Park Ave. Peregrine Falcons: 30 March 2007

320 Park Ave. (7:05pm EDT) 345mm | ISO: 200 | Shutter: 1/25s | Aperture: f/3.6

After spending a few evenings watching this pair of Peregrines some patterns are emerging:

• They prefer certain perches over others. Four buildings have been used for this purpose and 2 are used more often than the others. The preferred buildings are 299 Park Ave. (‘UBS Building’) & 320 Park Ave. (‘Mutual of America Building’)
• The pair have engaged in some tandem flights. One will head out and the other will leave its perch and lead or follow the 1st. It's not possible from my vantage point to see the results of this behavior.

During lunch I spotted a Peregrine Falcon going to perch on 320 Park Ave. at 12:50pm . At 12:57pm it left towards the SE over 51st St. I departed at 1:00pm.

Also seen were 3 Turkey Vultures heading NW over Lexington Ave. at 12:50pm.

After work I stopped by the site again. I arrived at 5:28pm & left at 7:20pm.

After scanning the tops of the buildings I picked up the 1st Peregrine which was already on 320 Park Ave. on a favorite perch pictured in the March 28th entry. This perch is on the south side of the roof. The building is on the west side of the avenue.

Shortly after at 5:32pm I spotted an already perched falcon on the southeast corner of 350 Park Ave. (‘Park Ave. Bank Building’). By 5:30pm it set off to the east then headed back towards 320 Park Ave. and then it was gone. Later on at 5:47pm this Peregrine was seen heading north over Madison Ave. I didn't seen where it was originally perched.

At 6:36pm the 320 Park Ave. bird went through every conceivable type of stretching possible — wing & leg, tail spread plus a lifting of both wings which has been referred to as the ‘De Lorean’. This phrase was coined by D. Bruce Yolton while watching owls preparing to fly out. The camera wasn't out to capture any of these poses.

At 6:48pm, more than 80 minutes on the same perch, the 320 Park Ave. falcon lifted off and traced a few counterclockwise circles. It then headed towards a building's east face into one of the openings near the roof — 4 openings from the north edge.

Within a minute the other Peregrine arrived from the south to enter the same face on the same building — 3 openings from the south edge.

At 6:50pm a falcon exited the building and headed to a new perch on 320 Park Ave pictured in the photo above.

At 7:11pm the female Peregrine (the size difference is obvious when they're seen together) left the building heading north along Park Ave. The 320 Park Ave. falcon then left its perch leading the female. They both headed north. When they passed the Four Seasons Hotel (around 58th St.) they veered west over Central Park.

I left shortly after at 7:20pm.

Question: Does anyone know of a place where the public can visit in a building surrounding the territory where these Peregrines have set up their territory? Thanks in advance.

Park Ave. Peregrine Falcons: 29 March 2007

299 Park Ave. (5:32pm EDT) 35mm film equiv.: 420mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/200s | Aperture: f/5.6

The evening session was cut short due to headache. It was enough to make it a worthwhile.

I stayed for an hour arriving at 5:13pm.

At 5:31pm, 18 minutes after arriving, a Peregrine was spotted moving south along Park Ave. to perch on the northwest corner of 299 Park Ave. (‘UBS Building’).

While the 299 Park Ave. falcon was scanning the territory another Peregrine was seen flying north from a building's opening at 6:09pm. It headed for a favorite perch on 320 Park Ave. (‘Mutual of America Building’) on its south facing side.

While photographing the 320 Park Ave. falcon I spotted the 299 Park Ave. Peregrine heading north behind the 320 Park Ave. building. Even though I was looking west along 52nd St. I didn't see it flying north of 52nd St.

Shortly after the previously seen north bound falcon was heading south towards the opening of a building's east face. This opening is 5 from the south side.

I left the site with a falcon still perched on 320 Park Ave. at 6:15pm.

Park Ave. Peregrine Falcons : 28 March 2007

320 Park Ave. (7:07pm EDT) 35mm film equiv.: 405mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/30 | Aperture: f/3.7

Activity was seen from 7:02pm-7:21pm.

I arrived at 7:00pm and spotted a Peregrine Falcon exiting an opening from a building's south face. It then headed west, then north, then perched on the south side of 320 Park Ave. (‘Mutual of America Building’). The photo on the right was taken at this time.

