Birding Bob; Northern Saw-whet Owl Stops in Central Park; Woodcocks in the East Village

Dr. Robert "Birding Bob" DeCandido leads birding tours around New York City. Usually he takes people to see owls in Central Park, which he helped reintroduce. He lets us run his newsletter here. This week he saw a northern Saw-whet owl in Central Park and the carcass of a woodcock.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl, by Richard Leche

The carcasses are in bloom! Yellow and purple and some white - or so it was on Sunday when we were in for other surprises as well. On our walks, we were able to provide discussions of the age of migrating Saw-whet Owls (including photos by Debs), American Woodcocks and more in Central Park in the last several days - by our group. We think with birds...and to find them, we have to think like birds too.

Our historical notes include a NYC area summary of the spring season - 1920. Today, our observations show that many bird species are arriving earlier than in the past. Why? We will leave it to others to explain. In the meantime, we document the changes, and provide the historical record for comparison. We also provide the first records of breeding Tree Swallows in our area. Now they are common breeders at Jamaica Bay and elsewhere on Long Island - but not 90 years ago!

Not had enough of us yet? Beginning the first week of April, our Sunday and Tuesday walks will begin meeting at the Dock on Turtle Pond.
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Good! Here are the bird walks for this week:

Friday, March 26th: 9:00am. Central Park - Meet at the entrance to Conservatory Garden (105th street and 5th Avenue)
Sunday, March 28th: 9:00am - Central Park - Meet at the Boathouse $10 -  rain or shine.
Tuesday, March 30th: 9:00am - Central Park - Meet at the Boathouse $5.
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The fine print: Our early spring SUNDAY walks meet at the [Loeb] Boathouse (approximately 74th street and the East Drive; the SE corner of the lake). - $10 for adults, and $5 for kids.  Easiest way to get to the Boathouse is to enter the park at 5th Avenue and 72nd street and walk west until you find the south to north road (the East Drive) that intersects the 72nd street "transverse." Then just walk north for about 1-2 minutes...Look for a small restaurant type place with chairs/tables outside - we are inside. 
On FRIDAYS, we meet at 9am at Conservatory Garden, 105th street and 5th Avenue (just inside the main gates). Easiest way to get there by subway is to take the #2 or #3 train to 110th street and Central Park North.  Then cross the street to Central Park and head east (to the left) toward Fifth Avenue, and then south until you reach Conservatory Garden (about a 7-10 minute walk from the train station; easy and safe).   Most Friday bird walks last about two to three hours in autumn-winter, but feel free to leave at anytime, we won't take it personally.  We have an extra pair or two of binoculars to rent, so if you want to rent a pair, just call or email before the walk to let us know.  Also, if you are thinking of purchasing new binoculars, ask us - we probably have used them, and we will let you know how to get them for the best price. These days we like a relatively unknown brand by the name of  Zen-Ray, specifically their 8 x 43 model.

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Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights) with some anecdotal notes and observations.  Not all species we saw are reported here - we list the best:

Friday, March 19th - we found two significant occurrences today, one common - an abundance of Dark-eyed Juncos in Central Park, and even Madison Square Park on 23rd street (thanks Sandra). Juncos on the move turning up everywhere - they were mostly gone from CP by Tuesday (23 March). The second, a most unusual spring migrant in New York City - a Northern Saw-whet Owl. Here is the owl after a squirrel had flushed it from its perch in an evergreen cedar halfway down the "Point" in the Ramble:

Debs, wanting to know more about the age/sex of this owl asked some questions of the local owl experts, Trudy Battaly and Drew Panko. They have been banding and tracking these little owls in NYC and Westchester County Parks. Debs wanted to know why (when she greatly enlarged the photo) the edges on all the primary/secondary feathers were very worn. Drew and Trudy emailed back that this is most likely a bird in its second calendar year (SY).  In other words it is an owl that was hatched last summer (2009).  These young birds make up the bulk of the migrants since they outnumber adults. Juvenile feathers of saw-whets wear out faster than adult feathers, and that is exactly what can be seen in enlarged images - the feathers are very uniformly worn suggesting that the feathers are all the same age. Trudy went on to write: "I think we are near the end of their [Saw-whet Owl] spring migration, and yours is most likely a SY female who is not in too big a rush to get back because she knows there is a male already on territory waiting for a female to fly by."

OK let's tell that story with photos. Here is a photo of another SY Saw-whet Owl - note how all the feathers look the same.

On the other hand, here's an After Second Year (ASY) saw-whet, in February.  Note the three different types of feathers (= ages) in the wings:

Banding birds allows you to see much more - ultimately to think about birds. That is why precise age/sex identification is important - it leads to thinking.
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Sunday, March 21st (Central Park, Ramble) - I was sitting in the Boathouse with Dan Silbert on this lovely mild and sunny Sunday. He casually remarked that he had just returned from Death Valley. To which someone replied: "I hope it wasn't too serious and you are better now." :-) Right about then, some whisperings began that Deborah Allen had a woodcock in her pocket. This turned out to be true - Ed Simon had given her a dead one, that he had found on Third Avenue and Tenth Street. (Frank Rutella had found another approx. ten days earlier, about 40th street also on the East Side.) Deborah took the woodcock and did a feather demonstration with it - she could age/sex this bird. The very russet (almost orange color) suggested adult male, and the width of the three outer primaries confirmed it. Why? The males use the narrow primaries to make the winnowing sound during aerial courtship displays.

Not to forget other birds we headed off to the Ramble. Here we noted good numbers of Northern Flickers (new arrivals). Isaiah Wender found a male Wood Duck perched, where else, in a tree above us...and then he added Golden-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee and a number of others. Jack Walsh found us a Red-tailed Hawk in flight. Others were contributing too: Eastern Towhee at the feeders; two Brown Thrashers at the Maintenance Meadow; two Red-breasted Nuthatches; a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (male); Cedar Waxwings (flock); Swamp Sparrow (Emilie) and many others. Easily the best day of the year. And one other important spring sighting: Yellow and Purple Carcasses were in bloom everywhere. Dan Silbert, based upon his visit to Death Valley, identified them immediately. He and I are like psychedelic Turkey Vultures when it comes to blooming carcasses. We zeroed in on them...and await everyone else to join us next week.

