Monday, July 31, 2006

Murray Hill has been particularly still these past few days, as the heat blisters the sidewalks and sensible creatures stay close to the nest.
I saw a dead pigeon on the sidewalk a few blocks away. No injuries were apparent. I wonder if the heat caused his demise?
The Mourning Doves still steal my attention, and I feel bad for them in this heat, punctuated by the occasional fierce storm. The next couple of days promise 100 degree plus temperatures, with high humidity. I doubt I'll be in the field.
I visited Point Pleasant, NJ for a day on the beach on Saturday. I recognized Laughing Gulls, the other gulls I didn't ID; I don't know gulls very well, so that's no surprise.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Quiet. The Mourning Doves still tend their nest. Rock doves, house sparrows...

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Nothing new to report about the Mourning Doves. I look at them, and I fancy they look at me, but that might be nothing more than fancy.
I was pleased and surprised to hear an unfamiliar song from the rear of the apartment building. There is a spacious area behind with trees, abutting the terraces of the buildings on the next street.
The song turned out to be that of a house finch, or finches, as a group of them, adult immature, male and female were all present. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but I had never seen them beforein my Manhattan neighborhood. They were joined by house sparrows and later a cardinal. A good start to the birdday.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

A MoDo Nests in Murray Hill

It's hotter than Hades in Manhattan today and I'm grateful for the AC. Yards away on a grimy and battered fire escape five stories up, a mourning dove, faithful to her nest, incubates her eggs. The nest, typically, is a skimpy contrivance, barely there. A broken board leans at an angle above the nest, sheltering it from the fierce, intermittent rains we've had over the past week. The incubation is shared by Dada MoDo, and I hope Mama has a green and shady spot for a respite. (The digital cam can't do this justice, so photos must wait for actual film development.)
The neighborhood otherwise yields the usual winged creatures:
House sparrows
Rock doves
Starlings