Observations, ideas, and wonderings on birds encountered in the landscape.
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The Flaco Anniversary
UPDATE February 24, 2024. Sad news comes that Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl has died. On the evening of February 23, 2024, he apparently collided with a building on West 89th Street in the Upper West Side. According to reports, building residents discovered his body on the ground and were able to transport him to the Read more
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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 Read more
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How the Birds of Inwood Stay Warm in the Cold Northern Manhattan Winter
During the recent cold and snowy nights, I was awakened by the sounds of snapping tree limbs falling in the forest down the street. Some of the trees are old and brittle there. I imagined the birds waking up, too, jolted from their feathery dreams to find a new limb in the cold night air. Read more
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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 Read more
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Birds Between the Storms: A Wellness Check on the January Regulars
Successive waves of storm systems have been passing through the area, and I have been checking in on the birds to see how they fared. First, a winter storm brought snow to the city, but little of it stuck to the ground. Then a large storm brought heavy rain, this time swamping the shoreline of Read more
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The Hunting Party – Red-tailed Hawks Chase Squirrels on a Winter Morning
A hunt of hawks. A cast of hawks. A kettle of hawks. A conspiracy of hawks. A boil of hawks. An aerie of hawks. I’ve come across several collective nouns for hawks in the past few hours. I was searching for the right word, because on the morning of January 4, 2024, between 9:30 a.m. Read more
Birds of Inwood 