Category: Salt Marsh
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A Common Grackle Takes the Waters of Inwood Hill Park
A Common Grackle has lately been foraging for food and bathing in a flooded part of the path leading to the open athletic fields in Inwood Hill Park. I’ve observed it splashing in the puddle and dipping berries into the cool water. Many other birds have taken to this large puddle, including Mallards, European Starlings,…
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The Double-crested Cormorants of Spuyten Duyvil
Double-crested Cormorants frequent the waters of Spuyten Duyvil Creek, a turbulent tidal estuary that runs between the Hudson and Harlem Rivers at the top of Manhattan Island. These inky-colored waterbirds possess a strong hooked bill that gives them efficient powers over small fish. While Double-crested Cormorants are large and strong, their impressive feathers lack…
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Red-winged Blackbirds Return to the Marsh
Red-winged Blackbirds returned to Inwood Hill Park’s Salt Marsh with the arrival of Daylight Saving Time. Their distinct cries fill the marsh as they claim territory, displaying fiery wing patches. The author observed and painted the birds, preparing for the appearance of the female to choose a nesting site. The marsh’s vitality is crucial for…
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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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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 of the New Year in Inwood and Highlights of 2023 in Local Birding
On walks into Inwood Hill Park on the final days of 2023 and in these first days and 2024 I have spotted many woodpeckers, at least a couple of Red-tailed Hawks, several Carolina Wrens, a Winter Wren, a host of Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, a few American Robins, some kinglets, many Mourning Doves, and the…
Birds of Inwood 