Bald Eagles Over Central Park 2006

Below are 2 photos taken in 2006 of adult Bald Eagles flying over Central Park.

The 1st image is by Cal Vornberger taken on January 16th at the north end of the park near the Harlem Meer.

The 2nd photo is by Lincoln Karim and was taken today (Dec. 27th) from a spot southwest of the Great Lawn.

Can anyone ID the fish in the eagle's talons?

Bald Eagle (16 Jan 2006)
Central Park's Harlem Meer, New York City
Image by CAL VORNBERGER
(source image at Cal's site)


Bald Eagle (27 Dec 2006)
Central Park SW of Great Lawn, New York City
Image by LINCOLN KARIM
(source image at Lincoln's site)

Riverside Park: Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker
Riverside Park, New York City
Image by CAL VORNBERGER
(add'l RHWO images by Cal — at site click images to advance)

This afternoon I headed over to Riverside Park after spending some time in Central Park at the reservoir to view the Common Loon. The loon was located on the east side of the divide and was feeding for a good portion of the time I was observing it.

At Riverside Park there is an immature Red-headed Woodpecker which was discovered on December 15th by Lenore Swenson.

Today was my first attempt to see it. At 2:45pm I arrived at the spot, just west of 92nd St. and Riverside Drive, and was lucky enough to observe it before I was able to get my binoculars out.

The major of the activity, including an evening roost hole, is located just west of the road where the M5 bus runs. The territory extends at least from 91st to 93rd St.

In direct sunlight this bird shows a small amount of red behind the eye and some red along the base of the neck. It is actively defending a territory chasing off many Tufted Titmice and the occasional starling.

It was often managing its food cache by adding to it or moving items from one sight to another. At one point it made use of some fibers to help seal in a spot which was just filled with an acorn.

Woodpecker vs. Starling

There was an incident between a starling and the woodpecker. Around 4:10pm the starling was perched near the freshly made roost hole created by the woodpecker. When the woodpecker flew a short distance away from the hole the starling bee-lined it to the hole making itself at home.

Almost immediately the Red-headed Woodpecker flew to the edge of the hole, peered in a few times and then entered it and somehow came up with a starling. When the intruder was brought to the edge of the hole both birds started to fall and just before hitting the ground they separated. The starling flew back up to a perch near the hole.

The woodpecker returned and perched at the hole's edge. The woodpecker peered in it a few times and then entered but left a few moments later. The starling was still in the same location above the hole so the woodpecker decided to fly at the starling a few times which eventually drove it off towards the north. The starling never returned to bother the woodpecker.

Roost Hole

I went to the site tonight to see if it was possible to find out where the woodpecker would roost for the night. I've followed the roosting activities of wintering Red-headed Woodpeckers in Central Park and found this a rewarding activity.

Tonight the event took longer than I thought it would. In the past, I recalled the Red-heads would go to roost well before sunset. In those days I would watch a Red-headed go to roost and then would have plenty of time to arrive at the Long-eared Owl roost to watch them fly out.

Tonight at 4:38pm the Red-headed Woodpecker entered the hole the starling attempted to take and after dipping its head in and out around 30 times it entered for the evening. The woodpecker was visibile for a short time afterwards since it poked its head out giving the three by-standers great looks in the waning light. Also at the post fly-in were Mike and Marie Winn.

Test Table With Images

Male on G.M. Building photo by B. Cacace 35mm film equiv.: 2,600mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/50 | Aperture: f/4	Female on G.M. Building photo by D. Bruce Yolton 35mm film equiv.: 1,600mm | ISO: 400 | Shutter: 1/320 | Aperture: f/8

Thanks to Bruce Yolton for permission to use the photo
of the female Peregrine Falcon.

Central Park: Looking South 9-Nov

Southern View from TotL (detail)
Central Park South from the Great Lawn, New York City
Image by BEN CACACE

Click the picture above for a wide-angle view of Central Park South taken from our observing site.

The image is from the ‘Top of the Lawn’ where we do most of our Central Park observing. It was taken shortly before Charlie arrived and was inspired by the handheld panorama he took of the same scene.

Fomalhaut, the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus (Southern Fish), is visible in the photo in the extreme upper left hand corner. The view is looking south southwest down the spine of Manhattan. The center of the photo is roughly 210 degrees in azimuth.

The left edge of the image is just east of 180 degrees and the right is close to 240 degrees making the width of the image nearly 60 degrees.

The photo was taken at 7:49pm EST on the 9th of November. The exposure was 6 seconds at f/2.8. The focal length in 35mm equivalent was 38mm. The camera used is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30.

At the time of the photo Fomalhaut was at azimuth 182.6 degrees and 19.6 degrees above the horizon. The brightest building in the center of the skyline is ‘30 Rockefeller Center’ home of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and is also known as the ‘G.E. Building’.

The star in the upper left corner, Fomalhaut (magnitude 1.2 — alpha Pisces Austrini), is in the Southern Fish constellation. When I look closely at the original 5.3 megapixel image I can see stars down to mag. 5.9 in the area around Fomalhaut including delta (m4.2), gamma (m4.5) & epsilon (4.2) Piscis Austrini plus the 5.9 mag star HIP 114366 (not shown).

The image above is a slightly compressed from the original showing the stars visible around Fomalhaut. The wide-angle view is one third the size of the original.

Central Park: 1st Night Observing 9-Nov

The astronomy season has just begun! At soon as ‘Daylight Saving Time’ ends my ability to go birding after work ends with it.

The astronomy season seems to naturally kick in as ‘Cheshire Cat’ starts rising face up. Central Park is where I do most of my observing and this is where I wound up on Thursday night.

All of ‘team’ TotL eventually showed up at the top of the lawn. I arrived a bit early at 7:30p followed by Charlie, Peter and then Kin. We were fortunate enough to have clear skies for the whole time. The air was a bit damp but not too saturated. The objects sitting out in the open didn't moisten up too badly. On a bad night an unpacked book will start to look like a sponge.

A number of objects were observed over the course of the evening. One of the first was an asteroid Charlie picked up with his tripod mounted 15x50 Canon IS binoculars. I didn't draw the field but did display the object and surrounding stars on the PDA program ‘Planetarium’. An almost straight line was formed by two lower stars (HIP 15552 & HIP 15380) along with a dimmer star (HIP 15181) just above the asteroid. Iris was bright at mag. 6.9 and I will definitely check it out next time in the Televue-76. The time of the observation was around 9pm.

