Tag: birds
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Hooded Mergansers Join the Early Spring Party in Inwood Hill Park
Even among a hundred gulls, dozens of ducks, and a score of geese, a pair of small Hooded Mergansers stood out in the waters of the park on the morning of March 25, 2025. They were festive looking creatures, discernible by their small size and their vigorous wading and diving. The bright white head patch…
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As Foretold, a Red-breasted Merganser Visits Inwood Hill Park
Cornell Lab’s BirdCast resumed posting live migration tools on March 1, noting on the Migration Dashboard for New York County that among the expected nocturnal migrants this time of year we should look for Red-breasted Mergansers. And, sure enough, a Red-breasted Merganser showed up in our local waters. On the early morning of March 6…
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American Goldfinches Gather for an Early Spring Feast
This past week, near the stone stairs at W. 207th Street in Inwood Hill Park, American Goldfinches have been busy pulling apart the new buds on elm saplings and gorging on them. They flit about a group of young trees, opening the buds and chewing on the flowers. On the morning of February 28, I…
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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 