Birds of Inwood

In the past few days, I’ve observed a Great Blue Heron preening in a tree, a couple of Double-crested Cormorants diving in the water, a pair of American Goldfinches flitting about bushes, several Northern Flickers here and there, and Rough-winged Swallows on an old snag at the Salt Marsh. On the morning of June 9, I saw an Osprey flying low and diving briefly into the Salt Marsh. I’ve seen other birds, too, fortunately within a good range of my camera. 

Someone recently asked me if I took the photos on this site. The answer is “Yes,” so I thought I would say a little more about my bird photographs.

I continue to observe the birds with a Nikon Coolpix B700. The model is discontinued. The camera lacks the clarity and deeper range of many wildlife cameras, but it still allows me to convey the essence of the various birds that pass through this part of Northern Manhattan. The wide zoom is good enough for me to use the camera to observe birds far away. 

I don’t consider myself a skilled photographer. I don’t play around with variable settings. Most all the images you see on the site are made with the default camera setting for bird watching. I like to use the “continuous” mode, as opposed to the single mode, meaning that I can fire off images in sequence. Birds are fast creatures, so I can pick up subtleties of movement. I also like to edit lightly or not at all. While I lack specific technical skills, I am still fairly experienced.  

A painterly eye is another element of my approach to photographing birds. Since I also enjoy drawing and painting, I tend to look for pleasing forms, colors, composition, and background elements when I am focusing the picture. I also try to convey what the bird is doing as well as the context. I’m increasingly sensitive to how the birds interact within their natural and manmade environments. For that reason, I often like to show plenty of background— the bridge, a pier, marsh grasses, or a baseball field.   

On the morning of June 8, 2025, I decided to walk home from the park by a different route. I had just been thinking that I missed seeing Red-tailed Hawks, my usual company during the fall and winter months. At that moment, serendipity struck when my eye landed on a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk perched on a fence at the Inwood baseball fields.

The baseball fields are undergoing an extensive renovation this year. The project involves massive heavy earth-moving machinery and small mountains of dirt. The fields are fenced off. Birds, of course, have easy access to the off-limit areas. This hawk was annoyed with mobbing attacks by a couple of Blue Jays and an American Robin.

The Red-tailed Hawk is the “spark bird” that got me into birdwatching. It’s an impressive and expressive bird. Most of the pictures here, including the cover image, were all captured at the same minute – June 8, 2025 at 7:11 a.m. The image of the hawk with its wing held out happened as it was fending off a swipe by a Blue Jay. You may be able to see a tiny Blue Jay feather over the hawk’s head as well as the tip of the jay’s tail at the top of the frame. 

Fortunate circumstances came together for these pictures. The park was quiet, and the morning light was good. The hawk held its position for several minutes. And so did I.

Example of Continuous Shooting Mode: A Pair of Tree Swallows

Prior to my serendipitous encounter with the hawk, I had been at the Salt Marsh observing a pair of Tree Swallows. They were moving around and out of an old snag there at the bend of the marsh trail, a place local birders refer to as the “sunken willow.” 

The male and female birds were engaged in a lively interaction. This sequence of three images, taken on June 8, 2025 at 6:36 a.m. fall within the same second. Two minutes later, the Tree Swallows had moved on to a new hollow.

Eventually, I will need to buy a new camera, and part of me wants one, but for now, I am content with the current settings. If you would like to support Birds of Inwood, please see the form on the About page. This summer, I also plan to offer affordable artwork for sale.

Cover image: Red-tailed Hawk. Inwood Hill Park. June 8, 2025. 7:11 a.m.

June 2025 Sightings page

Now that spring migration is essentially over, many cool birds continue in Inwood Hill Park. See the June page for more.  

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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