Tuesday, March 23rd (Central Park, Ramble) - Anders, Tom and I wandered about the middle of the Park. Our most exciting sightings were the young Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing a Red-bellied Woodpecker; a female Hairy Woodpecker (there is a male at the north end; the pair tried to nest last year); a pair of Wood Ducks in a tree; and a diving large falcon, probably Peregrine in the area of the Great Lawn. Otherwise it was a bit breezy and surely cold. We recalled the 70 degree temps of last week - and lamented the real spring of the present.
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THE SEASON XIX. February 15 to April 15, 1920

New York Region.—The last half of February saw an increase in Redpolls, now in considerable flocks, but they soon disappeared again. There seems also to have been a flight of Long-eared Owls at
this time, noted at Amityville, Douglaston, Staten Island, Englewood, and the vicinity of Plainfield. February 23 a number of Evening Grosbeaks were found in a patch of red cedar woods at  Amityville, Long Island, feeding on cedar berries. With them were many Goldfinches, some Red Crossbills, and a few Purple Finches The Evening Grosbeak has been reported repeatedly from Douglaston, Long Island (G. C. Fisher), last seen April 10 and likely still around. The attraction here seems to be the fruit of the hackberry.

More than in the New Jersey direction, late February and the very first of March usually find an increase of scattered Robins on Long Island. We have been at times in doubt as to whether these birds are arrivals from the South or have been driven in from southern New England where, at that date, the Robin is generally present in considerable flocks. This year these early Robins were less than usually noticeable on the Island, an indication that they are southern birds, as late winter birds from the North of all species were more than usually represented.

The spring was late in putting in an appearance with its first migrants from the South. The entire absence, during the very end of winter, of Song Sparrows at Garden City, Long Island, made it possible
to determine when the first individuals returned, March 12. Fox Sparrow and Grackle were present here for the first time on March 14, the Grackles being about two weeks later than their usual arrival,
the end of February. The first unquestioned increase in Meadowlarks came on the 21st and they became common on the 24th. The Flicker put in an appearance on the 28th, and Chipping Sparrows only on April 7 this year, although they had been reported from the New York Region a few days previous. Up the Hudson, vicinity of Rhinebeck and Poughkeepsie, data compiled by M. S. Crosby shows the earliest arrivals to have been delayed: Fox Sparrow, March 14; Grackle and Song Sparrow, March 15; Robin, March 2. The next lot of birds were, however, as early as one could expect them: Phoebe, March 23; Flicker and Cowbird; March 26: Chipping Sparrow and Tree Swallow, April 3; Barn Swallow, April 11; Louisiana Waterthrush, April 12; etc.

Reports from New Jersey indicate retarded migration, though by April 1 spring arrivals were about 'on time'; and a better showing than usual of the less-abundant Ducks. At Englewood, Rough-legged
Hawk, March 21, Golden-eye Duck and Tree Sparrow, April 11, are late dates obtained by L. Griscom, who also reports the Hooded Merganser, Baldpate, Blue-winged Teal, and Ruddy Duck from there. C. H. Rogers and W. DeW. Miller found the Baldpate, Green-winged Teal, and Pintail at South River, April 4.

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was noted in Prospect Park on April 7 by R. Friedmann, and the record corroborated by a number of Brooklyn observers who found it there again April 12 and 14. The occurrence of this species north of its regular range at so early a date is doubtless correlated with the fact that, like other southern species, its regular spring migration comes early.
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J. T. Nichols, New York City.

Birding Bob: The History of Ravens, Whales and Dolpins in NYC

Manhattan's Samantha the Raven

Birding Bob (also known Dr. Robert DeCandido) is a biologist who leads popular and easy to understand tours in Central Park. He lets us publish his newsletter that goes out to his many fans.

With all the talk of Ravens possibly nesting in NYC (Queens), we went back into the historical record to see what we could find out about these corvids in NYC. In a dusty, yellowing journal we found a brief note published in the mid-19th century. It seems as though Ravens must have been occasional visitors to Brooklyn and Long Island back then - see below.

This week we add another bird walk to the mix: Tuesday mornings at 9am, meeting at the Boathouse (details below). Meanwhile, our NYC kestrel research is getting some attention - from outside of New York City!  And later this year, Deborah and I will have an article in a national publication about NYC Kestrels.You can find information (in 14 languages!) about NYC kestrels here.

We have some very good news to report. Our colleague Chad Seewagen (soon to be PhD) had another scientific paper published on his research here in NYC on how migrant birds fare during stopover times in New York City Parks. The research was published in the prestigious Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Congratulations Chad - may you publish many more.

Another of our bird-walkers, Bill Benish, has created an on-line guide to the largest woodpeckers in the world - here's the link to Campephilus Woodpeckers, the famous Ivorybill and all of its relatives in the same genus. 

Below we also present historical and recent reports from around the city including three species of dolphins in our waters in the East River (Manhattan) and Brooklyn (2010); a Humpback Whale (2009); Skylarks and Starlings in Brooklyn (late March 1898-99); and Ring-necked Ducks in northern New Jersey (late March 1923). And FLASH!!! Randy Schutz reports the arrival of Tree Swallows streaming over Jamaica Bay in Queens, near the Environmental Center at 8:55am on 17 March 2010.
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Good! Here are the bird walks for this week:

Friday, March 19th: 9:00am. Central Park - Meet at the entrance to Conservatory Garden (105th street and 5th Avenue) at 9 am.

Sunday, March 21st: 9:00am - Central Park - Meet at the Boathouse at 9 am. $10 - we will be there rain or shine.

Tuesday, March 23rd: 9:00am - Central Park - Meet at the Boathouse at 9 am. $5.
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The fine print: Our winter through spring SUNDAY walks meet at the [Loeb] Boathouse (approximately 74th street and the East Drive; the SE corner of the lake). - $5 for adults (January-February; $10 otherwise), and $5 for kids.  Easiest way to get to the Boathouse is to enter the park at 5th Avenue and 72nd street and walk west until you find the south to north road (the East Drive) that intersects the 72nd street "transverse." Then just walk north for about 1-2 minutes...Look for a small restaurant type place with chairs/tables outside - we are inside. The Boathouse opens at 8am and has coffee ($1.35), muffins and cookies ($1.75) plus sandwiches ($6) and french fries ($2) .  Bathrooms are located in two places: inside (better - because these are heated - in the bar that is adjacent to the Cafeteria where we meet); and outside - on the south side of the Boathouse. We end our weekend Central Park walks at the Boathouse at about noon.  On FRIDAYS, we meet at 9am at Conservatory Garden, 105th street and 5th Avenue (just inside the main gates).  There are bathrooms open year-round at Conservatory Garden, and that is good.  Easiest way to get there by subway is to take the #2 or #3 train to 110th street and Central Park North.  Then cross the street to Central Park and head east (to the left) toward Fifth Avenue, and then south until you reach Conservatory Garden (about a 7-10 minute walk from the train station; easy and safe).  You can also take the #6 train to Lexington Avenue and 103rd street. Walk west for three blocks and then north by two. Finally, buses run north up Madison Avenue regularly as well. Most Friday bird walks last about two to three hours in autumn-winter, but feel free to leave at anytime, we won't take it personally.  We have an extra pair or two of binoculars to rent, so if you want to rent a pair, just call or email before the walk to let us know.  Also, if you are thinking of purchasing new binoculars, ask us - we probably have used them, and we will let you know how to get them for the best price. These days we like a relatively unknown brand by the name of  Zen-Ray, specifically their 8 x 43 model.
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Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights) with some anecdotal notes and observations.  Not all species we saw are reported here - we list the best:

Friday, March 12th (North Woods) and Sunday, March 14th (Central Park, Ramble) - In last week's summary we detailed how some sparrow species were singing half-songs, and if this portended another several weeks of winter. Yes - despite our best attempts to look for birds in the rain, we had very little luck. We found Fox Sparrows and Gadwalls in different places in Central park, and by Sunday, there were many Song Sparrows in areas they had not been previously. So last week was a good one for catching up on writing scientific (and popular) articles, and getting ready for spring...more next week.
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Notes on Some Rare Birds in the Collection of the Long Island Historical Society. William Dutcher.

