Category: Inwood Hill Park
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The Snows of January and the Birds of Inwood

A quarrel of sparrows has descended on my fire escape each morning this January, asking for some seeds. A year or so ago, I tossed a handful of seeds out my kitchen window. They never forgot. Recently, as the snows and cold weather have descended on the city and on much of the rest of…
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The Slow, Cold Start of Birdwatching in 2026

The dawn of the first day of January brought cold, piercing winds and a surprising early morning snow squall. It was the kind of day to stay indoors and drink tea. The first bird I saw that day was the Cooper’s Hawk of Cooper Street, a sighting from my kitchen window. The Cooper’s Hawk is…
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A Thanksgiving with Hawks and All the Birds of Inwood

When I was a young girl growing up in Texas, my family liked to take a walk in the neighborhood on the morning of Thanksgiving Day. We gathered autumn leaves and branches to decorate the dinner table. A great pecan tree grew in our front yard, alongside a magnolia and its fragrant blossoms for a…
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Easy Fall Birding with White-throated Sparrows

Even if I have only ten minutes to go birdwatching this time of year, I can always walk to the edge of Inwood Hill Park, look down, and find at least a dozen White-throated Sparrows. Pretty birds with white throats and yellow lores, these sparrows also possess a sweet, lilting song. Cornell’s All About…
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The Birds for Our New York City Moment

Over the course of several busy and consequential days for New York City— a thrilling Halloween Parade, a photo finish for the NYC Marathon, and the city’s historic mayoral election— thousands of birds flew overhead. Some were late migrants en route to winter homes and springtime in the Southern Hemisphere. Other birds came here to…
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The Green Roof of the Javits Center: Birds, Climate, and Action

On Tuesday, September 23, I attended NYC Bird Alliance’s tour of the Green Roof at the Javits Center. I was there to see how the Javits Center, New York City’s main convention venue, transformed its facility into a climate-forward and bird-friendly nexus of urban infrastructure. The Javits Center sits on land near the Hudson River…