I get a kick out of spotting and confirming minor planets. I've spotted 6 asteroids to date. There's a write-up of the sightings on my blog which doesn't yet include 7 Iris if you have the energy after finishing this post.

A couple from New Zealand were walking their dog and stopped by to talk and to take in the views. They enjoyed the three standard showpieces of the night. The Double Cluster in Perseus, the Pleiades and the Moon.

At the time Peter was observing a distant open cluster in the Tak-102. I didn't note down which one he had but the New Zealander's noted the hazy appearance of the grouping. It was a nice view in the 4" refractor.

I didn't catch their names but the woman had just run the N.Y.C. Marathon. This was the reason the came to the U.S. but I was surprised to see they were walking a dog. Was it their dog? No! Dog sitting was part of the deal of renting the apartment. Luckily it was a good one. The dog didn't treat our equipment roughly. We're pretty strict about dogs raising their legs near the gear.

Tammy with the lights in her hair stopped by shortly after and stayed around for a bit. She arrived via bicycle and had passed team TotL many times in the past but never stopped to take a peek through the optics. She thoroughly enjoyed the views of the standard three and she and Peter got to witness the lone meteor of the night moving away from M45 heading northward.

I noticed that the heat from the lights in Tammy's hair created a warm cloud of aroma that engulfed Peter. All I could remember after this encounter was that he kept talking about mountains and flowers. Go figure! ;-D

During the flowers and mountains discussion I was deep into a locating a multiple star in Auriga. I made nice use of a black towel that's used to protect the Televue-76. The towel blocked out the surrounding lights and also allowed me to keep my left eye open while viewing with the right one. This was a tremendous help.

The star in question was omega Aurigae A.K.A. 4 Aurigae or STF 616. Locating it was easy enough since it is close to the short side of The Kids in Auriga. A 21 arc minute wide double points the way to 4 Aur which is the apex of a 2° long isosceles triangle. See the chart for a quick star hop to omega Aurigae.

I spent quite some time on the surrounding field to test how deep I could see with the 22mm Nagler Type IV versus the 12mm Nagler Type IV. After spending a few minutes viewing with both eyepieces I was able to see stars down to mag. 9.9 with the 22mm NT4 at 22x. With the 12mm NT4 at 40x stars to mag. 10.8 were visible.

While studying the star field I noticed a group of people gathering around. The double star field couldn't be that exciting for first timers so I interrupted the session to show the Moon to a group of four young girls. The got a kick out of the views of the nearly 19 day old Moon.

After this I returned to omega Aurigae and viewed it with at 80x with the 6mm Radian. The dimmer secondary was sitting practically on the lone diffraction ring created by the primary. The dimmer star appeared blue to me and Peter mentioned the same. I've read that some see the secondary as red but this wasn't apparent in the TV-76 at 80x. I'm sure we'll get to see this star in the Tak-102 in the future. The separation is 4.7 arc seconds (WDS 2004) and the magnitudes are 5.0 and 8.2.

Overall it was a satisfying night out with a great group of amateur astronomers at the top of the lawn. Sharing conversation and views with the public is a highly recommended way to spend a Fall evening.

Central Park: Northern Pintail 17-Sep

Northern Pintail
Central Park — Turtle Pond
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for detail)

Image taken on September 17th at 5:42pm EDT. Focal length in 35mm film equivalent is 420mm, exposure time is 1/80s, hand held with image stabilization at f/2.8.

Central Park: Reservoir 30-Aug-2006

An Eastern Clearing (detail)
Central Park — Reservoir
Images by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a wide-angle view)

The skies starting clearing while birding the reservoir tonight. No new migrants seen. Gadwall and Laughing Gull continue.

Photo taken at 6:46pm EDT from the running track on the reservoir's west edge — shutter speed 1/100s, f/4.5 with a focal length in 35mm equivalent of 38mm.

Juvenile Barn Swallows 18-Aug-2006

Fledging Barn Swallows (detail)
Central Park &mdash Reservoir
Images by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a wide-angle view)

Above is a Barn Swallow fledglings are from the north end reservoir nest which produced two broods this year as did the south end reservoir nest. There are 2 swallows in the detail and 4 in the wide angle view.

The image was taken on August 18th at 4:15pm. Focal length in 35mm film equivalent is 420mm, exposure time is 1/160s, hand held with image stabilization at f/2.8.

Central Park: Prelude to a Storm 10-Aug

Reservoir Before a Storm (detail)
Central Park &mdash Reservoir
Images by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a wide-angle view)

Tonight a storm roared through New York City shortly after I finished a tour of the reservoir. Seventeen species and nothing new seen.

The lightening was close by and it felt a bit dangerous being out there in the middle of it all.

For times like these I carry a dry bag to protect the camera. It's big enough to hold everything that can be damaged in a downpour inside the backpack.

Central Park: Sub-adult Red-tailed 4-Aug

Sub-adult Red-tailed Hawk
Central Park, NYC near Winterdale Arch
Image by BEN CACACE
(see additional photos below)

A young Red-tailed Hawk showed up in Central Park this summer. On the 4th of July she was photographed by Lincoln Karim. Lincoln has posted 10 photos of this one year old hawk which has just started to grow its adult red tail feathers.

A hawk's juvenile feathers drop out as the adult ones grow in. Lincoln's photos demonstrate this hawk was born last year and is considered a sub-adult. According to the books full adult plumage is acquired in a hawk's second year. A sub-adult may retain some juvenile wing and tail feathers in its second year.

The tail feathers (retrices) on a Red-tailed Hawk are numbered 1 through 6 starting from the center making up a total of 12 feathers. Each feather is paired symmetrically and preceded with the letter ‘r’. The r1 tail feathers are the centermost ones. When the tail is folded these feathers are visible when viewing a hawk from behind. The r6 tail feathers are the outermost ones and are visible on the folded tail when looking at the front of a hawk.

The tail feathers on this hawk, from the 4th of July photos, appears to have only adult r1s & r2s.

A few weeks after Lincoln's photos I spotted this hawk on the 18th, 19th & 23rd of July. At the time of these observations the r1, r2 & r6 tail feathers were red. The r6s were much shorter than the r1s & r2s.

I spotted this hawk again on August 4th which is when I took these photos near Winterdale Arch east of ‘Locust Grove’. In these images both the r3 & r4 feathers have grown in since the 23rd of July. The only juvenile tail feathers appear to be the r5s. Even in binoculars I wasn't able to pick up other juvenile feathers.

Will these r5 feathers remain until she molts again next summer?

