Avian Red Wake-up
High in the tree branches in Riverside Park, a small, brilliant flash of red startled me. It soon revealed itself to be the head of a black-and-white woodpecker. The little fellow was very active,...
View ArticleWoodpeckers in New York: Beautiful Redheads
Woodpeckers are such stylish animals. And, yes, clearly it was a red cap and nape that I saw on New Year’s Eve Day, not just a red cap. Which means the bird was, without a doubt, a male Red-bellied...
View ArticleRed-tails in Winter
Red-tailed hawks seem to be everywhere I walk these January days. We tend to think of winter as a quiet, even a quiescent, time for the natural world. And so it is for many plants and animals. But for...
View ArticlePelicans and Bare Arms, January in Dallas
We’re in the middle of a deep freeze here in the Northeast. Yesterday, Long Island’s Mecox Bay was in the process of icing over. Meanwhile back in my former home of Dallas, Texas,people are hanging out...
View ArticleNYC Red-tails: Nesting on St John the Divine
Seen from the front, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine at 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue is a lovely, forever unfinished hulk of stone. But for now I’m more enamored of the Cathedral’s less...
View ArticleNYC’s Hawk-a-Day Club
I’m a charter member of NYC’s Hawk-a-Day Club. Anyone can join, and the entrance requirements are, well, not too tough. Basically, all you have to do is spend some time outside, preferably in or near a...
View ArticleSpring Celebration: Urban Birds Makin’ Whoopee
It’s spring, and the air is filled with romance. In honor of all the exciting animal activity going on in the city, here is a brief Urban Wildlife Valentine from Out Walking the Dog. Enjoy! This video...
View ArticleDabblers On the Hudson
A week or so ago, Esau and I walked along the Manhattan shore of the Hudson River between 100th Street and 116th Street. Flotsam and jetsam littered the rocks. I expect to see a mallard pair or two...
View ArticleHow To Build an Urban Hawk Nest
As I walked on Morningside Avenue this morning, a red-tailed hawk swooped in and landed high on the back of the Cathedral of St John the Divine. (Its tail is toward the viewer.) I missed the moments...
View ArticleDiving Duck Blues
As I walked along the river, I saw a disheveled, punky little fellow gliding north along the shoreline. A male red-breasted merganser. He glided, then dove, glided, then dove. Most of the time, I only...
View Article1 Rm Riv Vu, NYC Wildlife Edition
New York City’s wildlife sometimes hit the real estate jackpot. Yes, while many humans can no longer afford to live in Manhattan, the birds and raccoons are doing just fine. Many even enjoy sunset...
View ArticleDouglas Squirrel in Garden Bay, British Columbia
One of my favorite easily-observed creatures in British Columbia is the Douglas squirrel, sometimes called the chickaree. Much smaller than New York City’s hefty Eastern gray squirrels, the Douglas is...
View ArticleHappy May Day
Happy May! People, flowers, wildlife and pets are out in force. Fine weather to sit with your dogs. Or your birds. Here’s a closer look at one of six happy parakeets on their outing to the river. Fine...
View ArticleEagles and Hummingbirds of British Columbia
Bald eagles abounded on our recent trip up the British Columbia coast. This beautiful bird was sitting on a body of fresh water in an area that looks to me like a beaver dam. Another closer look. We...
View ArticleCrows and Sparrows from NYC to British Columbia
Many of the birds we saw on our trip to British Columbia have counterparts back east, whether the same species or a closely related species. A male White-throated sparrow surveys the area in Riverside...
View ArticleFledgling Red-tailed Hawks in NYC (video)
Oh my readers, I have so much to tell you, so much to show you. All through the spring, Esau the dog and I have been walking, looking and listening. I’ll try to catch you up on some of the curious,...
View ArticleMorningside Park: Sunbathing Turtles, Molting Mallards, Feral Cats
All the rain we’ve had recently means the animals in Morningside Park are living the lush life. And the sunshine brings out sunbathers. Turtles are everywhere, on the rocks and in the water. Today,...
View ArticleSummer Saturday in Morningside Park
Morningside Park is lush and full of animal and human activity these days. On Saturday, a small brigade of dedicated kids and volunteers cleaned the park and the pond. A turtle bobbed persistently for...
View ArticleEating and Keeping Cool in NYC Heat Wave, Fledgling Style
Baby birds hatch and fledge throughout the summer. Yesterday morning, an adult European starling (on the right) and its two fledglings fed from an unidentifiable pile of garbage. Both youngsters...
View ArticleMurmuration of Starlings in Kansas City
I just got home from almost a month in Kansas City, Missouri, where I was in rehearsal for my new play, Red Badge Variations, about five young soldiers in a remote outpost in Afghanistan. If you’d like...
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