Previous to my bus ride to the city I quickly checked some of the popular Central Park birding blogs for some of the more recent rare bird sightings. Thanks to the power of modern communication I was quickly led to a wonderful blog and was instantaneously made aware of what was currently going on in terms of recent bird sightings.
With about an hour of light left I was lucky enough to get a tip from a pair of ladies who were birding and had just come back from a hotspot. They said, "Have you seen the Barred Owl?". I explained to them that I had heard about it on a blog and asked them where it was. It turned out to be a five minute walk from where I was!
When I got close to the area where the owl was I saw two groups. One group was in the middle of a field and the other by a tree. I soon realized why the group was by the field. I was previously made aware, thanks to that blog, that there was also an Eastern Bluebird in the park. Bluebirds are an occasional visitor and quite an event! Since I have so many pictures of the Eastern Bluebird already I decided to snap off one shot of that bird and make a B-line to the owl. Light was fading fast!
When I got to the group around the owl the air was buzzing with conversation. What is it? People visiting from different countries were also trying to ask about it the best way they could articulate in English. A kid was with her grandfather taking photos on a tripod. She looked so concentrated at what she was doing! Several other photographers, one of whom I am friends with, were helping people try to spot the bird. It was just another typical Saturday depiction of Central Park birding at its finest!
I was not allowed to use my Better Beamer on the owl as it is Central Park birding etiquette. Not only is it out of respect for the bird, but also out of respect to the people who might have traveled a long way to see it. Flashing the bird might cause it to fly away. I had been in this situation earlier that day when someone in the Ramble had a great spot of a Cooper's Hawk. I figured I shouldn't beam it out of respect for others that had not seen it yet. So I guess I figured out this lesson on my own even before I got to the owl.
Barred Owl in Central Park
Eastern Bluebird in Central Park
Cooper's Hawk in the Ramble, Central Park
Hermit Thrush in the Ramble, Central Park
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker female in the Ramble, Central Park
Fall colors painted a beautiful spectalce in the Ramble!
Northern Cardinal in the Ramble, Central Park
A couple Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the Ramble, Central Park
American Goldfinch drinking (top), House Finch male (at top of feeder sock) and American Goldfinch (at bottom of feeder sock). I also saw a female Purple Finch on one of the feeders.
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