7th Annual Harlem Hawk Walk

Will be on Sunday at 11am. Email me at yojimbotatgmaildotcom for details.

Stop, Hey What's That Sound?

For the past few weeks, the 10 Monk Parakeets have been feeding, sunning and generally chilling out in Hancock Park on St. Nicholas Ave. It has afforded me a great opportunity to study how they go about socializing, finding food and water, avoiding predators and generally being awesome, chatty, squawky dudes. Here's some of the action.
Collecting sticks.

Searching rooftops for food,

and water.

Eating the seeds of black and honey locusts.

Flying in tight groups to avoid the ever-present hawks.

Spending time with a special someone below a red oak.


The 7th Annual Harlem Hawk walk is scheduled for next weekend 11/25 or 26 depending on which weather day is best.

Harlem Raptors: Fall 2011

This Fall has seen the largest and most varied amount of hawks, falcons, eagles and vultures in 10 years of hardcore Harlem birding.
My count so far is:
Golden Eagle 1 possibly 2
Bald Eagle 3
Osprey 5
Turkey Vulture 50+
Black Vulture 5
Red-shouldered hawk 3
Coopers hawk 12
Sharpie 3
Merlin 2
Kestrel 12
Peregrine Falcon 6
redtailed hawks 12
broadwinged hawks 24 migrating overhead in kettles.
aAso 1 possible juvenile Goshawk. No Owls, but I am looking!
Here are some recent captures.
Kestrel vs junco.

Overwintering Merlin.

Large groups of Turkey Vutures moving through.

Many redtailed hawks, both resident and haggard.
Adult.

Juvenile.

Adult vs Juvenile.

Peregrine vs Everybody.



7th Annual Harlem Hawk Walk is coming up. Let me know if you are interested...I will have to limit group to 10.

Before Night Falls

After checking out Inwood, I swung by Broadway Bridge to see if I could catch the peregrines hunting the starlings that roost on there.

Instead I witnessed the falcon race out,

in pursuit of a Cooper's hawk that was roosting across the River!

After overshooting the first dive, the falcon goes inverted here,



and almost catches the hawk out on the water. Instead, the Cooper's found refuge in a bush just next to me.

As the peregrine returned to her watchpost!


All shot on 5000 ISO, just after sunset!

Inwood Hill Park

Great fall flora and fauna up in Inwood. Starting with a female belted kingfisher,

followed by plenty of redtails,


and beautiful vistas.

By the ballfields there was a skittish flock of brown headed cowbirds,

with a Dickcissel hiding amongst them.

As they fed low in the grass, a Cooper's streaked in low overhead and chased them into some bushes. Here's the Cooper's flying out unsuccessful.

Finally along the shore of the Hudson, I found this poor, parched red eared slider.

Seems he got washed out into the Hudson after all that flooding and had been slowing withering on the beach. We relocated him to a nearby freshwater source...good luck little bro!