A Rescue in Green-Wood Cemetery

Yesterday was an amazing day for southbound migrants in Green-Wood Cemetery. My friend Mike and I arrived just as the main entrance was being unlocked. We spent the next 10 hours riveted by the sudden explosion of bird life.

Our first stop was at the ridge above Sylvan Water next to the George Caitlin memorial. There was a nice chill in the air from the overnight cold front. Dozens of songbird "chip" calls were coming from the surrounding trees, as well as, from small flocks dropping into the cemetery after a long night of flying.

In recent days much of the bird activity had been centered around the fruiting Kousa Dogwoods and yew trees. Yesterday, however, birds seemed to be feeding just about everywhere: the upper story of mature, towering trees; within dense shrubs; the leaf litter beneath tree stands; unmowed sections of overground grass.

Warblers were ubiquitous with American Redstarts dominating our list with 62 counted. Northern Parulas came in a distant second at 28. By far the most exciting member of this bird family seen yesterday was a Connecticut Warbler. Found around NYC only during the fall leg of this bird's migration, they are notoriously difficult to observe as they spend most of their time quietly foraging on the ground within dense vegetation.

Late in the day we returned to the Dell Water hoping for a better observation of the Connecticut Warbler. That never happened but a nice consolation prize was close looks at the scarce Philadelphia Vireo:

At around noon, Mike and I decided to take a walk along a narrow path at the edge of Ocean Hill. Within the first 50 yards a flash of bright yellow caught our eyes. Unfortunately it was coming from behind the glass window in the wrought iron door of a stone mausoleum set in the hillside.

Somehow a Magnolia Warbler had managed to get trapped inside the stone structure. I climbed up on the hill to examine the section of exposed roof. Nothing. I then noticed farther back on the ridge a brass vent pipe sticking out of the dirt. Our best guess was this little bird was chasing an insect that then dropped into the opening. Here he is flying against the inside of the glass:

"Please let me out." We felt completely helpless to free this poor thing.

I called Tommy, who was the security guide on duty. He came right away. After assessing the situation he told us that he couldn't access the keys to the mausoleums, but called someone who might be able to help. Within a few minutes Neela, the Director of Restoration and Preservation, arrived with the key and two of her staff. With the warbler periodically fluttering at face level, she and her workers sprayed the lock with WD40 and tried to work the ancient locking mechanism loose:

The warbler was so stressed that we could hear his alarm chip calls echoing within the stone vault. It took about 10 minutes but eventually they managed to get the door opened. Freedom! The tiny, yellow warbler flew through the doorway and immediately perched on the low railing in front of the Morgan family mausoleum:

We stood motionless and watched as it rested and got its wits back. It then dropped down onto the pathway where it began searching for insects to eat at the edge of Dawn Path.

After about 5 minutes on the ground it flew up into the safety of a dense stand of viburnum.

A huge thanks to Neela Wickremesinghe and her staff for coming through and saving this approximately 10 gram songbird on his way back to his winter home in the tropics of southern Mexico and Central America. Photos by Mike Yuan.

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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
Date: Tues, Sep 15, 2020 7:04 AM - 5:19 PM
Checklist Comments: A truly outrageous day, with something to see at every location.
Species: 68 (+3 other taxa)

Canada Goose  8
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  4
Mourning Dove  3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1
Chimney Swift  6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  3
Laughing Gull  5
Great Egret  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  8
American Kestrel  5
Merlin  1
Olive-sided Flycatcher  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  3
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
flycatcher sp. (Tyrannidae sp.)  1
Philadelphia Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  13
Blue Jay  5
Common Raven  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch  10
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  5
Carolina Wren  3
European Starling  1
Gray Catbird  6
Brown Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  7
Veery  13
Gray-cheeked Thrush  2
Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush  1
Swainson's Thrush  18
Wood Thrush  2
American Robin  11
Cedar Waxwing  26
House Sparrow  7
Purple Finch  1
American Goldfinch  1
Chipping Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  1
Savannah Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Swamp Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Ovenbird  13
Northern Waterthrush  3
Black-and-white Warbler  20
Tennessee Warbler  5
Nashville Warbler  1
Connecticut Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  24
American Redstart  62
Cape May Warbler  4
Northern Parula  28.
Magnolia Warbler  17
Bay-breasted Warbler  4
Yellow Warbler  9
Chestnut-sided Warbler  5
Black-throated Blue Warbler  12
Palm Warbler (Western)  2
Pine Warbler  1
Prairie Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  4
Scarlet Tanager  7
Northern Cardinal  6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  21
Indigo Bunting  2

Brownsville Red-tailed Hawks Update

Here's an update on the two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks rescued from Brownsville, Brooklyn last week.

