Observations, ideas, and wonderings on birds encountered in the landscape.
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The Return of the Great Egret
One of the most familiar figures in the waters of Inwood Hill Park, the Great Egret has returned for its spring and summery residency. The Great Egret fishes in salt and fresh water, and the confluence of the rivers here provides a mixture of both sources of water. The Salt Marsh helps filter pollutants. As… Read more
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Birds in Silhouette and the Case of the Barred Owl
As a practice, birding involves the ability to scan the landscape and pick out anomalies in trees, the surface of the river, in the sky, and so forth. The process for trees goes something like this – see a tree, then a branch, and then more trees, a stump, some gnarly branches, twigs, another tree,… Read more
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A Song Sparrow Singing at the Salt Marsh
With the arrival of the Vernal Equinox, a male Song Sparrow has been singing many melodies at the Salt Marsh in Inwood Hill Park. While a loud Northern Mockingbird practiced for a song competition in the marsh grasses nearby, the Song Sparrow assumed the loftier perch at the top of a favorite tree. For the… Read more
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Little Birds of the Winter Forest
Deep into the old-growth forest of Inwood Hill Park, the Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, and Tufted Titmouse cling to the bare tree limbs of late winter. As the tree buds and athletic fields begin to show green, as befitting the work week ending with St. Patrick’s Day, these small active birds have yet to disperse… Read more
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The Office Hours of an Eastern Screech-Owl
(Updated February 10, 2024) Many regular walkers in Inwood Hill Park enjoy taking a stroll through the Clove, a small picturesque valley between the two prominent hills in the park, and stopping to look for a little owl that resides way up high in a hole in a tree. The owl is an Eastern Screech-Owl,… Read more
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American Robins Arrive and Sing
Many American Robins returned to Inwood Hill Park this week. They gave the appearance of being a little dazed, as if they had suddenly been transported from another space and time to this wild hilly place of tall old trees adjacent to a big river. The robins were singing their song not heard here in… Read more
Birds of Inwood 