Corvus corax sinuatus. American Raven. -- One specimen in the collection. Col. Pike says: I never met with this bird. While shooting in 1836 at 'Comac Hill' my companion, Mr. George Bartlett, killed a fine specimen and I skinned it; it is the one in the collection. Philip Brasher had one in his collection that was killed in the woods near Prospect Park. (This specimen is now in the collection of the University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., this institution having purchased the Brasher collection.) This was in 1848. These are the only specimens I have ever known to be killed on Long Island."

The Auk 10: 275-276 (1893)
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4 March 2010 - Brooklyn, New York City: A dolphin was sighted in Newtown Creek. It may be one of the two that were seen two days ago near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation will be monitoring the dolphin and would attempt a rescue mission if the animal seemed in distress. - Bob DiGiovanni

[These were Short-beaked Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis), a species found within New York during the winter season along with the White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) and the Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). The Common Dolphin was the species involved with the mass stranding event in 2007 in East Hampton, Long Island. We have been receiving reports of dolphins within the East River for the better part of the last week. Often the sighting of a lone dolphin is not a good sign. We are attempting to find out if there is food in the area. Kim Durham.]

Common Dolphin (Short-beaked)
White-sided Dolphin
Harbor Porpoise
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2/25/2009 - New York Harbor, Lower Bay: The Coast Guard announced that a humpback whale became entangled in a lobster pot and netting south of the Rockaways. They set up a 500-yard safety zone around the whale, which was eight miles east of Sandy Hook, NJ, near the approach to Ambrose Channel, the head of the Hudson Canyon, and active shipping lanes. The Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay and a vessel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were on the scene to protect the animal. The whale, reportedly visible on the surface and breathing, according to the Coast Guard, was described as a juvenile humpback, about 25-30 feet long. - Jamie Collins, Executive Officer, USCGC Penobscot Bay

[Hudson Canyon: The post-glacial draining of pro-glacial lakes in the interior of New York State 12,500 years ago, and possibly even older glacial meltwaters, carved this magnificent underwater canyon that runs from the mouth of New York Harbor 120 miles seaward to the great abyss of the North Atlantic. This ancestral "Hudson River" is 3,600 feet deep and 5.5 miles wide in places. Tom Lake.]

2/26/2009 - New York Harbor, Lower Bay: According to the New York Times, the humpback whale entangled in fishing gear was freed this afternoon. The whale, which weighed perhaps 20 tons, was freed after an entanglement team from the Center for Coastal Studies of Gloucester, Mass., cut away the gear, which was wrapped around the whale's tail.

[It is not uncommon for humpback whales to be this close to New York Harbor. Humpbacks follow a food supply of small fish and this whale was probably one of about 900 whales in a group called the Gulf of Maine feeding component of the larger Western North Atlantic whale group. Teri Frady, NOAA.]
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Notes on Brooklyn Birds (1898-99).

Skylark. Alauda arvensis. The English Skylark is at present firmly established as a Long Island resident. Between Flatlands and Holy Cross Cemetery, and to the east of the latter, many are to be seen and beard. On March 28, 1898, while on the Neck Road, I heard for the first time the twittering, burring, continuously sustained song of this species and saw it rising gradually on fluttering wings up into the blue ether. At a later date one was heard singing continuously for eight minutes while in the air and for two minutes more after alighting on the ground. They were neither seen nor heard in September and October, though doubtless they might have been at suitable times; namely, early in the morning or in the evening. Several were beard and seen at the same time in the locality indicated above. It is likely they will later be found at other points on Long Island.

Starling. Sturnus vulgaris. About a mile in a straight line from the colony of Skylarks, I first saw the European Starling, where it was afterward seen repeatedly. Near Kensington Station someone within the present year has placed in a large tree several bird boxes, which are occupied by the Starlings. The tower of the Boys' High School in Brooklyn noted in the article referred to as occupied by these birds, still retains its attractions for them. This was probably the original nesting colony on Long Island. Another colony now occupies the steeple of a church at Bedford Avenue and Madison Street. At several points in the environs of Brooklyn the Starlings have been seen, where they were evidently visiting for the purpose of obtaining food, while at various points in the city itself they are commonly observed.

Auk 16: 190-193 (1899)
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Ring-necked Duck in Northern New Jersey. -- On March 25, 1923, the writers were as usual on spring Sunday mornings on the marshes of Overpeck Creek, Bergen County, studying the waterfowl, which seem to increase in variety and abundance every year. On this particular morning nine species of Ducks were found, the commoner such as the American Merganser, Black Duck and Pintail in abundance. After practically all the Ducks had flown away, a pair of Ring-necked Ducks were found hiding in the grass on the opposite bank. Soon, however, they swam out into the creek in the full blaze of sunlight, and we watched them for half an hour as they floated on the quiet water. The drake was immediately recognizable by its dark back, and triangular shaped, puffy head, and the
female was a dark bird, without any white ring around the bill. A few minutes before we had seen a flock of Lesser Scaups at about the same relative distance, and the white backs of the males, and the white faces of the females gleamed in the sun. This species, which is well known to Griscom in life, has not been recorded from northern New Jersey. It is interesting to note that the preceding fall and winter produced an unusual number of Ring-necks from various points along the Atlantic seaboard.- Ludlow Griscom and J.M. Johnson, American Museum of Natural History.

Birders Watch Peregrine Falcon at Empire State Building Watching Migrants

Dr. Robert "Birding Bob" DeCandido leads birding tours around New York City. Usually he takes people to see owls in Central Park, which he helped reintroduce. This week he lead a tour of the Empire State Building at night to see birds migrating by--and the peregrine falcons who want to eat them. Here's his report to his followers this week. Not from this trip, but here's a picture of a peregrine seen from the Empire State Building.
Photo here courtesy of Mike Zienowicz
Hello All,

Sunday Evening, 30 August (Night Migration at the Empire State Building) - as I stood outside the Empire State Building (ESB) at 6:25pm, I cursed the weatherman, the wind direction and life in general. The forecast was for westerly winds by 7pm or so, but the few scattered clouds above us sure looked like they were coming up from the southwest. Such winds would insure we would see no migrants. As the hopeful gathered, I offered the option of just canning the trip up to the top - we could use the tickets any time in the next two years. However, there were no takers - people had psyched themselves into going up there, and many had not made a trip in several years (decades). One of us (a native New Yorker) had never been up there yet...

