Casa Neblina 2016!

Now online and hosting great birds such as... Fawn-breasted brilliant. Plate-billed Mountain Toucan. Masked Trogon. Collared Inca. Hook-billed Kite. Prospero Ano Nuevo!

Tanagers

Even more than hummingbirds, tanagers have come to define the beauty of Ecuador. Luckily this time around I was able to see quite a few of these beauties whether at feeders or out in the wild. Starting with #240 the Blue-necked tanager. Followed by this lifer the dusky faced tanager #241. Guira tanager #242. Rufous collared tanager #243. black-chinned tanager #244. bay-headed tanager #245. The ubiquitious lemon rumped tanager #246. and the equally as common palm tanager #247. blue-winged mountain tanager #248. blue-grey tanager #249. #250 while not a tanager, I find them with them often, rufous collared sparrow. silver-throated tanager #251. dusky bush tanager #252. beryl spangled tanager #253. golden tanager #254. golden-naped tanager #255. flame-faced tanager #256. swallow tanager #257. white lined tanager #258. Also had flame rumped tanager #259, black winged saltator #258, masked flower piercer #259, slate-throated whitestart, #260 and ecuadorian thrush at #261. Finally I got some really beautiful birds but the pix werent great. Those were #262 yellow-tufted dacnis, #263 green honey creeper and #264 yellow breasted elenia. Finally had the one-colored becard #265.

Birding the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Got my 100-400L in for a cleaning this week so I decided to do some different types of birding. Walking through the galleries of the Met I was struck by how birds are universally embraced by diverse cultures. Their beauty, their design, their ability to fly to the heavens were all revered and copied by our forefathers. Here's my iphone shots from the Birds of the Met. Assyria: India: Iran: Paris: Rome: Co-incidentally, they were holding a "Birds in the Art of Japan" exhibit: And on the way out...Eagle from India: Ohm Garuda, namo nama!

Storm Birds

A juvy RTH hunting on Columbia Campus. Mr. Mocker buzzed by. The bros seeking shelter. The crows seeking food. Im always amazed how gulls can fly so effortlessly in the gale. Hope everyone is ok.

Three of a Kind

For the past few weeks, I've had fleeting glimpses of kestrels throughout the Hamilton Heights area. I couldn't tell if any of the birds was either the adults that inhabit the region or recently fledged falcons. This weekend, on 07.07.07, as I was walking up Highbridge Park, I spotted two kestrels perched outside the Morris Jumel Mansion. In the weird light, I got a few good shots off. Here's the diminutive male.

and the larger female.

The pair on a snag.

A bluejay came in for a look.

It wasnt till I got home and looked at the pictures that I realized that these were two recently fledged young. Could it be that the pair had a successful nest this year? I headed out the next day and searched the area. At 155th, high above Edgecomb Ave. I found the youngsters cavorting on the solid breeze.


As they spun and dove on each other over and over I was awestruck at their agility and speed. After diving behind a building, I lost them for several minutes. When I spotted them next, there were three!



They were literally playing a game of tag!

You're it!




One of the males broke away from the group.


He swung a few blocks down St. Nicholas and landed outside the scrape. He then gave me some of the best kestrel shots I've gotten to date!





Thank you Harlem and congratulations on the triplets to the St. Nicholas Pair!