Fifth Av. E train staircase below 666 Fifth Av., where I used to work. Days are getting shorter. I have been MIA, I know.


Had a few days off the most memorable being hawk watch at Fire Island where we saw many merlins (middle sized falcons) and ospreys moving south behind northwest west winds.





Two more form the station, one going up the stairs and the last in the underground hallway where you can get a latte at Dunkin's Donuts or a "foot long" hero at Subway's.

Travel soccer games have started. It is my favorite game. Peace.

E Train evening commute a week or two back.

We have been on vacation, we going north to Ithaca and the Finger Lakes. Cooler and serene, there were farms stands, deep slate gorges and tumbling waterfalls. Students were going back to college. We went to Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology which had great bird feeders, semi productive walks on nature trails and truly amazing bird art (Fuertez, Peterson, etc).

Amazing peaches upstate.

Birds on the trip included belted kingfisher, turkey vulture, red bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, yellow bellied sapsucker, downy woodpecker, cedar waxwings, American redstart, northern oriole, Carolina wren, yellow warbler, blue gray gnat catcher, American robin, northern cardinal, song sparrow, ruby throated hummingbird, great crested flycatcher, American goldfinch, house finch, chickadee, tufted titmouse,American crow, double crested cormorant, ring billed gull, and phoebe.


Life upstate is slower than this...



Cattle pens versus Penn Station.

Hope you are all well.

"near.dunes"

detail

Small sized version and a detail. Today we start a second week of cold windy weather peppered with flurries.

I love standing near a sand dunes and am grateful that more and more people now respect them and do not trample them. You have to respect any vegetation that thrives with no nutrients and the constant onslaught of salt, sand and wind.

If it were not so cold I might venture to the west end of Jones Beach. I have less hardy, less foolish, these days - oh well.

I remember years ago in a harsh winter day walking at large the west end field because there was a rare falcon there - a gyrfalcon, the largest falcon in the world that almost always stays far north of NYC, even in winter. You find the "Gyr" in places like northern Greenland. I was roaming the West End dunes in the bitter cold when I saw in the inlet a thirty or more of fishermen in a party baot going out into the Atlantic for some deep sea cod fishing. I thought to myself that those guys were crazy and then I realized I was there myself. At least I was on dry land.

I did see the Gyr parked illegally on the Meadowbrook Parkway. Before it arrived about a hundred gulls took to the air, scared. The Gyr circled around, almost landed in a bare tree and then it was gone. It flew remarkably fast although its wing beats did not indicate much effort. I have never seen another one.

"in.the.land.of.waxwigs"

I admire waxwings - they are beautiful, sleek, social birds and are known to collectively get drunk on fermented berries in the fall. A waxwing was the first bird I painted on canvas with acrylics, years ago.

This is a mixed post, quilt and a BB to celebrate the Thirteenth day of Christmas. No more maids a milking or drummers drumming.

Below are Wednesday BB shots in Penn Station close to the E train platform - I panned a lot trying to get the person moving (mostly to the right). I like the results. It is interesting how I develop and them get bogged down in my BB photography. The scenes are limited and winter takes its toll on the bundled subject matter.

For so long I have moved the BB camera that it was refreshing to try to take a very still picture. Calming - requiring a higher level of concentration - less free form, so for now, refreshing. Hope you are well. Gosh, I wish the winds would die down, here.

Cold Tuesday. A few still brave single digit wind chill in suit jackets. Others become round in down. Me, I dream of crocuses.

The only time I liked the depth of winter was when I had time to do a lot of bird watching. Then I would seek out winter owls, finches and ducks.

"in.september"

Sampled here, a remarkable picture of an ovenbird warbler lost in migration in New York. The blogger was wearing a remarkable blouse and yes the post does capture the spirit of snow white. This must be a first year bird being so tame and because you cannot see the head stripe.

Ovenbirds are relatively common ground dwelling warblers, small insect eating songbirds - many admired for their stunning colors. Warblers are my favorite birds - I have seen more than twenty species on a good Spring migration day in Central Park.

