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

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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.