At 7:19pm a 2nd falcon was seen heading north just west of Park Ave. It continued north & disappeared from view between the ‘Sony Building’ (the ex-ITT Building) and the Four Seasons Hotel off Central Park South.

At 7:21p the 320 Park Ave. Peregrine left its perch & circled a few times over Park Ave. It then headed west disappearing south behind the ‘Mutual of America Building’.

I left the site at 7:30pm. So far I've been able to view activity over Park Ave. on each day I've visited the site. This is a better hit rate versus viewing Peregrines from the south end of Central Park.

Park Ave. Peregrine Falcons : 27 March

299 Park Ave. (6:29pm EDT) 420mm | ISO: 100 | Shutter: 1/500s | Aperture: f/3.7	320 Park Ave. (6:45pm EDT) 420mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/80s | Aperture: f/4.5	350 Park Ave. (6:32pm EDT) 317mm | ISO: 80 | Shutter: 1/80s | Aperture: f/4.0

The center and right images were taken when both Peregrines were visible. They wee perched a city block from each other.

There was a lot of activity tonight. Both the male & female were visible simultaneously on several occasions.

I arrived at 6:00pm. At 6:13pm a single falcon was heading uptown along Park Ave. It veered to the east as it approached 57th St. My observing location was at 52nd & 51st St. on the east side of the avenue.

A lot happened between 6:30-6:34pm.

First a falcon was seen coming in from the north heading down Park Ave. to a perch on 299 Park Ave. (the ‘UBS Building’) between 48th & 49th St. The perch was the same corner (north-west) used on the 22nd of March.

From the south another Peregrine was seen heading for a perch on 320 Park Ave. (the ‘Mutual of America Building’) facing south. This is between 50th & 51st St.

Soon after landing this falcon headed for an opening at the top of a building along the west side of Park Ave. Seconds later the falcon on 299 Park Ave. followed it to the same opening.

After the second falcon landed a Peregrine left the site with prey in its talons to a perch on 350 Park Ave. (the ‘Park Ave. Bank Building’) between 51st & 52nd St.

By 6:43pm I noticed a Peregrine perched just south of this falcon on 320 Park Ave. This is the falcon in the center photo above. The falcon that carried the prey to 350 Park Ave. is in the rightmost image.

At 6:50pm the 350 Park Ave. falcon headed south along Park Ave. followed by the 320 Park Ave. bird. Both veered west along 48th St.

The last sighting at 7:25pm was of a Peregrine heading north along Park Ave. pursuing a Mourning Dove. The falcon didn't appear to be flying hard to keep up with the dove. Both disappeared from view behind the ‘Park Ave. Atrium’ (between 52nd & 53rd St.) briefly.

Seconds later the Peregrine appeared again swooping on a bird..

The sky was clear and the temperature was between 74°-71°F.

Park Ave. Peregrines & CZA: 25 March

Peregrine Falcon
WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL (PARK AVENUE)
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a larger view)

Peregrine Falcon
MUTUAL OF AMERICA BUILDING (320 PARK AVE.)
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a larger view)

Recently I spotted some activity over Park Ave. that suggests there may be some nesting in the area north of the Met Life Building.

On March 21st I watched a Peregrine Falcon circling over Park Ave. while I was heading back to work. I followed it to a perch just below the roof of a building. A few openings away from this Peregrine was a second falcon perched on the same level just below the fencing.

Over the next few minutes the Peregrines were seen perched side-by-side with one of them entering the opening and then leaving the site with something in its talons. The whole time spent observing was no more than 20 minutes.

Tonight I stopped by the site to see if there was any activity that could lead to a definitive nest location. Five minutes after settling in I spotted both falcons heading north. The male was in the lead followed by the female. This occurred around 5:10p.

Watching Peregrine Falcons is mainly a waiting game. When I was at the site the day after first spotting the pair it took 4 outings before I saw any activity.

Tonight, after the 5:10p sighting, I waited for 40 minutes before a Peregrine returned to the area. It circled and perched on 320 Park Ave. (the ‘Mutual of America’ building) between 51st and 52nd St. After 5 minutes it flew east to the west tower of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel which is a huge building.

It remained on this perch for 35 minutes. When it left at 6:33p it took the same path as the pair did when I saw them heading north at 5:10p.