Click image for uncompressed view of tail

Click image for uncompressed view of tail

Central Park: Eastern Screech-Owl 4-Aug

Click image for larger version

The photo above, taken on 4-Aug-2006 at 4:40p, shows an Eastern Screech-Owl with a reddish colored item hanging down the middle of its breast.

Click here to see an uncompressed view of the image.

In the past some of these reintroduced Eastern Screech-Owls were fitted with harnesses. The harness held a transmitter used to track their movements. The red feature in the photos may be a remnant of this system.

On 29-Apr-2006 Cal Vornberger took a photo of an Eastern Screech-Owl with a similar item hanging down its breast. Visit Cal's site to read about & view images of a similarly appointed owl.

Central Park: 30-June-2006 Anhinga

Click image for full view of the notes

I spotted an Anhinga over the reservoir in New York City's Central Park. The bird was circling very low when I first spotted it and was less than half the width of the reservoir from where I was standing.

This observation was submitted to various Internet sites / email lists in order to get the word out so this rare New York State visitor may be seen again and hopefully photographed. My camera, unfortunately, was left at home due to the forecasted thunderstorm.

Here is a quote from my submission to various email lists for this sighting:

Date: Friday, 30 June 2006 (3:25p-10:10p)
Location: Central Park - reservoir & Turtle Pond
Reported by: Ben Cacace

The Anhinga was seen between 4:20p-4:23p along the north edge of the reservoir. The Sun was at my back and the Anhinga was fairly low over the reservoir just east of me. It was gaining height - circling & flapping. The flapping came in bursts from 3 to 5 wingbeats. When the bird held its wings out to glide the wings were just about perfectly level. This effect was more hawk-like than cormorant-like.

From the neck to the bill there was a taper. The bill was thin and there were no bulges from the neck towards the bill. Very elegantly built. Much lighter and more aerodynamic than a cormorant.

The bird was all black. No white was noticed anywhere. No yellow was noticed anywhere.

After circling a few times it headed NE or 'Manhattan North'. Please keep an eye out for this bird. My camera, of course, was at home.

'Bull's Birds of New York State' has the status for Anhinga as 'Casual vagrant':
- Casual: 2 to 6 records
- Vagrant: a species that appears on an irregular basis and whose normal migratory and breeding range does not include New York State

The following was submitted to NYSBirds-L by Angus Wilson (Chair NYSARC) in reference to the Anhinga sighting:

From: Angus Wilson
Subject: [NYSBIRDS-L:3766] RE: NYC, Central Park, Fri. 30-Jun-2006: Anhinga
To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Date: Sat, 01 Jul 2006 17:46:25 -0400

To follow up on Ben Cacace's posting, only two NYS records of Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) have been accepted by NYSARC.

NYSARC#1992-40-A: one over Central Park, Manhattan, New York Co., 28 April (submitted by Joseph DiCostanzo). This is the first record of the species for New York.

NYSARC#1996-45-A: one at Cornell University Ponds, Unit 2, Town of Dryden, Tompkins Co., 10 June (submitted by Dennis Hasselquist). This is the second record for the state.

This has been a difficult species because most claims have involved birds seen in flight only. Several additional reports may well have been valid but suffered from minimal details and lack of photographic or multi-observer corroboration. I strongly encourage Ben to submit full details of his sighting and if there were any other observers, for them to do likewise. As with any rare bird report, it is imperative to carefully explain how other candidates species (in this case: cormorants, herons and so on) were ruled out.

Obviously, everyone in the metro area should keep a sharp lookout and perhaps check local bodies of fresh or brackish water, preferably with suitable trees and snags!

Cheers, Angus Wilson
New York City & Chair of NYSARC

Discovery details for Anhinga sighting from Central Park's reservoir in New York City on 30-June-2006 at ~4:20p EDST

Optics: 8.5x42 binoculars

Distance: Approximately 1,200 feet (0.22 miles) away. Distance determined by Google Earth's distance tool.

Height: when the bird was first seen it was rather low. Probably no more than the height of a 5 or 6 story building. It didn't climb very high before heading in a north-east direction.

Color: this bird was black from bill to tail. A Double-crested Cormorant always appears to me to be some variation of dark brown — never black. I was looking for other colors on this bird but none were seen. No white was seen anywhere. No yellow was seen anywhere. Yellow was looked for in the face and not found.

Feather condition: since the bird was seen in flight & gliding at times the molt pattern would have been obvious. No feathers were missing from the trailing edge of the wings or from the tail.

Head & neck: there was a bend in the neck where the neck meets the body. Looking from the neck to the bill the neck became thinner until the bill was reached. The bill appeared long, thin & black. No color except black was noted on the neck & head.

Flight: the bird was seen in flight only. It was circling up — flapping & gliding. When the bird set its wings after a short burst of flapping the wings were level like you would see on a Peregrine Falcon.

I stayed awhile after seeing the Anhinga to watch the Double-crested Cormorants in flight. The cormorants overall looked brown, heavy & never exhibited the level wings when the cormorants would occasionally glide. The gliding in the Anhinga was easy and lasted longer than the flapping did. This pattern in the cormorants was completely reversed in flight after viewing the Anhinga. The Anhinga's wingbeats came in bursts of 3—4 flaps with one lasting 5. I counted less than half a dozen bursts of flapping. The Anhinga's gliding was effortless which is something I've never noticed in a cormorant.

Tail: the tail was long. Probably as long as the length of the head & neck. A crude outline of the tail appears on my blog in the image of the notes which were written down after viewing the Anhinga.

Central Park: Black Skimmers (2006)

Black Skimmer Flying with Needlefish
Nickerson Beach, Long Island, United States
Image by CAL VORNBERGER
(additional Skimmer images by Cal — click images to advance)

Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) have been visiting Central Park over the past few years feeding at night on several bodies of water including Turtle Pond, The Lake, Conservatory Water & The Meer.

They're back! All sightings have been on Turtle Pond near Belvedere Castle & The Delacorte Theatre. Bob Levy was first to report on their return this past Sunday (11-June). No more than 3 skimmers have been seen simultaneously.

The earliest on-line record, from the past few years is from the NYC Rare Bird Alert for August 6, 1999 transcribed by Gregory Kunkel. If anyone has personal observations earlier than this or a source for an an earlier date please drop me a line.

‘The Birds of North America Online’ entry for Black Skimmer (by Michael Gochfeld & Joanna Burger) mentions the following on foraging behavior:

“Foraging distance from colonies variable. On Long Island, NY, main feeding areas <= 8 km from colony”.

The map below shows two circles surrounding Central Park. The inner one has a radius of 8 kilometers or 5 miles. The outer one doubles the radius to 10 miles.

