Category: Inwood Hill Park
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Birds of Inwood in a Golden Light on the Last Full Day of Winter

Cover: A Great Egret arrives on a rock in the Salt Marsh as a goose flies overhead. March 19, 2025. 7:31 a.m. Inwood Hill Park, NYC. A bright sunrise at 7:01 a.m. brought a golden hue to Inwood Hill Park. The last full day of winter is a good time to observe the birds of…
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American Goldfinches Gather for an Early Spring Feast

This past week, near the stone stairs at W. 207th Street in Inwood Hill Park, American Goldfinches have been busy pulling apart the new buds on elm saplings and gorging on them. They flit about a group of young trees, opening the buds and chewing on the flowers. On the morning of February 28, I…
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The Cooper’s Hawk of Cooper Street

The Cooper Street Rock stretches high above Cooper Street in Inwood, and on the rock grows a tall tree popular with all sorts of birds. The short street lined with apartment buildings is named after James Fenimore Cooper, the author of The Last of the Mohicans (1826). A Cooper’s Hawk often visits this rugged summit,…
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Big Landscape, Little Ducks: A Winter Day Trip to Cold Spring, New York

I happen to love winter landscapes. I enjoy the sight of snow-capped peaks and winter trails. While I don’t ski, I often imagine sitting by a fire in a cozy ski lodge and looking at the slopes. When spring arrives, I often regret not having spent more time in a winter destination. On Tuesday, seeing…
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Drawing Juncos

Lately I’ve been drawing and painting Dark-eyed Juncos, quintessential winter birds. During the recent snowfalls and bouts of freezing weather, I have looked for flocks of these little New World sparrows. I often find them in company of the Tufted Titmice, the White-throated Sparrows, and the Black-capped Chickadees, but sometimes the juncos are off on…
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Hawks for the Holidays

A good way to start a busy morning during the holiday season is to walk into a forest and find a hawk. In NYC, Red-tailed Hawks are relatively common and make a good choice for hawk chasing. A Cooper’s Hawk may be around as well. With luck, you may find these two hawks chasing one…
