Tag: wildlife
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Scarlet Tanagers: Wear Red to Steal the Show
A breeding male Scarlet Tanager is impossible to miss. In a mature old-growth forest, at the top of the tallest tree, the bird’s brilliant red coloring with contrasting black wings broadcasts its location. A Scarlet Tanager is a memorable sight during spring migration. Spotting a Scarlet Tanager can be elusive. They tend to perch high…
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Swan Lake at the Salt Marsh
Just when you expect to see tiny warblers, a large waterfowl pirouettes into the Salt Marsh of Inwood Hill Park. A Mute Swan, a native to Eurasia, was visiting the main inlet early this week. It was sleeping when I first saw it, a pile of white feathers floating in the water. Then it raised…
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Meditations on a Great Blue Heron
And more tales of flight from early spring migration Great Blue Heron A Great Blue Heron arrived at the Salt Marsh a couple of days ago, basically on time compared with previous years. In an erratic and unpredictable time characterized by volatility and uncertainty, the heron’s appearance brings a comforting sense of continuity. I do…
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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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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,…
Birds of Inwood 