Bird Joy \'berd-joi\ n

1: happiness and delight stirred by the sights and
sounds of birds  2: a web site that shares the love
of birds and nature in New York City and beyond

Photo by Ron Austing 

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Red-tailed Hawks Side-by-Side
November 7, 2004

What a glorious, autumn morning our birding group shared. Yellow Tulip trees to burgundy Staghorn Sumacs colored the early hours. Usually, I like to start my walks with a short introduction, but nature intervened. As I gathered binoculars for possible newcomers, two of my regular participants, Mark Shahon and John LePore, spotted two Red-tailed Hawks. Not only were they close, but one flew into the Binnenwater to take a bath. The sight blew the guys away. They were ecstatic.

"It looked like a sparrow the way it was swooshing its wings and dunking its head," John exclaimed. "I've never seen a raptor bathe."

"Yeah, it was incredible," Mark said. "It's a shame you missed it."

…Ah, a birders lament.

So, instead of starting with my introduction, 14 excited birders hot-footed it to the Binnenwater Bridge. There wasn't a bathing hawk, but we did see two, adult Red-tailed Hawks. Perched side-by-side and in full glorious view, we relished the details. Nothing eluded us, not the yellow legs, the difference in belly striping, nor the particularly light-colored feathers around one bird's beak that resembled a Fu Manchu mustache. While the following isn't a picture of either bird, it's a fabulous photograph that shows the "headlight" chest of red-tails that I mentioned during our bird walk. Don't forget that the red color (of adults only) doesn't show on the undertail but on the top.

Red-tailed Hawk by Ann Cook

What a way to start a bird walk. Naturally, we expected the birds to continue in this spectacular vein, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Yep, the numbers were low. Other regular Prospect Park birders we met agreed. That didn't stop us from having a great time. Besides some satisfying bird sightings, there were so many fall trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that exhilarated us. For a number of newcomers, the beauty of the park and its animals far exceeded their expectations. Their delight reminded us "regulars" what a gift it is to have Prospect Park.

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Notable Species in Prospect Park
Brooklyn, New York
November 7, 2004

As always, notable is used loosely. Many of us agree that it's often the most common species that treat us to the best birding moments.

~ Canada Goose -- It's always a lovely moment to watch and listen to a flock of geese coming in for a landing. Notice how they greet one another and chatter before they settle down.
~ Mallard, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal & Ruddy Duck -- Ruddies are diving ducks. They submerge in one spot, then reemerge in another.
~ Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawk
~ Herring, Great Black-backed & Ring-billed Gull -- Remember the ring-bills' bright white plumage and wheeling acrobatics over the lake?
~ Downy Woodpecker & Northern Flicker
~ Blue Jay & American Crow
~ Tufted Titmice
~ Black-capped Chickadee
~ Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglet
~ American Robin, Wood Thrush & Hermit Thrush
~ Cedar Waxwing
~ Northern Cardinal
~ Chipping, White-throated & Song Sparrow plus Dark-eyed Junco
~ Common Crackle
~ American Goldfinch

"I rejoice that there are owls."
Henry Thoreau

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Copyright © Arleen O'Brien, All Rights Reserved, 2004

This is a personal web page. However, if you have questions about Prospect Park and the Audubon Center, please click: http://www/prospectpark.org. Or, you may contact me at 718-287-3400 ext. 109. Enjoy the birds! Arleen O'Brien, Education Curator & Senior Naturalist.

I take great care to acknowledge photographers, authors, etc. in this web site. If you notice an error, please feel free to contact me so that I may properly give credit. To do so, click my name.