Category: birdwatching
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The Wrens of Inwood
In the past few weeks with the arrival of colder weather, I have spotted one or two Winter Wrens in the forest understory of Inwood Hill Park. The migrating wrens will sometimes be seen near Carolina Wrens, a regular bird of the forest, as they share similar behaviors. Every birdwatcher in the park has come…
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An Autumn Walk in Inwood Hill Park
On Friday morning, as I gazed up at the fall foliage at the top of Inwood Hill Park, I was drawn to explore the higher paths of the park. I was hoping, of course, to see birds, but as I set out on my walk, I didn’t see many. The sheer brilliance of the falling…
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The Ebb and Flow of Egrets and Herons
At high tide on the Salt Marsh, one Great Blue Heron tends to perch on a tree above the shoreline while a younger one explores the tunnel between the Salt Marsh and Muscota Marsh. The Great Egret often perches on another branch or on a railing on a dock. They are all waiting for the…
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After the Smoke Cleared, New Signs of Life at the Salt Marsh
On Wednesday, June 7, dense trails of smoke from wildfires in Canada descended on New York City, thickening the skies with one of the worst pollution events in the city’s history. The Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered in the hazardous zone by the afternoon. Apocalyptic images of the famous skyline of the city, suddenly covered…
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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…
Birds of Inwood 