nature

Seeing Red

On my walk through Central Park on March 13, I spotted a lot of red! At the feeders, there were house finches sporting red feathers. Near Swampy Pin Oak, I was feeding about 15 cardinals. Then near Maintenance Meadow we spotted what we believe to be a juvenile red-shouldered hawk (it could also be a juvenile Cooper's hawk, but then my headline wouldn't work). Near Rustic Shelter, a red-bellied woodpecker was pecking away. Then we stopped by the Hawk Bench to watch Octavia, a red-tailed hawk and Pale Male's mate, standing on the nest.

You want a yellow cardinal! Check out my yellow! And my red! I ates me cranberries!

You want a yellow cardinal! Check out my yellow! And my red! I ates me cranberries!

I still haven't done my northern cardinal Filming the Feathers video, but it will happen! I have so much video to process. Meanwhile, here are a couple of cardinals I saw on my Central Park jaunt.

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Cardinal 1500 3-13-2018 008P.jpg

The house finches at the feeders are really showing off their red feathers!

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House Finch 1500 3-13-2018 006P.jpg
Red-bellied woodpecker near Rustic Shelter in Central Park

Red-bellied woodpecker near Rustic Shelter in Central Park

We think this youngster is a red-shouldered hawk. The bird has been hanging around the Ramble for at least a week, probably longer. The kid behaves more like a red-shouldered hawk than a Cooper's hawk, hunting squirrels and rats more than birds. But I've checked field guides and searched photos, and I can't swear to the ID here.

On my way to visit Woody (who has red eyes, but it was too dark to photograph my buddy), I stopped by to see Octavia, Pale Male's mate. The beautiful female red-tailed hawk we hope will have more babies to chase later this year.

Octavia on the nest

Octavia on the nest

More Reasons to Care

Climate change, global warming, offshore drilling, plastics clogging our oceans, toxic dump sites, deadly fertilizers and pesticides and dangerous genetically modified seeds, fish dead zones from agricultural manure, mining in our parklands — there are so many threats to our environment and to the beautiful animals who share the Earth with us. I walk along the beaches and in the parks to photograph the birds and other critters. The threats to them are real, and the reason I get so angry at the idiots in our government who have taken over and are trying to destroy our planet. Much of this Web site is dedicated to videos and photos of feathered and furry friends. Here are some of the most recent reasons we should care.

All three of these animals were filmed on Staten Island. The residents I have met there are fighting fearlessly to protect the habitat of these magnificent creatures.

Harbor Seals

Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) like to "haul out," or rest, on rocks offshore of Staten Island. I saw them hanging out near the beach at Mount Loretto Unique Area on November 8, 2017, and January 31, 2018.

Harbor seals on Staten Island, January 31, 2018

Harbor seals on Staten Island, January 31, 2018

I set the video to music by Alexander Borodin and Johann Strauss II.

Below are some photos from November 8 and January 31. For many more, visit the harbor seals page.

Redheads

I am extremely fond of ducks, and, of course, my dear friend Woody Wood Duck, Prince of the Pond in Central Park, has the greatest part of my love. I had never seen a redhead (Aythya americana) until we visited Baisley Pond Park in Queens on January 18. Given the ginger tops, these ducks quickly won a big place in my heart.

Redhead, Baisley Pond Park, January 18

Redhead, Baisley Pond Park, January 18

Is there a Filming the Feathers video? Of course there is!

The photos below are from January 18 at Baisley Pond. For more photos, see the redheads page.

Groundhog

To celebrate Groundhog Day, I posted a video and photos of a woodchuck we saw at Wolfe's Pond Park on Staten Island on September 18, 2017.

Groundhog, Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island, September 21, 2017

Groundhog, Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island, September 21, 2017

Groundhog Day? No, Groundhog Minute!

Oh, Those Golden Slippers!

The yellow "slippers" on the snowy egrets set them apart from other herons like the great egret. I saw my first snowy egrets in July 2015 at Marine Park in Brooklyn, and spent much of the summer of 2017 watching these beautiful birds with great personalities at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, Wolfe's Pond and Lemon Creek Park on Staten Island, Marine Park, and Pelham Bay Park, near Orchard Beach, in the Bronx.

Snowy egret, Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island, September 1, 2017

Snowy egret, Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island, September 1, 2017

Snowy egret, October 19, 2017, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Snowy egret, October 19, 2017, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

These beautiful birds were so much fun to film. I have posted two videos in the Filming the Feathers series, the first covering July 25, 2015, to September 21, 2017, and Part II from September 29 to October 21, 2017. You can watch them catch and eat fish, and run around, sometimes looking as if they haven't a clue where they're going!

I took loads of pictures of these photogenic herons. Here are some taken in 2017, and you can see more on the Snowy Egrets page.