Hawky New Year!

Central Park has provided food and temporary housing for at least three visiting first-year red-tailed hawks and one visiting adult hawk, plus our regular residents. Since January 1, I've seen at least one hawk on each of my trips into the park, and sometimes I've seen as many as five. A few times the hawks have come to ground and provided a lot of entertainment.

First-year red-tailed hawk, south of Bethesda Fountain, Jan. 1, 2017

I've begun a new series in the Chasing the Hawks in Central Park grouping, called Hawky New Year! Part 1 covers Jan. 1 through Jan. 10, 2017.

The next in the series will be posted soon, covering Jan. 11-Jan. 12. Then we'll see how many more there will be in January.

The photos below are from Jan. 1-Jan. 10. Most of the hawks are first-year red-tails, but you'll see a photo of a young adult hawk here. This hawk seemed to like chasing the younger hawks out whenever the opportunity arose. I haven't seen this hawk for a while, so maybe some of the resident adults have chased him out.

The squirrel in the last photo was not amused by all the young hawks, and cried and cried from his home in the tree in the Ramble.

Christmas 2016, for the Record

Your Chronicler had a very difficult time celebrating Christmas 2016, but she trudged through the holidays and produced daily Christmas in New York videos on Facebook, combined them into seven Christmas in New York 2016 videos on YouTube (you can see them on the Gallery page here), put up Hillary, the Hovel Tree, and added additional Sagas to the PM Saga Archive.

Hillary, the Hovel Tree, Christmas 2016

Christmas in New York 2016

I posted daily videos on Facebook showing Christmas in New York, then combined them for seven videos on YouTube. I've put them all in a page on this site, so you can binge watch if you want. Below you will see the final posting, my video ode to Hillary, the Hovel Tree. I used a recording of Silent Night I made several years ago with Woody Regan in this, so be prepared!

Here are some of the photos from the Hovel at Christmas. First you see the editorial assistant who came home with Hillary from the lot on 79th Street and Broadway. You then see Hillary with her lights of many colors, with ornaments, and fully bedecked with ornaments, bead garlands and tinsel. Some new ornaments are included, and some older ones, plus the house shoes that Santa brought the Chronicler (she also got a new shower curtain — your Chronicler believes in warmth and cleanliness!).

The Christmas 2016 page has photos from all seven videos, including the Central Park video, which, as always, was near and dear to your Chronicler.

Sagas Added to the Archives

Four more Sagas were added to the PM Sagas Archives. Most Sagas have now been posted, and the rest will appear soon. I have tried to gain perspective and inspiration during these trying times by reading about the exploits of Purple Monster again. She really fights for Christmas and the Christmas Spirit!

The Good SEGWACian, The PM Saga, Book VIII

The Christmas crew receives help from an unexpected source, and PM gobbles chocolate and champagne in preparation for a Christmas Day mating ritual.

Summit At the North Pole, The PM Saga, Book XI

Viper Carrion and St. Nick confer at the North Pole, and the SEGWACian despot is presented with a magical silver ornament. (A factoid: the cover glows in the dark.)

The Sublime State of Christmasness, The PM Saga, Book XIV

During teletransportation, PM evaporates into a higher level of Christmas consciousness.

The Magic Garden of the Christmas Star, The PM Saga, Book XV

The North Pole is bankrupt, and only the Christmas Star and magic flowers can save Santa's ride. Crystal Camellia is born to Relicta and Dove.

Let It Snow!

Many who have discovered over the years that old age, ice and fractures tend to be correlated might look out the window on a snowy day and decide to stay in to prevent injury. Then there are those, like me, who look out the window, pull on the snow boots, grab a walker and a camera, and trudge outside to record the white stuff. My logic? One can either use a verticality-assistance device and look like an old lady or be an old lady and stay home.

This young red-tailed hawk was probably seeing his first heavy snowfall, Jan. 7, 2017

So when the snow was falling on Saturday, Jan. 7, I first pulled beautiful Hillary, the Christmas tree, out on the sidewalk, then took off with walker and gloves for Central Park. The result? A new video, Snow Day!

You won't see footage of the chickadees, sparrows, tufted titmice and nuthatches I was feeding in the Ramble. Whenever I'd try to lift my camera up, a bird would perch on the lens as if to say, "What the heck are you doing? That hand should be filled with seeds!" So I went with the feed-the-birds alternative to chickadee photography.

Below are some of the photos from the afternoon in Central Park. Heading home in the snow, the New York skyline was beautiful in the haze. There are no photos of Woody and the green-winged teal, but you will see them in the video!