More New York park birds

All of these birds were pretty common park birds. They were all photographed in Central Park, except the kinglet and the junco which were photographed in Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village.


White-throated Sparrow, a very common bird in Central Park.



Red-tailed Hawk with prey. This is the equivelent of a Buzzard. It was eating it's prey about 20 feet above one of the busiest thoroughfares in Central Park. There were probably about 100 people just below it, either photographing it, walking past or jogging as I took the photo. Quite disinterested in the people, it just kept on eating. As you can see from the state of the prey, it would have been a very easy task for the hawk to fly with it's lunch to a more private location.


Ruby-crowned Kinglet, the US equivelant of the European Goldcrest. This was a lucky photograph, I didn't even know what the bird was when I took it, I was photographing juncos, saw a movement, snapped and realised that it was a kinglet, nicely framed in amongst the blossom!


Mourning Dove


Hermit Thrush. Here's another case in point of birds in New York being approachable. I've never seen Hermit Thrush anywhere before, but I'm told that they are quite shy and skulking birds. This bird was almost walking over my feet as I photographed something else, and when we moved down a few paces, it followed me. And it wasn't the only one, several Hermit Thrushes behaved in this was during our stay in the city. This bird was almost too close for decent photography, you can see my shadow creeping into the photo. I'd have preferred it if I could have stepped back a bit, but it just kept following me!



Dark-eyed Junco


Chipping Sparrow


Blue Jay

American Robin

American Robins are very common birds in New York parks, and at any one time there could be 20 in view in Central Park. They are about the size of a Blackbird. I'm not sure how easy they are to see when they turn up in the UK, but you could easily get within 5 feet of the birds in Central Park. Again, almost too close for photography. Most of the photos here were taken without the need to use the camera zoom.

Metallic Common Grackles

A few more photos from New York, this time all of Common Grackle. At first glance quite a dull black bird, but if the light hits them right, really quite spectacular. Photographed in Central Park and the World Trade Centre Memorial

Other Manhatten wildlife

There are lots of Red-necked terrapins in Central Park, which I assume are the same species which are frequently (and annoyingly) introduced into lakes in the UK. I'm not sure if they are native here, or just an introduction.


This is a Callery pear tree growing at the World Trade Centre memorial site. It's known as survivor tree, because it survived the wreckage of Ground Zero.


This is some type of violet, I don't know which.


There are lots of very tame Grey Squirrels in Central Park. This is a dark form.

Eccleston Mere

Sand Martin 4
Willow Warbler 1 singing
Chiffchaff 5 singing
Blackcap 1 singing
Mute Swan 1 ad
Linnet 80 in field at the end of the stream

Eccleston Mere

Sand Martin 6 (at last!)
Blackcap 3 singing
Chiffchaff 2 singing
Teal 4
Mute Swan 1 ad
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 2

Billinge Hill

Willow Warbler 1 singing in bushes on the left of the road, just a bit up from the horse paddocks.
Chiffchaff 1 singing

Eccleston Mere

Tufted Duck 6

Still no Sand Martins. My earliest ever Sand Martins at the mere were on 15th March 1993, the average date for the first arrival at the mere is 27th March, and this is the only the second year in the past 20 that I have failed to see a Sand Martin in March. No sign of any other migrants today either.

Crank

Wheatear 2 males in horse paddocks

Billinge Hill

Grey Partridge 2
Chiffchaff 2 singing


I don't know of many sites in St Helens where you can find Wood Anenome. I think that there are a few at Carr Mill Dam / Goyt valley, but even so, it was nice to see this small patch at the side of a stream running down from the hill.

Carr Mill Dam

Willow Tit 1
Great Crested Grebe 32
Chiffchaff 3 singing
Buzzard 1
Kingfisher 1




Marsh Marigold