcome.

Please fill out the form below if you would be interested or would like to learn more. Also please note the days of the week that you prefer.