I left the area at 6:45p.

The photos were taken with a 420mm (35mm equivalent) lens, hand held with image stabilization. A larger lens mounted on tripod should pull in some nice photos.

Circumzenithal Arc — 5:15p EDT
MANHATTAN OVER PARK AVE.
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a larger view)

The image above is a circumzenithal arc (CZA) I took this evening. The image was shot at 5:15p. The internal clock on the camera was not adjusted for Daylight Saving Time in case you can see the EXIF information.

The altitude of the Sun at the time of the photo was a bit over 21°. The greatest brilliancy for a CZA is when the altitude of the Sun is 22° which was 5 minutes earlier. CZAs cannot form when the altitude of the Sun is 32° or higher. I wish I took down the time when the CZA disappeared but my focus was on the falcons. An hour before the photo was taken was when the Sun was 32° above the horizon.

Some references for circumzenithal arcs:

• Wikipedia
• Atmospheric Optics
• Meteoros

Document: History of 5th Ave. Red-tailed Hawks

Attached is the document ‘History of the Fifth Avenue Red-tailed Hawks as of 4/21/06’ produced by Jim Lewis and supplied to me by Marie Winn. I've uploaded the document to my site in order to make it available to the public.

Enjoy!

Bald Eagle on Reservoir 24-Feb-2007

Bald Eagle - juvenile
CENTRAL PARK — RESERVOIR
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a wider view)

DATE: Saturday, 24 February 2007 (7:50a-2:20p)
LOCATION: Central Park - reservoir to south end of park
OBSERVERS: Omar Morales, Ben Cacace
REPORTED BY: Ben Cacace

Even though the reservoir was almost completely frozen over we decided to take a trip around the running track. The only open water on the reservoir continues around the 'fountain' in the SW quadrant. In this opening were ~50 Canada Geese, 6 American Coots & several Ring-billed Gulls. It's unfortunate I didn't make a count of the gulls.

As we made our way along the east side of the reservoir heading north I noticed all the gulls just lifted off the reservoir. I always look for raptors in the sky when this happens and this time we were rewarded with a juvenile Bald Eagle carrying one of the Ring-billed Gulls. The eagle started climbing a bit but then started settling into descending loops and finally landed out in the middle of the reservoir on the ice.

It was almost immediately joined by 3 crows waiting on scraps.

The eagle was not spotted arriving but was seen shortly after the gulls lifted and it already had the Ring-billed in its talons.

Also seen were 6 Red-tailed Hawks. Both sets of adults from the 5th Ave. nest and the Trump Parc nest. A hawk was seen north of the reservoir and on my way to the south end there was a juvenile RT feasting on a pigeon just east of the Falconer's statue.

The male Northern Pintail continues on The Pond at the south end of the park.

Photos of the Bald Eagle can be found on my blog at:

** Total species - 33 **

'Infrequent' migrants [1 spp]:
+ Northern Pintail - 1 male on The Pond at S end of park

'Less Common' migrants [3 spp]:
+ Bald Eagle - 1 juvenile (probable 1st year) on the reservoir's ice feeding on a Ring-billed Gull
+ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 heard near Chess & Checkers House
+ Fox Sparrow - 1 just N of Swedish Cottage W of Shakespeare Garden

'Common' migrants [13 spp]:
- American Black Duck - At least 6 incl. 4 on the lake plus 2 on The Pond
- Northern Shoveler - At least 12 on the lake
- Ruddy Duck - At least 3 on the lake (2f/1m)
- American Coot - 6 continue on the reservoir
- Northern Flicker - 2 incl. 1 female near Locust plus 1 male on Sheep Meadow
- White-breasted Nuthatch - At least 6 throughout the park
- American Robin - 2 in The Oven (Ramble)
- Eastern Towhee - 1 male around Strawberry Fields
- Song Sparrow - 1 on N edge of Turtle Pond
- White-throated Sparrow - Several dozen throughout the park (~100)
- Red-winged Blackbird - 2 adult males around Evodia Field feeders
- Common Grackle - At least 2 dozen (~24)
- American Goldfinch - At least 4 around Evodia Field feeders

