Author: Teri Tynes
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The Flaco Anniversary
UPDATE February 24, 2024. Sad news comes that Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl has died. On the evening of February 23, 2024, he apparently collided with a building on West 89th Street in the Upper West Side. According to reports, building residents discovered his body on the ground and were able to transport him to the…
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Feathers Flying – Rhapsody in a Great Blue Heron
A most beautiful Great Blue Heron has been frequenting the Salt Marsh lately, with many local social media posts to prove it. A winter visitor, this particular heron has taken to perching near the shore or on one of the Inwood Hill Park docks. It can easily be seen up close. In a cold gray…
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How the Birds of Inwood Stay Warm in the Cold Northern Manhattan Winter
During the recent cold and snowy nights, I was awakened by the sounds of snapping tree limbs falling in the forest down the street. Some of the trees are old and brittle there. I imagined the birds waking up, too, jolted from their feathery dreams to find a new limb in the cold night air. …
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A Red-breasted Merganser at the Salt Marsh
On the morning of Sunday, January 14, 2024, a male Red-breasted Merganser was floating along the banks of the Salt Marsh and trying to get some rest. Nearby was a group of Mallards that occasionally quacked. The Merganser is usually seen with its partner, often in the nearby Muscota Marsh, but this morning it was…
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Birds Between the Storms: A Wellness Check on the January Regulars
Successive waves of storm systems have been passing through the area, and I have been checking in on the birds to see how they fared. First, a winter storm brought snow to the city, but little of it stuck to the ground. Then a large storm brought heavy rain, this time swamping the shoreline of…
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The Hunting Party – Red-tailed Hawks Chase Squirrels on a Winter Morning
A hunt of hawks. A cast of hawks. A kettle of hawks. A conspiracy of hawks. A boil of hawks. An aerie of hawks. I’ve come across several collective nouns for hawks in the past few hours. I was searching for the right word, because on the morning of January 4, 2024, between 9:30 a.m.…
Birds of Inwood 