So up we went - along the way, I met Security Guards who remembered me ("hey birdman") and we exchanged smiles and hugs - they telling me excitedly of Peregrine Falcon encounters they had seen "up there" and nights with lots and lots of birds. I was still miserable - I was leading all these hopeful people to a night of nothingness. When we arrived on the 86th floor, the first thing I noticed was the wind - it had switched to more westerly and would actually become northwest by 9pm or so. Everyone noticed how windy it was - about 15-20mph, and the immediate cold. It is really very different at 1080 feet above street level in Manhattan - always be prepared for the cold.

While we were all dealing with the wind, and the abundance of tourists all trying to snap sunset photos, we collectively gasped as an adult Peregrine Falcon flew right past the metal fence - no more than 20 feet from us - the Peregrine was huge. It reminded me of watching the Sharks in the Brooklyn Aquarium that cruise right past the glass where I always press my nose. Anyway, it was the first of a few Peregrine passes that night, and though we did not see any hunting activity, it helped make the wind bearable, and gave a sense of hope that something else might happen tonight.

It sure did - at about 8:15pm, with a little light still remaining in the western sky, a lone bird migrant flapped madly past us. By 8:35pm (Nautical Twilight), the migration began just as I had hoped. First slowly, a single migrant here and there, and then after 9pm, "loose associations" of up to eight migrants at a time were flapping madly past the building, trying to head south while not allowing strange air currents near the building to carry them where they did not want to go. (My guess is that about 500 or so migrants would have been tallied for the night if I had my clicker and remained until midnight.) We tried identifying some of the migrants - best we could do was to conclude they were warblers. However, Ben Goloff did find an orange bird with a black head - yes indeed an adult male Baltimore Oriole.

By 9:45pm, with howling winds and dropping temps - we had had enough. We were all looking rather windblown, parched and shivering with goose bumps...but altogether a happier team I cannot picture. People came to see migration and they saw it - little birds struggling to head south just a few feet away in Manhattan - how amazing is that? They learned to distinguish between the numerous moths and the few bats that flew like falcons through the aerial plankton. Most of all, migration became a real experience to them - not something to read about in books...but to enjoy. No birds collided with the building tonight; rather people will remember the fun they had, and what they learned. There are ways to study the environment in NYC that cannot be done elsewhere - just like the soft flight calls ("tseet-tseet-tseet") that can be heard at 1080 feet - but you must be ready and willing to hear!


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Good! Here are the bird walks for this week ($5):

1. Friday, September 4th: $5. Central Park - Meet at THE DOCK on TURTLE POND at 9am.

x. Saturday, September 5th: No BIRD WALK
3. Sunday, September 6th: 9:00 am - Central Park - Meet at the usual location: the Dock on Turtle Pond at 9 am. $5.

4. Empire State Building Trip for Night Migrants - stay tuned for another trip there - possibly. We need a few days of rain followed by a night with northwest winds. Looking at the forecast for the coming days, we are not going to see that weather pattern. So perhaps next week = Sept. 9-13, but we cannot promise or say anything right now - weather forecasts are not accurate that far out. To get a sense of what you missed, see the summary of the Sunday night, August 30th trip to the 86th floor. Amazing really.
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For the next few weeks, until the tree removal work is completed at the north end of Central Park, we will meet at the Dock on Turtle Pond. "It looks and sounds like a logging operation at the north end," someone said recently.

As of 13 September 2009, we will be raising our Sunday morning bird walk fees to $10 per adult per walk ($5 for kids) for the months of March through December. We wish we did not have to do so, and we apologize. We have not raised the rate on our walks since we began doing them in March 2002. (From 1994 through February 2002, our walks were free.) We are amenable to other arrangements so see/talk to us if the new rate is a problem. Weekday walks will remain the same = $5.
Remember, the funds you contribute support our NYC Research including the American Kestrel Nest Survey on Manhattan Island, the flora of NYC project as well as foreign research including raptor migration studies in Thailand - a site of global significance. Published papers and popular articles are available on most of these topics. (The kestrel research is so new that we are in the process of collecting data to write up for publication.)

Birding at the Empire State Building

Dr. Robert "Birding Bob" DeCandido brings us updates on birding in New York City.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - mark you calenders now. Our first (of two) visits to the Observation Deck (25 Aug. to 15 Sept.) to see night migrants will be on an evening with northwest winds either the week of 25-30 August; or the following week.
We need a night with northwest winds otherwise very few migrants will pass by - so that is why you must be flexible and ready to go with about 24-48 hrs notice via email. I will send out a notice - so send me yours if you want more info! If you were on our ESB list last year, no need to update - you have been carried over to 2009.

Bob is returning to Thailand to do more ground-breaking research on raptors and other birds in migration there with the Malaysian Nature Society. Meanwhile, two short films were made about Bob and his migration studies in the Far East. Now remember, this is primitive stuff, and bob had to dress in costume (in the first film he appears somewhat Chinese...):
After a long day at the office, one does develop neck problems looking up at raptor migrants:

Good! Here are the bird walks for this week ($5):

1. Friday, Aug. 21, 9am: $5. Central Park - Meet at Conservatory Garden (105th St. & 5th Ave.)

2. Sunday, Aug. 23,: 9:00 am - Central Park - Meet at the Dock on Turtle Pond

4. Monday evening, August 24th: FREEEEEE. Owls and Bats of Pelham Bay Park (Bartow Pell mansion) - meet at 7:00pm. (If you are coming up from Manhattan by train or Express Bus ($5.50), we might be able to pick you up at the last stop of the #6 Lexington Avenue line = the Pelham Bay stop.) For those who are driving, through the kindness and generosity of Ellen Bruzelius (Director of Bartow-Pell) and Valerie Albanese (Education Director at Bartow-Pell), we have arranged for the Mansion parking lot to remain open for a few hours - so we can do another night census of owls. Last time out (early August) we called in a pair of Great Horned Owls...do let me or Jack Rothman (JacRoth1@gmail.com) know if you will be attending and driving - or might need a lift.


Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights)

Owl and Bat Walks (three walks) Summary - all Central Park - the good news is that we found Eastern Screech-owls on all three walks at the north end beginning at dusk. The even better news is that just before dusk (light still good) on Sunday evening, 16 August, eleven of us watched a screech-owl with downy ear tufts and juvenile plumage on its upper breast being swooped at and harassed by many Robins. So we now know that at least one (and likely all five) of the owls released in July by Bobby and Cathy Horvath are still alive. On the three forays into the north woods (on the paved path along the Loch), we saw the pair of ESOs on each occasion for about 10 minutes each time - before they became bored with us and flew off to look for dinner. On two of the walks, we tracked the owls to the area of the Wildflower Meadow and listened to them calling to each other and the iPod recording of their calls. As an added bonus, every walk featured large Red Bats swooping in and around our heads (some of us had to duck) - this was much fun. We'll likely do one more owl walk before 15 September, and then certainly in December-January. If you have never seen screech-owls night in Central Park, it really is a magical experience.

Owl Lands on Central Park Birders

Notes from Robert DeCandido (PhD), who gives tours in Central Park as Birding Bob.

We have again added two Eastern Screech-owl walks in Central Park this week. Both walks will meet at the North End, since we had very good luck there with owls and bats. In fact, in one unbelievable moment, the most amazing thing, ever (ever) happened on a Bob owl walk:

I couldn't believe my eyes. I was playing the owl tape via the Ipod for a few people when an owl swooped in and landed on Tom Walsh's hand. His son Jack was finally impressed - and I am finally absolved of running the most boring bird (and owl) walks of all time!

Further details about the owls we saw last week (including Great Horned Owls) are provided below. We also include a New York Times article from June 1934 about a "savage" screech-owl that was attacking people in Douglaston, Queens - and an excerpt from Sam Yeaton about screech-owls in Queens covering the 1919-1945 time frame.

Bird Walk Info
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Bird walks for this week ($5):

1. Thursday 7:30, Aug. 13: Owls and Bats of Central Park (The North Woods) - meet at 5th Ave and 106th street
2. Friday, Aug. 14: Conservatory Garden (105th street and 5th Ave.) at 9am.
3. Sunday, Aug. 16: 9:00 am - Turtle Pond Dock.
4. Sunday 7:30 pm, Aug. 16 $5. Owls and Bats of Central Park (The North Woods)

In the last week of August, we will add some trips to the Empire State Building at night. Why? We just received this report from Sandra Critelli: (night of August 11th) - Hi Bob! I wanted to tell you that last night I went to the Empire SB to take my friend from Italy and it was a good night for birds, at least the little time I was there. I counted 29 birds flying mostly low, a little higher than the deck, small to medium (robin) sized birds. All between 8.30pm and 9.25pm when I had to leave unfortunately (I was enjoying the birds). And at 8.50 I saw a flock of approximately 25 little birds flying south and at eye level. And numerous moths low and high. And too many Italian tourists out there!!! Goodnight Sandra
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Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights) with some anecdotal notes and observations. Not all species we saw are reported here - we list the best:

Owl and Bat Walks (three walks) Summary - the burning question of the week was, "Where is David Mills?" David, who is back in England with his lovely wife Geraldine, took control of the bat portion of our walks last year with the aplomb of a general. In a recent email, he wrote, "Education, education! Far more people die of bee stings or dog rabies (or get struck by lightening) in the US every year then get bat rabies, so people should not worry too much. More people get dog rabies in a year than they do in 10 years with bats but do people go "all protective" and scared when seeing dogs in Central Park?
In comparison with most people's views about bats, they should!! Bats do not make nests, or enlarge holes, or chew wires etc in houses as they just hang up etc in caves, trees, bridges & houses. Do let me know if you have any questions on bats or pass my email (see above) to anyone with a question to answer that you can't. And tell them to raise a glass to bats when they enjoy a margarita as "no bats - no tequila" (only bats pollinate the Blue Agave plant)."
OK we had great luck with Red Bats on both walks in Central Park - the north woods were filled with them hunting along the paved path and making us duck as they swooped in and about our heads. As for owls - in the north woods we brought in two Eastern Screech-owls (email me if you want info about their history in Central Park and NYC), but had no luck with owls on the Ramble night walk. (So this week we are only doing North End owl/bat walks.) And in the Bronx (Pelham Bay Park) at the Bartow-Pell Mansion after a NYC owl slide talk, we went outside and called in not one, but two! Great Horned Owls. Bob was even impressed.


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Queens Vigilantes Hunt Savage Bird(New York Times 18 June 1934; Page 19)

Patrol Douglaston with Rakes and Clubs for Creature that Attacked Passerby

Woman's Face is Gashed

Five Other Victims Reported - Dr. Blair Suspects Screech-owl is 'Protecting' Nest

A vigilante committee formed to hunt down a savage night bird that had attacked at least five persons along 241st Street Douglaston [Queens], within the last five nights [June 1934], patrolled the vicinity for at least five hours last night without catching a glimpse of the marauder.

Just before the vigilantes turned out, the mysterious bird - which is believed to be a screech-owl - chalked up his sixth victim. He was Charles Taylor, a student at New York University. Taylor reported that the bird struck him while he was crossing the lawn to his home. He ducked and the bird skimmed past his head.

The bird's other victims, all neighbors on 241st street in the Douglaston Park sector, were Arthur L. Stemler of Bancamerica Blair; Russell cardigan, a stock broker; Mrs. Earl R. Evans, 23 year-old housewife; Peggy Noone, 13 year-old daughter of John B. Noone, assistant treasurer of Standard Brands; and William MacDonald.

The Vigilantes Set Out
The vigilantes, about twenty strong, assembled at Mr. Cardigan's home before nightfall. They were armed with lawn rakes, rug beaters, tennis racquets, an assortment of clubs, and even one bayonet and one rusty machete, souvenir of the Cuban insurrection. Henry M. Ferguson, a bank engineer, wore a Prussian helmet. Earl Trangmar, director of marketing research for Metropolitan Life, had another steel hat and carried the machete.

Up and down the street they marched, using unarmed decoys to lead the way, while the rake or strong-armed men carried up the rear. Joseph Spiro, owner of Douglaston's taxi fleet, hooted at intervals. Once, his imitation was so realistic that a vigilante swatted him with a tennis racquet.

Mosquitos came and went, leaving their mark on the vigilantes. A group of youngsters strolled by chanting, "Who's afraid of the big bad bird?" Wives hooted from suburban doorways. Patrolman George Ludwig was summoned by a grouchy neighbor to drive the rowdies away. And there wasn't a chip out of the man-eating bird, not a single hoot, even of derision.

Finally the vigilantes broke up. Their wives and unsympathetic friends saw that they got their bird - but not the one they were seeking. Their initial defeat did not, however, change their stories of the savagery of the feathered attacker.

All six attacks were on Snell Boulevard and Rushmore Avenue. The heavy foliage of the Maple trees on both sides of the street hides the marauder by day, and at night serves as a leafy ambuscade, whence at any moment, a winged fury with blazing eyes and nerve-shattering screech may drop upon an unprotected head.

