The Barred Owl continued to give great looks and put on a show at fly out. This evening it made a brief hoot and flew into an open tree giving us an unobstructed view. It really is a wonderful bird and everyone is thrilled that it's stayed in the park so long.
I got to the Ramble Barred Owl after fly out this evening. Luckily, that ended up to my benefit. It went after a squirrel and then flew to a tree near the summer house. It also gave a few hoots, which were fantastic even if I didn't get a recording. This owl has previously been very quiet after fly out.
Yesterday, the Barred Owl remained hidden and no one saw it. Luckily, today the Blue Jays found it. It seemed to be taking the snowstorm in stride. I wonder if dry snow is easier to deal with than rain?
The Barred Owl continues to stick around the Ramble. It changes trees every few days, but is a creature of habit. It often returns to the same branch the next day. It seems only to interested in changing trees once they lose their leaves. Tonight, after looking a squirrel for about an hour, it flew out and after a brief stop went after it. The squirrel survived, but it was a close call.
A Northern Saw-Whet Owl was found in the Eastern Pinetum this afternoon. It's a great little owl! I got some great looks of it just before fly out.
The Barred Owl that was in the Tupelo Meadow was rediscovered a few hundred yards further south today. Bird Watchers also found the Barred Owl in the North Woods, that hadn't been seen for a few days. I had a chance to photograph the one in the Ramble.
Central Park is blessed with two Barred Owls this week. Here are more photos of one of them.
At least one Barred Owl remained in Central Park on Monday, even after all of the commotion from the NYC Marathon.
I finally got to see the Barred Owl that has been hanging about the Ramble for the last week this morning. It was high in the Tupelo Tree of the Tupelo Meadow. The tree has just started to lose its leaves making it fairly easy to spot the owl. Another Barred Owl was spotted in the Ravine later in the day, so I suspect we'll have more owl sightings in the next week.
There was a Barred Owl in The Ramble of Central Park this morning. When I arrived in the park this afternoon, after hearing Blue Jay cries, I found an owl. I though it was the Barred Owl at first, but then it looked like a Great Horned Owl, which I tweeted out using the #birdcp hashtag. It was tucked in most of time, far away and obscured by leaves with an oval face and plump body. But perched birds can be deceiving. Lots of folks saw it, but after two hours Ryan Zucker came by and said, "I think that's a Long-eared Owl". When I got home, I discovered one of the youngest birders in the park got it right. It was a Long-eared Owl. I've never seen one so early and never in a deciduous tree in Central Park. Thanks for the correction Ryan.
Making the wrong I.D. is a big faux pas in birding, so I've been trying to figure out how I got it wrong. I think I was biased by my previous Long-eared sightings, which where in snowy conditions, mid-winter. Plus the bird was obscured and very, very high in the tree. I looked up the frequency map on eBirds for New York County and Long-eared Owls, and while it showed mostly winter sightings, there are plenty of fall and spring sightings. I'll need to give up my winter bias, and concentrate on chest stripping and color going forward!
The Barn Owl in Central Park roosted in a new tree and was much more visible than in days past. It gave some great looks and took its time preening before fly out.
The Barn Owl was a bit easier to photograph today. It's now on its 8th day in the park, which is longer than expected. It regurgitated a pellet at dusk.
Last seen in Central Park over a decade ago, a Barn Owl has been seen for a few days. I caught up with it this afternoon and got to watch it fly out from its roost after dark. It made one stop after fly out, and then flew across The Lake.
Just in time for Halloween, Central Park had a bright moon, a bat and a Great Horned Owl this evening. I think it may be an old visitor, as it flew out to a favorite post fly out perch of the owl from two years ago.
The surprise of the day was a Barred Owl in the Ramble of Central Park. It's an unusual bird for the park, especially in the springtime. It was not welcomed by the Blue Jays, who gave it an amazingly hard time. At dusk it began to hunt and was fascinated by a tree cavity. I wonder what it was after?
Cold Weather helps bring owls to Central Park. Today, the park had a Long-eared Owl. At fly out it flew to a few perches and flew to the ground to hunt a rodent. A great bird for such a cold and windy day.
Tonight I was able to track the Great Horned Owl to the Great Lawn, without missing any perches! Stops included a tree near the "humming tombstone", a lighting tower of the Delacorte Theater and finally to one of Pale Male's favorite trees on the Great Lawn.
I'm still no closer to seeing her hunt, but was happy to keep track of her for an hour.
The day started with Octavia and Pale Male on the Carlyle Hotel. He left before I could get my camera out. But she stayed for about half an hour.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent with the Great Horned Owl. For the first time, I was able to follow her above 79th Street. She was perched in a tree in the Locust Grove and then she flew over the Great Lawn.
Central Park's Great Horned Owl has found a nice Hemlock tree to roost in during the day. It's a good tree for the owl, but a difficult tree for photographers!
After fly out the owl made a few stops before spending time in her favorite tree by the lake.
Central Park was full of people today. It seemed that everyone who stayed inside on Saturday was in the park on Sunday. Pale Male had just finished eating a bird in the Ramble when I arrived.
The Great Horned Owl, that no on saw for two weeks but was rediscovered a few days ago, was out in the open in the bright sunlight. She did her best to sleep but helicopters, a drone, a Gray Squirrel, a Tufted Titmouse, Pale Male and a Cooper's Hawk did there best to keep her awake.