So I was sitting in Yanticaw Brook Park with Aunt Pat and wondering why bird activity was so minimal. A hawk soared above, briefly, then was lost in the clouds, so one might conclude the area was not hospitable for potential prey. Then Bam! A short cry and a few moments later a Red-Tail swooped a few yards in front of our bench, a squirrel in his talons. He perched on a tree branch and had his lunch. I hope the squirrel died sooner rather than later.

1 & 2 Kinglets


3 4 5
Nashville Warbler ???




6 7 8 9
Orange Crowned Warbler



Murray Hill hopped with birds over the past week. The three guys above were all at St. Vartan's Park, the little enclosed garden on 1st Avenue. The other birds were in the area behind my building. I had no time to blog so I'll give them all a shout out now:
Nashville Warbler ( I think, double checking)
Yellow bellied sapsucker
Blue-headed vireo (which I had called "solitary vireo" in ebirds. Time to start using the newer Peterson's.
Red eyed-vireo
Common yellow throat (several)
White throated sparrow (a few)
Yellow-rump (2)
Northern Parula
Ruby crowned kinglets (a few)
Song Sparrow (several)
Blue jays (2)
House sparrows
Rock doves (of course)
Mourning doves
Double-crested Cormorant (East River)
Northern Juncos Slate variety (2)

I returned and got some shots of his head and bill. Consensus from ebirds advisers is that it is a Virginia Rail.



I walked by the vacant lot which is bounded by 35th and 36th St and between 1st Ave and the FDR. I saw this little bird, pictured above and below. This is the best I could do, as he is behind a chain link fence. I saw a long bill before he tucked his head in.