Click image for a larger, more detailed view

Both circles above exclude the barrier beaches on the south shore of Long Island where Black Skimmers are known to breed.

Are there any known Black Skimmer breeding sites within the inner or outer circles? It would be good to know how the <= 8 km number was arrived at!

Facts from Birds of North America:

• Strikingly dimorphic in size
• Relatively large pupil which constricts to a narrow vertical slit, a unique feature among birds
• Fossil History: Known from Tertiary strata of Patagonia
• Other Species: Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) has a white collar and an orange-yellow bill; African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris) is the smallest of the three species. It has brown underwing coverts and an orange-red bill with a yellow tip.
• Both sexes have incubation patches

Peregrine Falcon Update: 14-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

After not seeing a single falcon last night it was good to see both the male & female tonight.

During the two hours & forty-five minutes spent observing the Peregrines more time was spent not seeing any falcons from the Gapstow Bridge site.

For 80% of the time I was aware of the location of only one of the pair — this was the one that was on nest.

Even with all of this ‘inactivity’ there was quite a lot to see.

Highlights:

• When I arrived the male Peregrine Falcon was perched on a favorite spot on the W edge of the G.M. Buildings's roof on its center section.
• A mid-air transfer of prey, just N of the nest, was seen around 6:38p followed by a nest exchange with the male taking over the duties.
• A final-for-the-night nest exchange, leaving the female on nest, happened around 8:08p around 3 minutes after sunset.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 5:33p — 8:15p

• When I arrived at the site just W of Gapstow Bridge the male falcon was perched on the roof of the center section of the G.M.'s N face — W edge. By 5:39p he flew to the W edge of 9 West 57th St., banked, then landed on the E side of the building's roof.
• By 5:42p the male made a few passes at the W edge of the G.M.'s roof before landing on the previous perch on the G.M. It appeared the tiercel was concerned with something on the roof. Tonight, two window washing support structures were hanging over the W side of the building.
• By 5:43p the male flew from the G.M. towards the W with purpose disappearing behind some trees. By 5:45p he returned to a perch on 9W just out of sight. At 5:52p I thought I saw something shaped like a falcon heading S near 9W but it was only a brief look.
• No falcons were seen until 6:31p when the male was spotted heading E below roof level of the G.M.'s N face. He turned S. Then he was gone.
• By 6:36p the male arrived from the SW to land on the same perch on the center section of the G.M.'s roof.
• By 6:37p the female exited the nest to meet the male for an in-flight transfer of prey just N of the nest. Shortly after this the male falcon headed for the nest entering it at the base of the fence.
• The female then headed S along the G.M.'s W edge with the meal. Then she headed E & then she disappeared by 6:38p. Since she didn't bring the meal to the nest they are probably still incubating eggs. Hopefully these eggs are still in good condition.
• No falcons were seen until 7:10p when the female returned without prey & perched on the nest fence for a second before heading E.
• No falcons were seen until 8:08p when the female returned from the S along the G.M.'s W edge landing on the nest fence. She immediately dropped to the floor. The male appeared at the base of the fence within a minute & flew E well below the level of the nest along the G.M.'s N face. He flew around the building, heading S & ending the evening's observations.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May, 11-May, 12-May, 13-May, 14-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert
• Obs. of Duck Hawks Nesting on Man-made Structures
      by Horace Groskin

Peregrine Falcon Related

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May 7-May 9-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• ‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region’
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert

Peregrine Falcon Update: 9-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

While looking for the Peregrine Falons the pair of Canada Geese were tending to 7 goslings on island south of Gapstow Bridge on The Pond. Click on the image for a larger view & labels for all 7.

Canada Geese & 7 goslings — The Pond (35mm film equiv.: 375mm, ISO: 400, Shutter: 1/50, Aperture: f/4)

I arrived at Gapstow Bridge, south of Wollman Skating Rink, by 6:55p. For most of the hour I didn't spot a single falcon.

After waiting for 55 minutes the female showed up from the east & perched on the 9 West 57th St. building — out of sight.

After a few minutes she proceeded to the nest making a few flybys including one failed attempt to perch on a fence below the G.M. Building's roof.

After the female descended to the level of the nest the male Peregrine exited after less than a minute.

«On home page ‘Click for more...’ below for a detailed timeline»

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:55p — 8:00p

Highlights: final nest exchange for the evening.

• I arrived at Gapstow Bridge at 6:55p. The skies were completely overcast with an occasional drizzle. Winds were from the north.
• By 7:50p a falcon flew in from the E & perched on the E side of 9 West 57th St. out of sight from where I stood.
• By 7:52p she was flying towards the G.M. Building & made a few passes N of the building. At one point she attempted to land on a fence below the roof & had to abort the landing. She landed properly on the next pass.
• Approximately 45 seconds after she dropped to the level of the nest he exited, flying low towards the E & headed S.
• I left the area around 8:00p.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May, 9-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• ‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region’
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert

Peregrine Falcon Update: 7-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Tonight there was a great gathering of optics near Gapstow Bridge to view the Peregrine Falcons over the south-east corner of Central Park. This was good to see & may not happen again for quite some time.

Peter arrived with a 70mm refractor & 22 power binoculars. Donna showed up with a spotting scope. Dave showed up with someone whose name I didn't get, sorry! She & Dave hung in there until the end.

I arrived at the Gapstow Bridge site around 5pm. By 5:15p a falcon arrived. He or she dropped down to the nest level before I could determine its gender.

From 5:20p - 7:54p only the female falcon was seen & was perched in view for a total of 1.5 hours on 3 separate occasions.

By the end of the night we determined that he was sitting on the nest from the time I arrived until the nest exchange at 7:54p. This is at least 3 hours.

She disappeared for awhile while the five us waited around as it started to get chilly. Everybody hung in wondering when she would return. At 7:40p we spotted her as she perched on various spots on the G.M. Building until 7:54p.

This is when she made the move to the nest. I asked Dave to view the nest exchange through my scope, Donna was at hers & Peter at his. We waited a minute or so for him to appear after she dropped from the fence.

Everybody, including the two of us with binoculars, witnessed the male leaving the nest area. He flew to perch on a fence near the east edge of the G.M. The excitment from the group as the male falcon left the nest site was much more than I expected. This was also good to see.

Overall it was another enjoyable night observing these Peregrine Falcons. Many people stopped by to take a look at the perched female in the scopes & all were impressed.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 5:00p — 8:35p

Highlights: one nest exchange & the male falcon was on nest for at least 3 hours.

