Hunting at Bethesda Fountain

A squirrel was crying around 3:15 on Oct. 28 on the west path leading down to Bethesda Fountain. I had been looking for the two first-year red-tailed hawks we saw earlier this week, but despite the plaintive sounds from the squirrel, I couldn't find a hawk.

Around 5:15, we went in search of the kids again, and coming to the same tree, we found the squirrel a little lower, still very, very nervous. Going farther up the path, a red-tailed hawk, with a red tail, was spotted in a tree over Terrace Drive. The hawk took off for the tree on the west side of the balcony, and then flew down into the ivy after a rat.

A visiting young adult red-tailed hawk near Bethesda Fountain, Oct. 28, 2016

The youngster missed, then flew down toward the Lake. We found the hawk in a tree to the east of the fountain. We chased the hawk as it flew around, at one point going onto one of the decorated ornaments near the stairs.

When last seen, as the sun was going down, the hawk was on a tree on Cherry Hill, look very regal. When the raptor flew again, it was south, and we couldn't relocate the bird.

The young adult on Cherry Hill

The red tail tells us the hawk is an adult, the amber eyes a young one. At first we wondered if this was Fred or Sheep Meadow Papa, but after watching, we decided the bird is a visiting young adult. A delight, wherever the hawk came from.

The video shows the hawk throughout the evening, until we could no longer really see into the trees.

Diving in the Reservoir

Every time I see a ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris), I start to smile. This is one of the most delightful diving ducks around. Although the ring around the duck's neck is seldom seen, the stripe on the bill is always visible. Why isn't it called a ring-billed duck? I don't know, I didn't name them!

Ring-necked duck on the Reservoir, November 20, 2014

The latest Filming the Feathers video features the ring-necked ducks I've seen since 2013. It is set to Mozart. I think all the videos were taken at the Reservoir.

You can get a sense of the ring-necked duck's size next to this Canada goose. These ducks often hang out with the dabblers, and I've frequently seen them swimming with the mallards. They eat aquatic plants, including seeds, roots, and stems, as well as insects and mollusks. In the video, you'll see one ring-necked trying to eat a large acorn, dropping it, picking it up and dropping it again.

Ring-necked duck and Canada goose, January 19, 2016

These photos are from 2014, 2015 and January 2016. I hope I get to see more ring-neckeds as the ducks fly through this November.

Ode to Autumn

The flowers have been blooming brightly in September and October, and the leaves have been turning colors and falling off the trees. How to express the joy of walking through the parks of New York City and gazing upon those brilliant colors? Ah! Create a video ode to the blooms and falling leaves. 

Laupot Bridge, Central Park, Oct. 21, 2016

You may recall a recent video, Autumn in Brooklyn's Garden. That gave a taste of some of the fall colors from one day at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But The Falling Leaves, below, is a banquet! This visual feast is set to the first and third movements of Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Autumn, performed by John Harrison.

Here are some of the autumn photos, many included in the video. You can find more photos on the Flowers and Foliage page.