A Tragedy in Lights

Ever since it's inception, the 9/11 Memorial "Tribute in Light" has been known to attract tons of migratory birds in to its beams. I tagged along with the Audubon Society and project Safe Flight to track and document this phenomenon. Arriving at around 9pm on Friday, it was clear that there were tons of insect and birds drawn to the memorial. As the night wore on, we stopped being able to count the massive number of birds. They occupied the middle and upper reaches of the columns and numbered in the thousands. Every once in a while a bird would spin out of the beams and either hit the adjacent building or flutter down to the roof of the parking lot. As a result the tribute was turned off multiple times throughout the night, but the birds just kept returning. From the video it is clear that many of the birds are in fact feeding on the insects they find in the lights but its also seems that they are in some sort of frenzy. This was further evidenced by the harrowing flight calls of thousands of birds spinning in the gyre. Some scientists from Cornell University were on hand to record the calls and their detectors found american redtstarts, veery and white throated sparrows. My own observations produced scarlet tanagers, baltimore orioles, black-throated green warblers, yellow-rumped warblers and many, many others. Its unclear how many birds died as a result but I can say it is easily a few dozen if not more. Here's some pix and video of the event.

Late Summer Birds

Juvy Peewee Juvy Ruby-throated Hummingbird The adult field sparrows bringing food to their second clutch. Juvy RTH. Momma Peregrine watching the beach.

Free Willy (or at least leave him alone)

I managed to catch up with the Bottle-nosed Dolphin that made its way up the Raritan Bay to Old Bridge, NJ. It looks as if the BND is sick and is seeking refuge in the isolated waterways that have fish concentrations. None of that stopped the Baykeepers from harassing the animal in a misguided attempt to drive it back to the ocean. Maybe one day we will have enough understanding of animals to know when to intervene and when to leave well enough alone. I discussed this topic with many of the young people on the Bridge who came to see the spectacle for themselves. Hope this all turns out ok. Received and update and apparently the dolphin died on Saturday. RIP BND.

Predator and Prey

All those delicious dragonflies. And tons of hungry martins to snap them up!

Back to the Hood

Every once in a while I get to swing back into my old stomping grounds to check on the residents. Since no one blogs about the kestrels or peregrines of NYC I always make it a point to see how they are doing. Also on the list is the Cathedral of St. John hawks who have been going through their own trials and tribulations due to the presence of a new building taking shape right next to them. Their lone baby is visible and active and should be ready to get going in a few weeks. There was also a new crop of 4 young kestrels around Wadliegh! At Riverside, I managed to find both parents but signs of their brood were absent. If I had to look again, I would check the Church at around sunset. Last but not least was this sub-adult hawk stalking the nature trails of the North Woods.