• No falcons were spotted after scanning the area.
• By 5:15p a falcon dropped down to the nest level before I could identify it to gender. The location was on the GM's N face, right section, 7 in from the W. There was a possible nest exchange which I would've missed since I was looking with the scope at a different set of fences.
• By 5:20p the female arrived & landed on the GM. She left the area around 5:46p. Her perch was on the GM's N face, center section, 2 in from the W.
• By 6:14p she perched on a fence in the center section 3 in from the W.
• From 6:55-6:56p she perched on two different fences then left the area. A man was spotted on the roof of the GM Building pointing out something to someone. The female Peregrine was flying in the vicinity.
• By 7:40p she returned back to the GM Building perching on the roof's NW corner. She appeared to have something in her talons. All were in agreement but we couldn't confirm if it was prey.
• At 7:50p she flew to a fence on the GM's N face, right section, 3 in from the W edge.
• At 7:54p she flew to the fence above the nest & dropped down to nest level. The male falcon exited from the lower portion of the fence as we all watched.
• He flew to perch on a fence 4 in from the E edge of the building & remained there until we left around 8:35p.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May, 7-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• ‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region’
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert

Peregrine Falcon Update: 6-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Around 5pm the trees surrounding us just west of Gapstow Bridge let loose millions seed pods shown in the image on the right. Click image to see the seed along side a ruler.

It measures approximately 13mm including the stem. If anyone knows the species this belongs to please drop me a line. This particular specimen followed my home in my hair.

The Peregrines didn't fail to appear while we were at Gapstow Bridge. Peter, a friend I met through astronomy, stopped by to see the Peregrine Falcons.

From 4:30p-6:02p no Peregrines were seen in the area. The first falcon seen was the male who flew in from the east & perched on the east corner of 9 West 57th St's roof. This perch afforded a decent view in the scope for the many people that happened to around waiting for the Peregrines to arrive.

The male falcon was in the area from 6-7pm. He perched once above the nest site but didn't relieve the female. She had been sitting for at least 1.5 hours and I was surprised she didn't exchange places with him.

He left the area and returned around 7:30p with prey. The female came out to meet him and in mid-flight a prey transfer was made just north of the nest site. She left the area with the prey and disappeared behind the 9 West 57th St. building.

At 8:07p the second nest exchange occurred. She replaced him for the evening and the male falcon headed east and disappeared for the night.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 4:30p — 8:30p

Highlights: another long wait for a falcon to show, two nest exchanges & one prey transfer.

• At 6:02p the male arrives after waiting for a falcon to appear since 4:30p. He flew in from the E & perched on 9 West 57th St.'s roof near it's E corner.
• By 6:10p he flew around N of the G.M. & N of the Pierre Hotel. After heading S it was lost until 6:45p.
• Male returns at 6:45p possibly to same perch as before. Notes aren't clear on this.
• By 7:02p he leaves 9W to a fence on the GM's north face 6 in from the W edge at 7:04p. This was a fairly long flight from 9W to the GM.
• At 7:26p he returns with prey. She leaves the nest & they perform a mid-air prey transfer. She disappears with the prey behind the 9W building.
• By 7:36p she returns to perch on a fence on GM's north face 7 in from W edge. By 7:40p she disappears.
• At 8:07p female returns and exchanges position with the male. He leaves the area entirely heading E after exiting the nest.

Related items:
• Peregrine Falcon updates — 2006: 13-Apr, 21-Apr, 24-Apr, 26-Apr, 28-Apr, 30-Apr, 4-May, 5-May, 6-May
• Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?
• ‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the N.Y.C. Region’
      by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert

Peregrine Falcon Update: 5-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

As I was heading into the park I watched a Crow moving north along the east edge of the park within the Peregrine's territory.

This is the second time I've seen a crow in the territory with no reactions from the falcons. The only intruders I've seen escorted off the territory this year were other Peregrines.

At Gapstow Bridge I didn't see any falcons on the usual perches. This was the situation from 6:05p until 7:22p. This is when I spotted the male Peregrine flying from the west to perch on the roof of the G.M. Building.

The female falcon joined him immediately leaving the nest unattended for about 3 minutes. The male headed to the nest leaving the female time to preen & stretch her wings.

More often I get to see the female exchanging places with the ‘incubating’ male. Whenever this happens the male waits for the female to approach the nest before he exits.

Tonight I watched the male replace the female. The female left the nest before the male approached her. It could have been that the male was gone so long that she was looking to make sure she would have time to stretch.

She was relieved from duty for close to an hour.

The male Peregrine choose a perch on the north face of the G.M. Building to roost for the night. I'm assuming he remained where I left him at 8:36pm. This is 10 minutes after the end of Civil Twilight or 40 minutes after sunset.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:05p — 8:35p

Highlights: a long wait to see a Peregrine, two nest exchanges & located the male's night roost.

• From 6:05p until 7:22p no Peregrines were visible.
• At 7:22p the male was seen in the binoculars coming in from the W landing on the W edge of the center section (north face) on the roof of the G.M. Within seconds the female left the nest to perch near the male. The male left to attend to the nest site by 7:25p landing first on a fence 6 in from the W edge of the building.
• From 7:33p-7:36p the female was off the perch and flying large circles N of the G.M. Building. At the end of the flight she landed on the N face of the G.M.'s east most fence.
• By 7:40p she flew to the G.M.'s roof just E of the NW corner and remained here until 8:14p when she ‘relieved’ herself. Immediately she lifted off and made a beeline for the nest. It was almost as if she was waiting for that event to happen.
• By 8:15 the male exited and perched on a fence on the G.M.'s north face (left section) 4 in from the E.
• By the time I left the park at 8:36p the male Peregrine was still perched on the fencing.

Peregrine Falcon Update: 4-May-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Images of male Peregrine exiting nest site

Donna Browne was present tonight to help observe the Peregrines on the G.M. Building. It was another night of falcon activity from start to finish. Her play by play while the male was exiting the nest helped tremendously in getting the above images.

Highlights: there was a nest exchange at 7:37p (see images above for exiting male) & the location of the roosting male was found well after the end of Civil Twilight (8:30p).