Mr. Stemler was the first to have an encounter with the "Douglaston Devil." The next victim was Mr. Cardigan. When he told his story the next day to commuters, they joked about it so mercilessly that he determined to capture the bird. He is the organizer of the vigilantes.

Mrs. Evans was attacked shortly before midnight, Saturday. She and her brother, Mr. Tyrell, had gone for a walk. Hardly had they left their home at 46-54 241st Street, when the bird flew down. They beat it of but it returned to the attack. It flew at them five times and then disappeared.

What the Bird is Like
"I could not see the bird clearly at all," Mrs. Evans said. "It seemed dark and had a wingspan of about sixteen inches. It kept flapping its wings in my face and shrieking and trying to get at my eyes."

Other persons in the neighborhood could add little to that description except that the bird seemed soft and furry.

Dr. W. Reid Blair, curator of the Bronx Zoo, said he believed the nightbird would prove to be a screech-owl with a nest in the vicinity.
============================"The common nester in our streets and backyards was the [eastern] screech-owl. In 1919, people in Flushing [Queens] were familiar with owls (Barn, Long-eared, and Screech), and no one disturbed the screech-owls. For example, there was one in a hole in a maple about twelve feet above the ground on the corner of Sanford Avenue and Kissena Boulevard in front of St. Joseph’s Home, and a sign nailed to the tree called it to the attention of all passersby and said, “Please do not disturb this owl.” Squirrels on the other hand were rare. A friend of mine, seeing a squirrel in his neighborhood, made a house and nailed it to a tree in his backyard. Immediately, he got a screech-owl that lived there for many years. A screech-owl also lays four eggs in a well-protected hollow tree and usually fledges all four, much less subject to predation than baby Robins.... However in 1919, screech-owls, while perhaps not abundant, were actually plentiful. And this was for many years. I remember one Christmas Count after World War II when Frank and Norton Smithe counted 13 screech-owls in Douglaston alone. There were many more red-morph than gray-morph owls, but both were present. I have a photo I took in 1924 of Harrison Skeuse holding a gray-morph screech-owl, but both were present. These were taken out of two holes in two adjacent apple trees at the south end of the gully at Oakland Lake." Sam Yeaton (1988). Early Northeastern Queens. Reprinted from the Queens County Bird Club publication “News & Notes” for the years 1990–91.
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Biologist Leads Bat and Owl Tours in Central Park

Biologist Robert DeCandido, PhD, leads fun tours of wildlife in Central Park (along with Deb Allen). He's let us publish his notes from the week and from NYC birding history.

We have added two Eastern Screech-owl walks in Central Park this week - details are below. And for those of you in the Bronx on Wednesday evening, 5 August, Bob will be doing a slide-talk on the 11 owl species that have been found in NYC (including the 6 species have bred here; overall 12 owl species occur in New York State) - at the Bartow-Pell Mansion in the Bronx (Pelham Bay Park) at 7:30pm. Following the talk there will be an owl walk on the grounds...all of this for $5 adults and $3 for kids. More details:

This week the Bird Walk announcements takes a summer foray to the cooler parts of our area - coastal Queens and Brooklyn to the far far east end of the Long Island Sound.

We feature historical notes about nesting Prairie Horned Larks (Queens); breeding Skylarks and September migrant Turkey Vultures (Brooklyn); and a wonderful tale of the Man-O'-War Bird on Gardiner's Island (Suffolk County). These were made between 1857-1886.

Our feature (summer) bird photos this week also come from a cooler place: the south shore of Nassau County - next to the ocean: Black skimmer Common tern Pair of black skimmers
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Good! Here are the bird walks for this week ($5):

1. Thursday evening, August 6th: $5. Owls and Bats of Central Park (Ramble) - meet at The Boathouse at 7:45pm. (The Boathouse is approximately 73rd street and the East Drive, along the lake in Central Park - if you need better directions, just email me.)

2. Friday, August 7th: $5. Central Park - Meet at Conservatory Garden (105th street and 5th Ave.) at 9am.

x. Saturday, August 8th: No BIRD WALK
3. Sunday, August 9th: 9:00 am - Central Park - Meet at the usual location: the Dock on Turtle Pond at 9 am. $5.

4. Monday evening, August 10th: $5. Owls and Bats of Central Park (The North Woods) - meet at 5th Ave and 106th street at 7:45pm. (The meeting location is one block north of Conservatory Gardens - if you need better directions, just email me.)

Detailed Directions
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Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights) with some anecdotal notes and observations. Not all species we saw are reported here - we list the best:

Friday, July 31st (North End – Central Park) – thanks to Art and Emily Driscoll, the 2-3 Northern Waterthrushes did not escape detection today despite the early rains. The deluge seems to have inspired a number of electric red Crayfish to take a walk along the paths of the Harlem Meer...These "crawdads" would be an epicurean delight in at least one southern city - here, we just watch and photograph them.

Sunday, August 2nd (Central Park, Ramble area) – The heavens work in strange ways. It rained today from about 8:30am until 9:30am - long enough to keep most everyone at home. However, there were some intrepid bird watchers about (including Art, David and Lou; though we did hear, but not see Sandra along with Tom and Jack), and we did find the first Black-and-white Warblers of the autumn migration (both a male and a female). And we also likely found an Eastern Screech-owl hiding location since several Blue Jays were quite upset - unfortunately the leaves of the tree above us were so thick we had no way of seeing into the green mansion. Other highlights today included a Green Heron...and the rain.
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Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) -- Since making my previous record [Auk, 1886, Vol. III, p. 439] on this species I have secured several others through the kindness of Mr. Alfred Marshall, an Associate Member of the Union. The records were all made at the extreme southwestern portion of the Island, Mr. Marshall residing in Flatbush, Kings Co. The following is a copy of his notes: "September 5, 1877, Mr. Johnston says, 'The flagman on the Manhattan Beach R. R., at the Parkville crossing, saw a large bird flying about six feet from the ground, and as it flew by succeeded in stunning it with a stone. He afterward saw it and found it to be a Turkey Vulture in splendid condition.' June 9, 1885, Mr. Johnston also saw two flying over his residence at Parkville, and again on August 26th, of the same year, he saw another. July 9, 1886, he saw still another, being pursued by a Crow. The Vulture mounted to a great height, the Crow following. In May, 1885, I saw one, and May 16th, the following year, I saw another. It was sitting on the top of a dead tree near Ocean Avenue, Greenfield, Kings Co. Two or three wagons drove by while I was watching the bird, but it did not fly, so I crept under the tree to get a good view of it. After watching it for ten minutes, I threw a stone to start it, but it did not fly until I hit the limb it was sitting on; then it flew to another tree about fifty yards off and commenced cleaning its feathers. It was about 5 a.m. when I saw the bird first. I think it had been eating and had gorged itself. These are all the notes I can collect, and I believe they cover the visits of this Vulture in our locality for the past decade." [Ed. note: Turkey Vultures have recently bred in New York City.]