Year round residents [16 spp]:
- Canada Goose - Approximately 50 in open water near the reservoir's fountain
- Mute Swan - 4: 2 on the lake plus 2 on The Pond
- Mallard - Approximately 100 on the lake plus 100 on The Pond
- Red-tailed Hawk - 6: 1 N of reservoir, 2 adults: 5th Ave nest, juv feeding near Falconer's statue, adults: S end nest
- Ring-billed Gull - Several dozen on the lake including several on the reservoir before the Bald Eagle arrived (~48)
- Rock Pigeon - Several dozen (~80)
- Mourning Dove - Several throughout the park (~6)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker - Several seen and heard (~4)
- Downy Woodpecker - Several seen and heard (~5)
- Blue Jay - Several throughout the park (~12)
- American Crow - 3 on the reservoir interacting with Bald Eagle while waiting for scraps
- Tufted Titmouse - At least a dozen throughout the park (~12)
- European Starling - At least 12 throughout the park
- Northern Cardinal - At least 4 in The Ramble
- House Finch - At least 2 dozen around Evodia Field feeders (~24)
- House Sparrow - At least 3 dozen (~36)

Central Park Reservoir: 16-Feb-2007

AMERICAN COOT
CENTRAL PARK — RESERVOIR
Images by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a larger view)

Last night I made my first trip to the reservoir after work seeing that sunset is starting to fit in with quitting time.

I arrived at 5:26pm, roughly 5 minutes before sunset. I left the reservoir a few minutes before 6pm. I didn't know what shape the reservoir would be in but I wasn't too surprised that the ice coverage is close to 100%.

The only sizeable open water exists just south and east of the ‘fountain’ near the reservoir's south edge. The waterfowl in this small open area has been filtered down to American Coots. These were the only ducks on the reservoir.

‘Birds of North America’ on-line says this about their flight:

“An extended period of Splattering along water’s surface required to become airborne …”

I wonder if this is the reason only coots remain on the reservoir.

Before leaving the reservoir a single White-throated Sparrow landed in a leafless bush. It called for a time while it was looking for a place to rest. It finally perched on the downwind side of a branch and appeared to be settled in for the night.

Before exiting the park at 81st St. & Central Park West a Red-tailed Hawk was seen roosting on the window frame of the Beresford Building's south-east tower. With westerly winds this appeared to be a very comfortable east facing perch.

Avian Media Watch #1

Some avian related items in the media to look out for:

PBS: Nature — ‘Raptor Force’
Sun., 18 Feb 2007 at 8pm & 11pm (Thirteen, WNET - New York )

“Raptors such as the peregrine falcon, golden eagle and red-tailed hawk are spotlighted. Included: a miniature camera captures the world as birds see it; and chronicles a golden eagle's pursuit of a jackrabbit. Also: raptors' influence on airplane design.”

• You Tube &mdash 3 videos [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
• ‘Raptor Force’ website
• Thirteen online pressroom &mdash press release

Outdoor Photographer — March 2007 issue
Article ‘The Birds of Central Park’ by Cal Vornberger

• Cal Vornberger's home page, blog & photo gallery
• Outdoor Photographer website

Bird Watcher's Digest — Mar/Apr 2007 issue
Article ‘Birds, Blogs, and You’ by Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds

• Post by Mike on 10,000 Birds
• Examples of the best birding blogs by Mike Bergin on BWD
• Bird Watcher's Digest website

‘The Hawk is Dying‘ &mdash starring Paul Giamatti
According to the Altoona Mirror this movie will be released in the U.S. in May/2007

• Article on AltoonaMirror.com showing release dates
• Recent post on this blog

Poem

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c l i c k
  s  

Film Featuring a Red-tailed Hawk (2006)

Paul Giamatti ‘The Hawk is Dying’ (click pic for reviews)

I just came across this film starring Paul Giamatti (‘Sideways’, ‘Planet of the Apes’, ‘Private Parts’ …) released in 2006 called The Hawk is Dying.

Here's the plot outline from IMDb: “A Gainesville Florida auto upholsterer (Giamatti) attempts to subvert his mundane life by training a wild, red-tailed hawk.”

This is from the IMDb biography of Paul Giamatti — “During the shooting of the upcoming The Hawk Is Dying (2006), which is mainly about his character and a Red-Tailed Hawk, he became a raptor-enthusiast.”

