Birds of Inwood

I tend to be an early morning birder because that’s when the birds are active. I am also by nature a morning lark. For several days of the week, I also need to get ready for work in another part of Manhattan.

I often revel in memories of my pre-work birdwatching walks. On Thursday, deep into the afternoon, I remembered the herons from the morning.

Many Canada Geese and Mallards had gathered on the sandy islands in the main inlet that morning. A low mist began to dissipate through the advance of sunrise. Far off in the waters, I saw a tall object. A piece of driftwood turned upright? No. I focused my camera and watched a Great Blue Heron slowly wading through the waters. It was around 7 a.m. The tide was going out.  

I followed the Great Blue Heron for twenty minutes or so when a Great Egret flew into the inlet just a few feet away from me. It was fishing time for these two great birds of the Salt Marsh. The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron of North America, slightly bigger in height and wingspan than the Great Egret. On this morning, they kept their distance from one another, going about their solitary foraging. 

As wading birds, herons observe the comings and goings of the tides. At Spuyten Duyvil Creek, typical high tides range from 3.5 to 4.5 feet, a normal height range for Great Blue Herons. I will often watch a Great Blue Heron preening in a favorite tree as it waits for an optimal tidal time to fish in the waters. As the bottom levels of the marsh vary in height, herons may alight on rocks and islands of the inlet. They favor either side of low tide. 

On many of these workdays in the city, deep into the hours following the commute and during the hours of tasks at a lively workplace, I am often startled by visions of my early morning bird walks. I took photos of the Great Blue Heron and Great Egret on Thursday morning, but I would have remembered them anyway. 

The beginning of summer will coincide with a heat wave in NYC, according to forecasts. Stay cool. 

Read a related post from 2023, The Ebb and Flow of Egrets and Herons. For more about herons and heat waves, read A Hot Heron Summer at the Salt Marsh from 2024. My forecast for the summer of 2025 calls for more herons.

Cover: Great Blue Heron. June 19, 2025. Salt Marsh, Inwood Hill Park, Northern Manhattan, New York City. 7:47 a.m.

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