Skylark (Alauda arvensis). -- Late in June, 1857, I received a request from Dr, C. Hart Merriam to investigate a statement made in a New York paper, that "Skylarks are abundant on Long Island, at Flatbush and from that place down, easterly through a stretch of land extending to Flatlands, and thence around and about the town of Flatlands." I referred the request to Mr. Alfred Marshall, who resides at Flatbush and is well acquainted with the locality. Within a few days (July 2) he wrote that he had secured two birds which he supposed were Skylarks. They were forwarded to Dr. Merriam who pronounced them "unquestionably the true European Skylark (Alauda arvensis)." Subsequently, Mr. Marshall informed me that he found the Skylarks in the long-grass fields, and that they were quite plenty. Those secured were young birds. On the 12th of July he saw a great many, all adults, and singing. He also saw one carrying food in its mouth, and supposing it had young, he noted where it dropped into a piece of timothy grass. He was unable to find the nest then, but later, on the 14th, he was more successful, as he found it with five half-grown young. The nest was composed of grass and was placed in a depression in the ground, about two and one-half inches deep, and was hidden under a tuft of grass. The Skylarks remained until September 15th, on which date Mr. Marshall saw the last one. [Ed. note: Skylarks bred in Brooklyn until about 1913 - more than 50 years!]

Prairie Horned Lark (Otocoris alpestris praticola). -- Mr. John Hendrickson, of Long Island City, Queens Co., has the honor of having secured the first specimen of this variety of the Horned Lark on Long Island. July 31st, 1886, he shot one near his home. His brother, Mr. W. F. Hendrickson, when writing to me about it, asked if it was not early in the season for a Shore Lark to be found, and also stated that the specimen was very small. Subsequently he sent it to me, but as I had no others to compare it with, I forwarded it to Dr. A. K. Fisher, at Washington, for comparison and identification. He replied to my inquiry as follows: "The specimen is Otocoris alpestris praticola. To make doubly sure, I had Mr. Ridgway examine it and he said there was no question but that it was praticola. I should not be surprised, if in a few years the bird would be a common breeder on Long Island." September 14, 1887, the Messrs. Hendrickson sent to me in the flesh a Horned Lark which, from its immaturity, had evidently been bred on the Island, and consequently must be praticola.

Man-o'-War Bird (Fregata aquila). -- The claim of this bird to be included in the fauna of Long Island has heretofore rested on the specimen captured by Capt. Brooks, in 1859, on Faulkner's Island, Long Island Sound. After an interval of twenty-seven years (1886) another straggler from the tropics furnishes an additional record of extra-limital occurrence. In August, 1886, Messrs. Lucas and Brick wrote to me that they had just mounted a specimen of the Frigate Pelican for Mrs. John Lyon Gardiner, which had been shot on Gardiner's Island. Subsequently I ascertained, on inquiry, that the bird was shot August 4, 1886, by Mr. Josiah P. Miller, the keeper of the lighthouse. His account of the capture of the specimen is as follows: "The Man-o'-War Bird which I shot a while ago, was, when I first discovered it, sitting on a piece of old wreck, about fifty rods distant from the lighthouse. I tried to get a shot at it, but it saw me before I was near enough, and flew off up the beach out of sight. It came back in about an hour and settled in the same place as before. This time I went on the opposite side of the beach and concealed myself in the grass. My daughter went toward the bird, when it flew directly over me, giving a splendid shot. It was alone, and is the only one of the kind that I ever saw in this part of the world. I have kept this light for twenty years."

From: BIRD NOTES FROM LONG ISLAND, N.Y. by WILLIAM DUTCHER. (Read before the Linnaean Society of New York, 8 March 1888. [Ed. Note: The Great Snow Blizzard of New York City began three days after the reading of this paper.]

Is West Nile Causing NYC's Red-Tailed Hawk Boom (by Killing Crows)?

Robert DeCandido, PhD, a bird biologist who lively tours of owls and other avians in Central Park, has agreed to let me run his newsletter here. Birding Bob is always full of great information not only about New York City birds, but wildlife in general.
Photo courtesy of Flickr's Bryce Bradford
Last week's history of West Nile disease in NYC (1999-2009) prompted a few emails - folks filling in the consequences of this Asian disease post 1999. What has changed in the local environment in the last decade? Most noticeably, the American Crow population has not rebounded to pre-1999 levels, especially during the breeding season. And wintering populations of 50 or more crows in one park are unusual. Gone are the days when one could find a Great Horned Owl in many of NYCs (larger) parks by simply following the cacophony of crows surrounding the owls.


And during this same time frame, as the crows have precipitously declined as residents in NYC, the population of Red-tailed Hawks as breeders has increased exponentially. Is this simply correlation (two un-related events occurring simultaneously) or causation? Time may tell

A second noticeable change has been the decline in certain insect species - especially Tiger Swallowtail butterflies which were once common in our area in summer. There are other changes, such as a severe decline in Ring-necked Pheasants in our parks - these are verging on extinction locally...but tracing the decline of Asian pheasants to West Nile is more difficult - it might be mere correlation.

Finally, other insect species such as certain wasps that laid their eggs on the leaves of cherry trees have declined as well...but most people would not notice these even if they disappeared from our area completely.

In our Bronx neighborhood, one exotic bird species continues to increase, and is now nesting on at least a few Bronx streets. We even have them feeding in our pear trees in our yard each July-August: And while we are at it, another (native) bird has made a remarkable comeback as a breeding species since the late 1990s, particularly in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx:
Our historical reports this week highlight a breeding pair of American Coots in Queens (2000); 70+ Cormorants in the Reservoir of Central Park (28 July 1999); and the first record of breeding Blue-grey Gnatcatchers in New York City at Pelham Bay Park (27 July 1999). Debs and I have seen families of Gnatcatchers there in July since 1999 - and Gnatcatchers have bred in at least one other NYC park (Prospect Park in Brooklyn, circa 2007). And to show that good things can still be found nearby, we include two news reports about dolphins in the Long Island Sound in late June 2009 (in Queens and the Bronx).
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Good! Here are the bird walks for this week ($5):

1. Friday, July 31st: $5. Central Park - Meet at Conservatory Garden (105th street and 5th Ave.) at 9am.

x. Saturday, August 1st: No BIRD WALK
2. Sunday, August 2nd: 9:00 am - Central Park - Meet at the usual location: the Dock on Turtle Pond at 9 am. $5.
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The fine print: Our summer walks on Sundays meet at the Dock on Turtle Pond (approximately 79th street in the middle of the park). Look for Belvedere Castle and you have found Turtle Pond. Bathrooms are located at the adjacent Delacorte Theater (Shakespeare in the Park) - and are nice. We end our weekend Central Park walks at the Boathouse at about noon. On Fridays, we meet at 9am at Conservatory Garden, 105th street and 5th Avenue (just inside the main gates). There are bathrooms open year-round at Conservatory Garden, and that is good. Easiest way to get there by subway is to take the #2 or #3 train to 110th street and Central Park north. Then walk south along the east side until you reach Conservatory Garden. You can also take the #6 train to Lexington Avenue and 103rd street. Walk west for three blocks and then north by two. Finally, buses run up Madison Avenue regularly too. If you need better directions, just email or call (718-828-8262) - especially for how to get to the meeting location of the Saturday walks.