An interview at the A.V. Club features some questions on the movie. Towards the end of page 2 and the beginning of 3 are comments from Paul on the film. Here's one quote from the A.V. Club interview:

PG: I like that movie a lot. If anyone tells me they've seen it, I'm curious as to what they thought about it. People seemed to have a hard time with it at Sundance, so I was curious as to why. It's not that strange of a movie. It didn't feel like it was.

The Wikipedia article on the movie mentions that “The Hawk Is Dying is based on the book by Harry Crews.“

Here are some reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.

Central Park: Pied-billed Grebe 3-Feb-2007

Pied-billed Grebe — adult plumage
CENTRAL PARK — RESERVOIR
Image by BEN CACACE
(Click image for a larger view)

This Pied-billed Grebe is possibly the same bird that appeared on the reservoir for the 2006/2007 ‘winter season’ the day I was out birding with Omar Morales on 30-Sep-2007. It arrived in juvenile plumage and has recently begun to acquire its adult plumage as noted by Jack Meyer in a recent post to eBirds NYC.

Here's a link to a photo by Cal Vornberger taken of the juvenile on the reservoir on 11-Dec-2006.

Scroll down a bit at the following link to see a photo from 9-Dec-2007 taken by Bruce Yolton.

Central Park Reservoir: Brant 28-Jan-2007

Flock of Brant (Branta bernicla)
CENTRAL PARK — RESERVOIR
Images by BEN CACACE
(Click images for a larger view)

A flock of 22 Brant landed on the reservoir around 8:30a on Sunday 28-Jan-2007. The flock left by 8:50a.

Scaup Identification Question

Scaup species — female
Central Park — Reservoir
Images by BEN CACACE

This scaup was on the reservoir this morning (Sun, 28 Jan 2007) briefly from at least 9:30a when I saw it after circling the reservoir. I left the area around 9:45a. The bird was not seen again by other birders I mentioned the sighting to.

Are there enough details in the two photos to ID this as Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)? The images are cropped from the original without any additional compression other than the normal JPEG compression.

Thanks in advance and feel free to comment here or via email. See contact information in left sidebar.

Blog Carnival &mdash I and the Bird #41

The lastest issue of ‘I and the Bird’ — edition #41 — has just been released from ‘down under’ hosted by Snail from A Snail's Eye View.

This is a blog carnival for birds & birding. Below is a blogging definition from Wiktionary:

Blog Carnival: A blog article that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Most blog carnivals are hosted by a rotating list of frequent contributors to the carnival, and serve to both generate new posts by contributors and highlight new bloggers posting matter in that subject area.

Adirondack Birding Using Google Map API

A new site has been added to the left sidebar under ‘Birding Sites’. After searching for maps similar to the one I developed yesterday I came across a very nice implementation of a birding related Google Map API.

The site is called Birding in the Adirondacks from visitadironacks.com. To view the map click ‘Search by Map’ at the birding site.

The map is draggable and zoomable. There's an additional feature to search for birds using drop down lists. The bird chosen will filter the markers to those featuring the bird in question.

Clicking on any of the map markers will display the name of the location with an option to link to additional site details with driving directions.

Enjoy!

Google Maps API Test

The map above makes use of the Google Map Javascript API.

The marker descriptions relate to a recent outing to Staten Island's Great Kills Park on Saturday, January 20th. The experience was completely unexpected. I didn't realize there was a place like this so accessible from Manhattan. Needless to say it was good day!

Here's a link to the original report submitted to eBirds NYC. Public transportation was used to get to the site. We took the Staten Island Ferry to the S78 bus from ramp ‘D’.

• The zoom feature (+/-) works and the map is draggable.
• The choice between street ‘map’, ‘satellite’ view & ‘hybrid’ of satellite with street overlay is active.
• Click on markers for descriptions. To clear the box click on the map or click on another marker.
• Double click on map to center location.

Blog Carnival on Birds & Birding

Click the banner to read the latest 'I and the Bird' — edition #40. This is a blog carnival for birds & birding. Here's a definition from Wiktionary:

Blog Carnival: A blog article that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Most blog carnivals are hosted by a rotating list of frequent contributors to the carnival, and serve to both generate new posts by contributors and highlight new bloggers posting matter in that subject area.

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.