Birds of Inwood

A burst of spring weather and unseasonably warm days brought a variety of birds to Inwood Hill Park in Northern Manhattan this week.

The three days in early March— March 9 through March 11— felt like a gift, especially after a long winter of cold temperatures and abundant snow. Many New Yorkers talked about how much we deserved this weather, though they labelled it a “false spring.” We’re realists here and know how spring works.

Thunderstorms on the evening of March 11 were followed by a rainy cold front the next morning. On Thursday, March 12, temperatures dropped to seasonal normals, with a few snow flurries mixed in with light rain in the afternoon.  

While the resumption of cold weather felt like an unfair whiplash after the past few days, springtime does tend to unfold in bursts and retreats. We experience clashes of warm fronts and cold fronts, with the warm ones eventually winning out. It takes time.

During this spring tease, the natural world seemed fully ready to come alive. The crocus bulbs popped out from under their snow beds. Chipmunks emerged from the shadows. The Red-winged Blackbirds returned.

The American Robins flitted about Inwood Hill Park. Song Sparrows raised their heads to sing. A particularly vocal Northern Mockingbird worked to incorporate all the new sounds in its repertoire.

A Red-tailed Hawk chased its prey, and while I was observing it, told me to mind my own business. I saw a colorful American Kestrel way up in the Osprey’s tree devour some unfortunate water bird. 

There were brown and black birds around, including a Brown-headed Cowbird and a company of Fish Crows. I also saw American Goldfinches in their pale early spring yellows. 

I think of the past few days not as a false spring but a spring preview. Soon, more of these same birds will arrive. I’m still expecting a Great Egret to land in the Salt Marsh within the next few days. I picture it somewhere now around the Jersey shore, preparing for its final flight to the waters of Northern Manhattan.

We can only hope. Springtime comes with anxious expectations and many proverbial promises.

Cover: Red-winged Blackbird. March 9, 2026 at 10:04 a.m. near the Salt Marsh in Inwood Hill Park, New York City.

See more pictures on the March 2026 Sightings page.

Recent posts

• An Early Spring Preview of the Birds of Inwood 
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• A Red-shouldered Hawk for Valentine’s Day
• The Snows of January and the Birds of Inwood

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