Most bird walks last about two to three hours in Summer, but feel free to leave at anytime, we won't take it personally. We have an extra pair or two of binoculars to rent, so if you want to rent a pair, just call or email before the walk to let us know. Also, if you are thinking of purchasing new binoculars, ask us - we probably have used them, and we will let you know how to get them for the best price.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is what we saw last week (selected highlights) with some anecdotal notes and observations. Not all species we saw are reported here - we list the best:

Friday, July 24th (North End – Central Park) – Lately winds have been more southerly, with seasonable temperatures (low to mid 80s) and humidity levels. Migrants, which drift to our area on northwest winds, have not been as common in the latter half of July as we would hope. Nevertheless, with an intrepid crew of birders including at least two NYC school teachers, we set off to find some lost migrants in the north end of the park. Our best luck was with a bird I have seen in migration at night atop the Empire State Building (in October!) - a Belted (Eastern) Kingfisher was our best find - it flew past us in the woodlands on the north side of the "Loch." We thought we heard it at a distance, and a small nudge from the iPod (kingfisher call) immediately brought the bird to us - and it continued on its way southwest through the woods. By the way, Belted Kingfishers bred in Pelham Nay Park in the Bronx until the mid-1980s...These days they are rather uncommon migrants in our area, though 1-2 may take up residence in Central Park for several days to weeks in spring and then again beginning in late summer, but not every year. Also today we tracked down a pair of Carolina Wrens at the north end...This is very interesting to us: each year beginning in late July, there is a dispersal of Carolina Wrens into our area (perhaps even from other city parks) - and we believe some of them begin nesting in Central Park in August. We are still investigating this, and will have more to report in the coming weeks as we watch this pair at the north end. Finally, no sign of The Hairy Woodpecker pair today, nor the lone White-breasted Nuthatch we had been seeing near the Blockhouse. Our best wishes to Emily Driscoll who is off to Iceland (and Grad School at NYU in film - science documentary.

Sunday, July 26th (Central Park, Ramble area) – With the hope of late summer migrants, off to the Ramble we went. For quite a while we had to be content with a Green Heron seen at Turtle Pond by all, and a House Wren seen by two. From the terrace of Belvedere Castle we spotted not one but two flocks of migrating Red-winged Blackbirds/Common Grackles (mixed) and a female Wood Duck (Carinne Mitchell - off to Cape Cod!) in Turtle Pond. From there we headed to the Ramble in the hopes of finding one of the recently released Eastern Screech-owls (no luck but we are not worried); instead we tracked down some migrants, all in the same area: The Point. From the rocky overlook near the Oven, we pulled in two Northern Waterthrushes (Thanks Sandra Critelli), and a few House Finches feeding on the last of some Mulberries. At the end of the Point, we pulled in another Northern Waterthrush and a Yellow Warbler, a Warbling Vireo, and surprisingly, a pair of very moulty Black-capped Chickadees. At Warbler Rock, we found a just fledged Grey Catbird, and learned that the Red-bellied Woodpeckers are not as aggressive toward intruders now than they were just 2-3 weeks ago. As per the suggestion for Regina Alvarez, we looked for and found a saprophytic native wildflower that grows on its own in Central Park: Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora). There were many clumps of this all-white plant that gets its nutrients not from photosynthesis but rather, directly from the roots of trees, particularly oaks on whose roots it likes to grow. Look for it in the area of the bird feeders. Finally, in prior years, we would recommend viewers to head to Turtle Pond at night to see this bird. foraging along the surface for fish. This year the pond is covered with Duckweed (Lemna minor), the smallest flowering plant in the world. Instead the skimmers have shifted their nocturnal foraging to The Model Boat Pond and The Reservoir....Though you can see them until about 9am on foggy mornings there too.

Central Park Welcomes Five New Screech Owls

A decade ago when biologist Robert DeCandido, PhD wanted to reintroduced Eastern Screech Owls to Central Park, birders argued over whether they would face a grim death or be so successful they'd devour all the songbirds. Fast forward 11 years and now the tiny owls have quietly established a population up in the North Woods. So that when wildlife rehabber (and fireman) Bobby Horvath released five screech owls Saturday, everyone had come around to welcoming the three gray juveniles and two reds (one adult and one juvenile).

Local bloggers like Gothamist and fantastic wildlife photographer Bruce Yolton's Urban Hawks were just thrilled.

(Photo of Dr. Robert "Birding Bob" DeCandido and a the adult red owl courtesy of bird photographer Deborah Allen)

DeCandido, better known as Birding Bob, says he saw the two youngest owls hanging out together on Sunday. None of the birds were related and they were of different ages, but he would still expect to see some sticking together, at least for a while. Yolton says that the owls at least won't face the threat of great-horned owls that live on Long Island. DeCandido points out that there aren't too many competitors of the same species in the park--and that now the army of wildlife photographers will be able to track them.

DeCandido leads tours in the park so New Yorkers can get a glimpse of the park's owl residents. (I've gone on a few and they're great--even when you don't get to see the owls.)

Still, he says, most aren't going to make it. People always underestimate how few animals surivive in the wild. The mortality rate for Eastern Screech Owls raised by their parents is 80%. And it's even worse for those raised by humans and released in the park: 89%. So, that's why DeCandido wants to release as many as possible. In 2002, when he still worked for the parks department, he released 33. You never know which will succeed and breed. One red-phased (that is, red-colored) one released last fall by Horvath already mated.

The park and their upbringing make it harder for the owls--which were, of course, once native to Manhattan and the park. "From my perspective as biologist, once they have enough food, they need sufficient territory with enough tree cavities," DeCandido says. The problem arises when they want to nest and gray squirrels are poking their heads in--and possibly eating eggs. "The other wild card is raccoons," he says. "We don't know what their effect is on nesting."

(Photo of a red-phase Eastern Screech owl in Central park in 2008 by Flickr's Robert rbs10025)

The young ones are also a bit surprised by all the songbirds mobbing them, he says. They should just sit still, back against a trunk. Instead they get spooked and fly--making more of a commotion and easier for the other birds to knock them down. But, they're learning.

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