«On home page ‘Click for more...’ below for a detailed timeline»

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:00p — 8:40p

• When I arrived a Peregrine was perched on a fence on GM's north face, right section, 7 in from W edge.
• By 6:25p the falcon lost its balance & dropped to floor, then hopped back onto the fence, then flew to the roof of the 9W 57th St. building. While taking notes I didn't see where she disappeared to after landing on the 9W building.
• By 6:35p the female was already on a fence on GM's north face, right section, 3 in from W edge until 7:35p.
• By 7:35p female moved to the fence above the nest site.
• Nest exchange: By 7:37p female drops to floor. Shortly after the male appears at base of fence exchanging places with the female (see images).
• Male perches on fence on GM's north face, left section, 5 in from E edge until 8:23p.
• By 8:23p male leaves the GM Building perch. A few minutes later he's seen perched on the east corner of the window ledge on 9W 57th St.
• We left the park at 8:40p with male still perched on 9W 57th St.

Peregrine Falcon Update: 30-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Male on G.M. Building photo by B. Cacace 35mm film equiv.: 2,600mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/50 | Aperture: f/4

Female on G.M. Building photo by D. Bruce Yolton 35mm film equiv.: 1,600mm | ISO: 400 | Shutter: 1/320 | Aperture: f/8

Thanks to Bruce Yolton for permission to use the photo of the female Peregrine Falcon above.

Each evening there is generally some activity when visiting the park to view these Peregrine Falcons. Tonight when I arrived both falcons were on the north face of the G.M. Building.

At one point the female appeared agitated in the telescope and soon after lifted & chased another large Peregrine off the territory towards the west. This is the second time I've seen another female Peregrine being chased from the area this year.

Another highlight was seeing the female exchange positions with the male falcon at 5:53p.

I'm convinced that these Peregrines are incubating eggs. Their behavior is consistent. The male has been exiting from below the same fence each time the female has dropped from the fence above.

Click below for a more detailed timeline.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 4:50p — 8:10p

• by 4:50p male & female were perched on the N face of the GM Building. Male was near potential nest site. Female was 2 fences to the E.
• while trying to take photos the female moved to a fence 4 in from W edge by 5:15p.
• by 5:37p female looked agitated. She then pursued another female Peregrine W of GM.
• by 5:43p female returned to a fence 6 in from W edge of GM.
• Nest exchange: by 5:53p female drops down to floor of fenced area. Within a minute the male falcon appears at the base of a fence 5 in from the W edge of GM and then flies to a fence 5 in from E edge of GM.
• at 6:46p male Peregrine leaves area heading SE or ‘Manhattan E’.
• I left Gapstow Bridge around 8:10p. Neither falcon reappeared.

Peregrine Falcon Update: 28-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcons

Tonight was a rewarding one watching the Peregrine Falcons on the G.M. Building. Donna Browne showed up with a spotting scope. I brought along a 3" refracting telescope. We observed the Peregrines for nearly 2.5 hours. It was good to have so much activity from the Peregrines while Donna was there to observe.

Watching the ‘nest’ exchange at 7:45p was just one of many highlights.

A silver band was easly seen on the female's right leg in the scopes. The photo on the right shows the band — dimly.

Highlights:

• female perched/preening from 6:00p-7:40p on the GM.
• female flew to the fence just above the probable nest site.
• female dropped to flooring below perch at 7:44p.
• male exits from below same fence at 7:45p.
• male perches on fence below GM's roof until well after the end of Civil Twilight. This is when it becomes too dark to see any details at high power. In binoculars the image of the perched Peregrine becomes too indistinct to rely on.

Click below for a more detailed timeline.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 6:00p — 8:30p

• spotted a Peregrine on GM at 5:42p before entering park.
• took photos with falcon perched on fence below roof of GM's north face, 3 fences in from west edge.
• arrived at Gapstow Bridge by 6:00p — falcon still perched.
• at 6:52p it took a short flight to the NE corner of GM's roof where it remained until 7:02p.
• from 7:02-7:04p it took off N for a more extended flight returning to NW corner of GM's roof. It was clear this was the female in flight by its size & the molt of its primaries.
• at 7:37p female flew just E of GM then back to a fence 5 in from the W edge of the building.
• at 7:44p female flew to flooring just below fence. Within a minute the male exited from below the same fence the female was perched on. This is a probable nest exchange.
• At 7:45p male flew to a fence below GM's roof 4 in from E edge of building.
• Donna and I remained watching the male perched, facing in, until 10 minutes after Civil Twilight ended. We left the park at 8:30p feeling fairly confident it would stay the night.

Peregrine Falcon Update: 26-April-2006

Digiscoped Image of Peregrine

This image was shot with the same camera as the side-by-side thumbnails below — the ones that look like oil painting details. The difference is this was taken through a telescope that increases the effective focal length by 6.4 times. The camera's 420mm lens is converted to a 2,688mm lens.

Unfortunately the focus not quite right. Practice should help.

This Peregrine Falcon was perched on the north-west corner of the G.M. Building. The photo was taken from Gapstow Bridge just south of Wollman Skating Rink. The approximate distance to the falcon was 1,200 feet or 0.23 miles.

Click below for a timeline.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 12:25p — 1:05p

Highlight: apparent nest exchange at 1:04pm.

• Scanned buildings on SE corner of park from 1225p. At 1232 a PF appeared on NW corner of GM's roof.
• At 1240 it made a single move to 6 in (right section) & perched on fence until 1251.
• At 1251 it took off east, then back tracked then proceeded east again. Lost it behind Pierre Hotel.
• Back on NW corner of GM's roof at 1257.
• By 1259 to 1 in (center section) then to 3 in (right section) then to 6 in (right section) by 100. All perches on fencing below GM's roof.
• At 102 launched & circled back to 6 in (right section).
• At 103 lost it while writing.
• At 104 a PF exited from bottom of 6 in (right section) & headed east. Lost it low behind Pierre Hotel.

Central Park's Gapstow Bridge 5:25p — 8:00p

Highlight: male Peregrine chasing a female Peregrine off territory at 5:40pm.

• Arrived at 526p. Saw PF on NW corner of GM's roof before entering park at 520.
• Around 540 male chased larger PF towards the east. Female turned to defend with talons up. Male back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 550 off perch, didn't spot it flying away.
• At 554 male flew around GM & disappeared behind GM heading south.
• By 615 back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 628 crow cawing over Pond heading north. Then circled south to perch on a building west of Plaza Hotel. Seemingly no reaction from perched PF.
• At 653 back to NW corner of GM's roof.
• By 711 off NW corner to west edge of center section (roof level) then flew due south-east (Manhattan east).
• At 723 PF returned to NW corner of GM's roof. Arrived from the north. Perched facing south as at all other times on this spot.
• At 741 still on NW corner. 749 still perched. By 800 left perch without seeing it fly away.