Ovenbirds have a most remarkable loud song that is cheery - "tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher." They are called ovenbirds because they build a nest on the ground that kind of looks alike an outdoor domed oven. Sexes are similar. Most migrate to Central America - I have seen a few in South Florida in winter.

The blogger, Audrey, who found this bird likes to bake - so an ovenbird seems like an appropriate find. I will ask Audrey permission to use her images - if it not granted, the post will be removed.

Man, it is cold here. Should I brave the outdoors and put up Christmas lights?

One subway picture from mid August...the 18th to be exact. Handbag series.

Today I go (went) back to work.

Yesterday we had a delightful afternoon with Andrea and Gerard. We ended up in Fire Island at the light house. I noticed maybe five crows gathering on the beach.

Look here and here for inspirational crows calling from the Pacific Northwest.

We all need gatherings....

Today's photos have nothing in common other than they were taken on a Sunday and the following Monday in mid August when summer seemed eternal. Days of endless cicadas humming and constant thoughts of cold crisp lemonade.

Mariana and Alex reading, the elegant shadows of my 5th Av. subway stairs, clicking at ghosts while waiting at Penn and a shot out my LIRR window to catch the Rockville Centre platform in late day sun.

Last weekend of summer, although the beaches can stay warm into much of September. It is now the height of fall migration as birds move south to survive winter. I'd like to get out to Fire Island and see falcons moving South - right now primarily kestrels and merlins.

Merlins are pugnacious little falcons. I have seen merlins catch more small birds than any other raptor. They seem incapable to fly slowly. Type A behavior.

Have a great weekend.

Jamaica Bay again, close to where we first saw the peregrine. Below is a close up of native grasses, close to sunset.



Have a great Thursday. Today we go back to the water park for the last time this summer. No Indian Summer yet - it feels like fall. Yesterday I saw a large Halloween display in the supermarket.

Pumpkins and skeletons.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens. Near JFK Airport, this is an oasis for shorebirds and other migrants.

The best bird we saw Monday was a large female peregrine falcon, a hawk that can strike and kill a duck in flight. I saw it fly over the large West Pond twice, trying to spook swimming ducks into taking flight. Marie saw it overhead another time, ten feet above her, gliding slowly for a falcon.

The peregrine is this world's fastest animal - when diving it can go 200 miles per hour.

In Manhattan peregrines nest on bridges, skyscrapers, hospitals and churches. There they mostly dine on city pigeons a la carte.

Marie and I have birded Jamaica Bay over one hundred times and this was our best sighting of a peregrine there.

Bellmore train platform at 5:30 PM today, train flying west. Fast reaction shot when I noticed the train shooting by. Quite noisy moment.



On Monday we spent party of the afternoon at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a preserve near JFK Airport in Queens. We saw many birds in migration and also many summer residents setting up nests and territories. The picture above is of the wooded area. Most of the preserve is marshes, ponds, and mudflats.

We had great views of glossy ibis, cedar waxwing, yellow warbler, house wren, restart warbler, white eyed vireo, northern waterthrush, veery, brown headed cowbird, American oystercatcher, brandt, willet, red winged blackbird, grey catbird, great egret, snowy egret, great blue heron, tricolored heron, yellow crowned night heron, black crowned night heron and osprey on their nest. Warm lyrical day and no soccer games.

There were hundreds of tree swallows flying and bringing insects back to their young in their nests. Lovely, gnats included at no extra charge.

Wantagh pond, 4 PM.

I left early tonight and jumped on an unfamiliar train and unfortunately the first stop was Wantagh, one town further east of my stop. So I walked home and I tool this parkway overpass bridge that also separates two large ponds. As I walked into the trees, I heard some migrant birds. I stopped and tried to identify them, but it was mostly by song. There was a magnolia warbler there and some warbling vireos, I think. Rustier than I used to be when I birded most weekends.

