Birds of Inwood

New York City has often been warm this past month, ideal for bringing out many flying insects and, in turn, the Barn Swallows that relish them. These swift flyers are mesmerizing to watch, darting over the marshlands, damp fields, and the waterfront.

Barn Swallows are found everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in the warm months. They typically migrate south during the winter, and many will return to the same nesting locations. 

With forked tails and long wings, Barn Swallows are distinguished by dark blue, rust, and saffron colors that vary with the light. Males have more pronounced colors. They have large mouths, useful for catching flies.

They fly around looking to eat insects in mid-air, sometimes close to the ground. They swoop into the river for a drink of water without breaking a sweat, so to speak. Like many of us, they avoid extreme heat.

Sometimes, Barn Swallows need to rest. Here in Inwood Hill Park, they perch on the branches of upright dead trees at the edge of the water, the kayak/canoe dock, and on top of the field posts at the soccer field. At Swindler’s Cove in Sherman Creek Park on Monday morning, I saw around a dozen of them swarming the Row House out in the water. Some may have raised families there. 

The muddy flats of the marsh provide the mud for their nests. They often build these homes on human-made structures such as bridges.

In addition to these swallows, Tree Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows frequent the waterfront areas of Inwood. On a pleasant summer day that’s not too hot or too cold, enjoy watching the Barn Swallows from a park bench under the shade of a Linden tree.  

Cover: Barn Swallow. July 22, 2025. 7:57 a.m. Inwood Hill Park, New York City.

Get ready for August birding

Cornell Lab’s BirdCast resumes bird forecasting on August 1 to track fall migration. After the summer lull, it’s always exciting to see the birds make their journeys south again. Bookmark https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/ to follow along. In the midst of a heat wave, dreams of autumn are always welcome.

July 2025 sightings and expansion of coverage to Sherman Creek Park

If you missed the previous post, I’ve started actively birding in Sherman Creek Park and Swindler’s Cove. The New York Restoration Project has spent years rebuilding the parks and waterfront there. I’m finding this waterfront area of the Harlem River in southeastern Inwood a good place to see many wading birds, cormorants, gulls, and shorebirds. 

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