Earliest Peregrine Falcon Nest in N.Y.C.?

Image above taken on 24-Apr-2006 — Peregrine Falcon perched near possible nest site on G.M. Building's north face.

The following article on Peregrine Falcons points out that the "first known nesting in New York City occurred in 1943 when a pair successfully hatched three young on a coping of the St. Regis Hotel".

Below is an image I took tonight of the site mentioned in the article. The St. Regis Hotel is on 5th Avenue and 55th St. on Manhattan.

Click image for view of the hotel.

‘Behavior of Peregrine Falcons in the New York City Region’ by Richard A. Herbert & Kathleen Green Skelton Herbert The Auk, volume 82 — Jan/1965, pp. 62-94

Peregrine Falcon Update: 24-April-2006

Central Park South: Peregrine Falcon

Taking pictures of distant hawks & falcons with the Lumix FZ30 is like throwing an eight million pixel net their way.

Each of the above images are 36 pixels wide by 47 pixels tall. They were ‘blown-up’ to 130 pixel wide to display them side-by-side. All images have a 35mm equivalent focal length of 420mm.

These were taken tonight while monitoring the activity around a possible nest site on the G.M. Building.

The left image is the furthest from the camera but appears larger than the other two. This is the female Peregrine Falcon.

The center & right images are of the same falcon in two different positions. Both appear similar in size & smaller than the one on the left. This is the male.

Tonight the Peregrines were seen separately between 5:55pm & 7:15pm. The female was perched on the north face of the G.M. as I entered the park. Before disappearing around 6:25pm she was perched just above the potential nest site.

After 6:25pm the male was seen flying from the ‘nest site’ to the fencing below the G.M.'s roof where he remained until 6:30pm when he flew to the north-west corner of the G.M.'s roof.

At 7:15pm the male flew east & then behind the G.M. & wasn't seen again.

Thanks Bruce for stopping by to observe the falcons.

Raptors At Sunset: 21-April-2006

The image above shows the adult male Red-tailed Hawk, from the Trump Parc nest, perching on the ‘X’ on the Essex House sign tonight (Fri., 21-Apr). When I arrived it was already perched. This was around 6:55pm.

Around 7:32pm I happened to be looking at the hawk in binoculars as it headed off to roost for the night. Sunset was at 7:41pm.

Before it disappeared from view it pulled off one of coolest moves I've seen in awhile. As it left its perch it dove, then rose a bit losing quite a bit of speed. I thought it was going to stall or veer off in another direction.

Instead, after it reached the top of the stall, it proceeded in the same direction and dove steeply. A few seconds into the drop it started to pull up again. This is when I lost it behind some trees.

This undulating flight is one of the more deliberate bits of ‘fun’ I've seen in quite some time. This was observed from Gapstow Bridge (south of Wollman Rink) while I was keeping one eye on a Peregrine Falcon and the other on this Red-tailed Hawk.

‘Birds of North America’ on-line refers to this as a ‘Sky-dance’ used in both agonistic behavior and courtship displays. Quite a versatile tool.

At Bruce Yolton's blog you can see a wonderful image of the male Red-tailed Hawk taken at around the same time. This hawk is referred to as ‘Junior’. The photo above was taken at 7:06pm. Check out the second image down in ‘Watching Paint Dry’.

The first raptor spotted from the park was this Peregrine Falcon perched on the G.M. Building's roof. It stood on the north-west corner of the building from at least 6:55pm.

There was little activity until the falcon flew to a fence on the north face below the building's roof. From here it took a flight close to a place where the pair might be nesting. I'm looking for a few more views to confirm this suspicion.

The reason I think this is a nest site is due to the falcon's disappearing to this spot only to emerge from the floor of this space. Very exciting to see after watching Peregrines in the area for 10 years and not knowing where the nest site might be.

From 7:48pm to 7:54pm the Peregrine perched on various fences below the G.M.'s roof. By 7:56pm I wasn't able to relocate it again. The end of Civil Twilight, when it becomes nearly impossible to spot the Peregrine's, was 8:10pm.

The images above were taken around 7:00pm.

American Kestrel: Upper East Side 15-Apr

This male American Kestrel was seen around 11:30am this morning hunting from an antennae near my apartment.

Kestrels have been seen in the area, including perched on this antennae, over the past few years.

Details:
• Exposure time: 1/400 sec
• Aperture: f/5.6
• Focal length (35mm equiv.): 420mm
• The photo was taken handheld with image stabilization

No additional text.

Central Park: Peregrine Falcons 13-Apr

ROBERT BATEMAN ‘Peregrine Falcon and White-Throated Swifts’ (paper, 26.25" x 20" — click image for catalog)

Thursday night was spent observing a pair of Peregrine Falcons that may actually be nesting this season. Their territory hugs the southeast corner of Central Park. The falcons are seen perching on buildings over Central Park South & along 5th Avenue. One of their favorite's is the General Motors Building. This cliff-like edifice has been the main focus for various Peregrine pairs that have been occupying this territory from as far back as 1996 when I first noticed them in the area.

In the past the main buildings used for perching were the Sherry-Netherland Hotel (S-N), General Motors Building (G.M.) & the Solow Building, AKA 9 West 57th St. (right photo):

Over the years I've been observing these Peregrines with the hope of discovering their nest site. This would be a new addition to the nesting Peregrine pairs on Manhattan. I've yet to see any juvenile falcons interacting with the resident adults. Maybe this season will be different.

Observation-wise, yesterday was one of the best days. The location of both falcons was noted from the time I arrived at 5:55pm EDT to shortly before I left at 7:20pm. This is unusual since the Peregrines can easily disappear from sight. Gapstow Bridge, just south of Wollman Skating Rink, is where I do most of my observing.

Male Peregrine Falcons are considerably smaller than females. This female is separable from the male not only by size. There are two features that can help ID her in case the male isn't nearby for size comparison. The female is missing a tail feather near the right edge of her tail. This is best seen when she's soaring. She is also missing a primary near the outer edge of her left wing.

I witnessed the following making the evening more successful than usual:

• both male and female were flying together
• for the whole session the location the pair was known
• I noted the time & direction where the male went to roost
• the pair was seen mating on the Solow Building
• a possible location for the nest was noted
• there was a Peregrine &mdash pigeon encounter
• a Kestrel passed over the flying pair heading north
• a male Kestrel was hunting near Gapstow Bridge

JOE BLY
Gapstow Bridge In The Snow - 1985
(click image to view catalog)

Nesting Location

While observing the Peregrines there was a spot that was revisited by the pair that may turn out to be a nest site. In the past I've noticed places where the Peregrines would disappear to thinking I'd found where they were nesting but juveniles (a key sign to a successful nesting) were never seen.

