Category: winter birding
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Observing Birds Outside the Window: The Comforts and Surprises of Birdwatching During a Winter Storm
On Tuesday, December 2, a Nor’easter barreled through New York City, bringing a cold, steady rain for most of the day. Areas to the north and west got the snow, but most of NYC was just out of range for a nice snowfall. My plans for birdwatching were rained out. Or, so I thought. When…
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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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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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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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A Gull, a Goose, and the Odd Duck in Wild and Wintry Weather
New York City is experiencing a real winter this season with weather fronts bringing snow, freezing rain, and sleet to the metropolis. This year, the winter has been cold enough for the waterways to be covered in icy islands and sheets of ice floes. Periodic warmups have thawed the rivers and inlets. This weather pattern…
Birds of Inwood 