While enjoying the moment I noticed pond reflections through the trees and I shot this trough a cyclone fence.



Modified image.

Bird photography is difficiult - this photographer is amazing....I stumbled on it tryiong to identify a bird that my blog friend Jean Levert Hood had at her feeder. I cannot tell but am guessing the bird is a house finch.

The size of the picture is too small to get many details, other than size, behavior, and shape.

"pine.lands"

One of my favorite parts of The Everglades is The Pinelands near the park entrance. A few feet above sea level, the area is drier and has pine groves as well as a lot of scrub and undergrowth including palmetto palms. I have seen eastern bluebirds and many species of warblers there. My first barred owl was up in a high old pine, sleeping. Marie and I have come back at night and heard whippoorwills calling.

This, again, sampled mostly from Eduard - Dutch in origin, still there is a hint of a Japanese rhododendron blossom towards the left hand side.

I have not been to Florida for a couple of years.


"detail"

Detail of a cousin along the way:

"in.case"

Neko Case's new album comes out in a week or so, but can be previewed in its entirety at NPR First Listen. I am hoping when she goes on tour she will allow NPR ALL Songs Considered do a podcast of one of her shows. Beyond her distinctive smooth voice, Neko has a memorable band for her solo work.

It is freezing in NYC - but crocuses are out and some daffodils are sending up shoots. I want to hear the sound of flip flops and even sooner the cardinal song heralding warmer days. I did see a couple of male American Robins the other day - theya re moving north early to claim the best territory- if they survive any bad weather ahead.

stay.warm

"towards.spring.on.cherry.hill"


"detail"

Last night's image altered and some slightly new techniques, not to forget and to explore.

Feel confident lately creating, although I need to work with larger image files.

About the name. Cherry Hill is a section in Central Park just adjacent to the row boat lake, a location used in many movies to show New Yorkers in love. Adjacent to this hill is an area of the Park called The Ramble which has undergrowth which attracts birds in migration because there is cover, and that means a better chance of survival.

Cherry Hill is a long gentle slope with lawn and many large, huge shade trees.

Birds go there and it is a delight to be there at sunrise. The links in this paragraph are to New World warblers, small songbirds that pass through Manhattan, some species starting from wintering grounds in the Amazon and headed towards Canada.

"laughing.gull"

From a beach shot taken in the Keys two Aprils ago. Laughing gulls live along he eastern seaboard, most often seen on beaches, and its cry is loud and uplifting - a lovely sound of summer.

"blood.and.flamingos"



"detail"

More than twelve years ago Marie and I saw a flock of about thirty flamingos in the Everglades - we had to walk two miles on a shady damp dirt road flanked by salt water canals and endlessly hounded by thousands of mosquitoes and in the end there were all these wild flamingos from the Caribbean - wading and eating and a few flying.

"indi.go"

Random sampling and a Lisa NZ blackbird. Playing with Paint.net again. Experimenting with sepia.

Lots of work and some soccer games. I saw a large falcon fly over the kids' soccer fields yesterday. Think it was a peregrine.

I have seen red tailed hawks, a few accipiters (true hawks)and kestrels while watching soccer. Much of developmental soccer happens the same time as spring and fall bird migrations.

My best.

"off.rock.ville.centre"

Suddenly I am using brighter palette - something I have mostly avoided. Most times I have opted to under saturate rather than enhance.

My noon time stroll in Central Park yesterday was uplifting. I went with four friends and we birded without binocs, meaning birds had to be fairly close to identify, unless by song.

We saw red winged blackbird, American robin, hermit thrush, white throated sparrow, common yellowthroat warbler, magnolia warbler, grey catbird, two red tailed hawks, common grackle, house sparrow, starling, rock dove, mallard, and northern cardinal. I heard a yellow shafted flicker calling in the woody island (my wife saw a flicker in our back yard today so they are passing north). Many catbirds and the two hawks likely are the ones that nest on Fifth Avenue.

Have a great day.