A favorite perching spot over the years has unfortunately been inadvertantly roped off by management of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Management is aware of the Peregrine's preference for these niches. Luckily the falcons are not at a loss for places to perch.

Pleiades Occultation: Celaeno Graze 1-Apr

During the recent passage of the Moon through the Pleiades a remarkable event was visible within the borders of N.Y.C. — something I hadn't seen before.

A group of us, Charlie, Kin, Peter & myself, headed down to a spot near the Staten Island Ferry terminal, on the Staten Island side, to attempt a grazing occultation of the star Celaeno (16 Tauri).

At magnitude 5.45 this Pleiad is not usually bright enough to be seen naked eye from within the city. With optics this star is rather bright.

Charlie Ridgway found a place for us to observe along a favorable portion of the graze path on Staten Island. All it took was a subway, a ferry trip and a short walk to the ‘Staten Island September 11 Memorial’.

Unfortunately partly cloudy skies ruled the night. We we able to observe a few of the occulations between cloud breaks but the main event was the graze of Celaeno around 7:15pm EST.

The wind was rather strong with gusts recorded at 33 mph in Central Park with sustained winds close to 15 mph. [weather history]

Software and the Celaeno Graze

There is an excellent piece of software for predicting lunar occultations including the viewing of these spectacular grazes. The name of the program is ‘Occult for Windows’.

The image below shows the contour of the Moon's limb at the time of the Celaeno graze for Staten Island. The time frame shown is roughly 6 minutes along the horizontal line starting on the right at 3m and continuing to the left at -3m.

Charlie found a place that was approximately 0.75 miles off the center-line shown by the yellow line on the chart. Looking along this line there are two gaps between the time of immersion and emergence. These represent two reappearances of Celaeno.

It's remarkable how well amateurs have coordinated the observation of grazes in order to produce these accurate profiles of the Moon's limb. It's impressive how accurate the software can place an observer along a path for viewing a grazing occultation.

For this graze, at our location, the distance between an occultation of Celaeno by a single mountain peak (at the northern limit) and a total occultation (at the southern limit) is nearly 0.65 miles or 3,400 feet. An even narrower path for the double reappearance we witnessed (excluding final emergence) is only two tenths of a mile wide!

Equipment Purchases

I made a few recent purchases to test my skills at taking photos through the Televue-76. Recording a video of the event was a missed opportunity. It will take a lot of practice getting it right. I'm looking forward to nights where the Moon is up with a few stars nearby to test exposures for still photos and short movies.

Here are some recent purchases:

• William Optic DCL-52 75mm focal length eyepiece
• 2 Televue extension tubes - one 2" and one 3"
• adapter ring to step down from the 55mm thread

Here are some pending purchases:

• shutter release for the FZ-30
• extra battery
• extra 2 gigabyte memory card

Conclusion

It was great that all four of us were able to witness this graze of Celaeno. The anticipation of not knowing when it would start or how many events would happen increased the excitement.

If there is ever an opportunity for you to view a grazing occultation of a bright star I highly recommend the experience.

Digital Camera in Bryant Park

On the 14th of March I was practicing with my digital camera (Lumix FZ-30 w/12x optical zoom) in Bryant Park near the N.Y. Public Library. The park's center lawn is being resodded. An annual event.

While looking for birds to photograph, mainly sparrows and pigeons, I spotted an odd shape walking along the south side of the 'lawn'. After a minute the bird showed itself. Surprise. This was the first time I've seen this bird in Bryant Park.

Below is a photo of the Bryant Park 'lawn' followed by two images of the American Woodcock seen there.

Click on photos for an 800 pixel wide image.

Details for Bryant Park photo:
F/2.8 @ 1/1000 second (focal length 35mm)

Details for American Woodcock photo (above):
F/3.7 @ 1/40 second (focal length 420mm)

Details for American Woodcock photo (above):
F/3.7 @ 1/30 second (focal length 420mm)

Test Table

STARS VISIBLE IN M45 (THE PLEIADES)
Alcyone (η Tau)	2.85	Star Name	x.x
Alcyone (η Tau)	2.85	Star Name	x.x

Naked Eye: Crescent Venus Redux

Date: 10-Jan-2006 @ 12:50p EST

---

Magnitude/Size: —4.1/63"
Alt./Az.: 32.5° / 188.0°
Elongation: 7.0° East
Illumination/Phase: 0.7% / 170.4°

Click image to access U.S. Naval Observatory's ‘Apparent Disk of Solar System Object’. The image was created using the USNO site for the time of the attempt. Click the following for a full list of ‘Data Services’ from the USNO.

Conditions for viewing Venus in full daylight, naked eye or with binoculars, were less than ideal. Haze & thin clouds were the culprits.

I arrived at Bryant Park at 12:35p trying to spot Venus with binoculars first and was making very little headway. Glare from sunlight illuminating the haze was the main problem.

After around 10 minutes I moved to a spot where I could determine the azimuth of the Sun. At the position where the Sun was spotted Venus would arrive at that point around 14 minutes later and approximately 6 degrees higher.

After a few minutes the Sun would be safely hidden behind a building reducing the glare somewhat. It took around 5 minutes to pick up Venus' thin crescent shining weakly through haze and thin clouds.

Looking at the image above produced at the U.S.N.O. site I can see why a typically bright Venus seemed somewhat subdued.

I wonder what the effective surface brightness of this crescent was compared to the surface brightness of Venus near opposition where it was a relatively easy object less that 4° from the Sun in a pair of 10×70's?

Relocating Venus with the 8.5×42 binoculars after taking some notes wasn't easy. A minute or two was spent glassing the area before recovering it again. Last time I spotted Venus was around 12:55p.

Viewing the planet naked eye did not happen.

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Manhattan North: Naked Eye View

Thirty-nine Stars

Overcast conditions with rain has predominated lately so it was good to see clear skies on Wednesday morning.

On cold northerly winds, around 1 o'clock in the morning, the clouds cleared and I spent some time looking towards the north to see how dim a star I could glimpse.

The image above is approximately 60° x 80°.

The ‘bright’ star between the Guardians of the Pole and the handle of the Big Dipper is Thuban (α Draconis). The star a bit above it was the dimmest star seen. This star (10 Draconis) is magnitude 4.6.

Alcor, a companion to Mizar in the bend of the Big Dipper's handle, was picked up but is too close to the brighter star to make out.