Observations, ideas, and wonderings on birds encountered in the landscape.
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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
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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… Read more
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The Wrens of Inwood
In the past few weeks with the arrival of colder weather, I have spotted one or two Winter Wrens in the forest understory of Inwood Hill Park. The migrating wrens will sometimes be seen near Carolina Wrens, a regular bird of the forest, as they share similar behaviors. Every birdwatcher in the park has come… Read more
Birds of Inwood 