Birds of Inwood

A good way to start a busy morning during the holiday season is to walk into a forest and find a hawk. In NYC, Red-tailed Hawks are relatively common and make a good choice for hawk chasing. A Cooper’s Hawk may be around as well. With luck, you may find these two hawks chasing one another.

Throughout Thanksgiving week and into the first week of Advent, I found myself with a busy work schedule and had to limit my morning strolls. Many days I had only thirty minutes or so to walk over to the entrance of Inwood Hill Park near the W. 207th Street steps and observe any birds gathered there. This season, charming winter birds such as the Tufted Titmouse and Black-capped Chickadee are often present.  

If Blue Jays and a murder of crows are around, a Red-tailed Hawk may be nearby. Sometimes, the collective Greek chorus of jays and crows is so loud I can hear the chase from my apartment.

A certain Red-tailed Hawk has claimed the eastern hill here at the edge of the forest. I’ve observed this same hawk for some time now, possibly since the spring. I have pictures of a hawk with these markings alongside an older adult with a more prominent red tail. 

The forest edge provides an advantageous position for such a predator. The garbage containers near apartment buildings attract rodents, and an experienced hawk can track the movements of both rats and forest squirrels. On Saturday morning, the same Red-tail Hawk took up a position in a tree overlooking the NYC Greenmarket. Mostly, the hawk flies between the Salt Marsh area and its favorite hill overlooking the tennis courts.

Red-tailed Hawks have been spotted all over the city, and now that the trees have become bereft of leaves the hawks are much easier to observe. So, while out holiday shopping or enjoying the city’s festive decorations, keep your eyes open for our metropolitan hawks. 

No matter how your day works out, you can often look back to that early morning memory when the day was new and promising and you saw your favorite hawk.

Cover: Red-tailed Hawk. December 5, 2024. 10:25 a.m.

December Sightings

The December sightings page is typical for the month with a collection of winter birds, woodpeckers, and the hawks.

Illustrations for an Advent Calendar

I’ve collected some of my bird drawings for a holiday countdown.

Christmas Bird Count

The Christmas Bird Count takes place on Sunday, December 15, 2024. The NYC Bird Alliance is coordinating the event in Manhattan and Northern New Jersey. Details and volunteer information here.

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