Author: Teri Tynes
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When the Tree Swallows Come Back to Northern Manhattan
In the recent springs I have observed them, Tree Swallows have returned to the same place at the corner of the Salt Marsh path in Inwood Hill Park. They perch on an old tree branch that has fallen over into the water. In the background you’ll see the Henry Hudson Bridge. The spot is almost…
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Birdwatching at Sunrise
One of my favorite vintage books, The New Field Book of Nature Activities and Hobbies by William Hillcourt, first published in 1950 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, devotes a chapter to birdwatching. I own the 1970 edition. Hillcourt recommends what to wear – clothes of drab hues in the blue/green/gray range but no white as…
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Leaf Out: Spring in the Old-Growth Forest
The story thus far… Just six weeks ago, the trees in the forest were bare, but now they are so covered in leaves that it’s hard to see the birds. In early March it was easy to follow the flight of hawks and of the littlest chickadee. The resident Blue Jays, almost always easy to…
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Yellow-rumped Warblers Everywhere and Nowhere
With their high tinny chirp, Yellow-rumped Warblers are often heard rather than seen. They are swift fliers, making them hard to discern in the top canopy of the old-growth forest. Walking through the forest, I can hear them over there, and then here, and up there, but I often have a hard time actually seeing…
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Crowdsourcing a Pileated Woodpecker in Inwood Hill Park
I have always wanted to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Inwood Hill Park, and I finally saw one this morning. I was wrapping up my birding walk and ready to go home when I met a fellow birder who let me know about the Pileated in the Clove. He said he learned about it from…
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Northern Rough-winged Swallows in the Fog at High Tide
A fog settled over the Salt Marsh in Inwood Hill Park early this morning. It was also a time of high tide, and the tide was higher than usual. The regular denizens such as the Great Egret were away. A couple of Song Sparrows were present. Looking closer at the tree that reaches over the…
Birds of Inwood 