Bobby and Cathy Horvath were able to gain access to the roof of Frederick Douglass Academy yesterday (the nest is on an air conditioner of the buildings facade). They released the young hawks where their parents will be able to reconnect with them. Here are a couple of photos and a video of the release:

The Tale of a Rail

During bird migrations some individuals will occasionally turn up in unexpected places and for a variety of reasons. In my 22 years as a NYC birder I've learned that one species stands out as particularly unpredictable in its choice of places to seek refuge in our concrete jungle. It is for that reason that I shouldn't have been too surprised by the call I received from my friend Joe on April 25th.

My friend Heydi and I had been birding around Green-Wood Cemetery and decided to head up to "Reservoir Hill", the highest point in the cemetery, for some hawk watching. We had just settled down on top of the hill and began scanning the sky when a call came in from a number I didn't immediately recognize. I let it go to voicemail. Thankfully, I decided to listen to the message a moment later and heard Joe's voice saying, "If you're anywhere near Green-Wood Cemetery there is a Virginia Rail sleeping next to the main entrance." We were only about 500 yards from the entrance, so grabbed our gear and bolted over to meet Joe.

We spotted Joe leaning against the driver's side of his car, which was parked along the road on the east side of the main entrance's gothic revival gateway. He explained that he had just parked to use the restrooms and upon exiting his car noticed the small rail sleeping in the shade of a juniper shrub:



The Virginia Rail is a bird of freshwater and brackish marshes. The individual at the cemetery was resting in an area best described and a "manicured" landscape. The closest thing to a wetland in his vicinity was a tiny puddle formed at the base of a water spigot a few feet from his roost. This was not the only time I'd learned of this species showing up in an odd place. The first story goes back to Sept 24, 2000 when one wandered into a wedding reception being held in Prospect Park's Picnic House. It was captured and released near the park's ponds. My friend Jerry once spotted one at his sports club in Brooklyn. More recently, Gabriel Willow picked one up that was wandering the sidewalks of downtown Brooklyn. I posted a collection of stories several years ago here.

As we watched this individual, however, it became apparent that he was more than just confused. When he woke up and began to move about he had a very pronounced limp and favored one leg. We called a local wildlife rescuer. Unfortunately, the rescuer was overworked and understaffed, couldn't leave and wouldn't guarantee that he would be able to come by and pick up the rail that day. He suggested we capture it and transport it over to his facility. Easier said than done. This bird's small size and strategy of remaining close to the edge of the dense shrubs made it impossible to catch him. There were five of us working on helping this bird and we all agreed that stressing out an already unhealthy bird was a bad idea.

I ran the water from the faucet next to the shrubs to create a small watering hole. He quickly took to it, both drinking and probing for food in the mud:



Bobbi offered to run home and bring back some mealworms that she had been keeping in her refrigerator. It should be noted that mealworms aren't normally on her grocery shopping list, they were just left over from a previous "project", but that's a story for another time. Anyway, she returned with the food and generously spread them around the shrub and around our makeshift "marsh". When a few starlings flew in for a bath and drink of water were were concerned that they would eat all the mealworms. Fortunately, it turns out that mealworms are probably the only thing that they don't eat. After a few minutes the rail hobbled over to the mealworms and began to eat them:



For whatever reasons, the rescuer was never able to make it to the cemetery. Over the following few days, however, Bobbi, Joshua and others checked in on the rail, refreshing the water puddle and leaving more mealworms. My friend Sean reported that it appeared to have stopped limping and even stood, resting, on the bad leg. I joked about the magical, healing power of mealworms. We all thought this small rail, who I referred to as "Vera", was getting better and would take off on the next south winds. On Thursday, April 30th, Bobbi and I did what we thought was a thorough search for the rail. I layed down on my stomach, lifted the shrub's lower branches and ran my hands through the leaves beneath the junipers. He appeared to have taken off.

I believed that this was the happy ending to one rail's bad experience in New York City. Millions of birds migrate through urban landscapes twice a year, battling a gauntlet of dangers from colliding with glass windows and searching for suitable habitat to rest and refuel to attacks from feral and free-roaming house cats. I've rescued birds entangled in discarded fishing line or impaled by carelessly dumped fishing lures. It is a never ending battle for wildlife and a Sisyphean task for the rescuers attempting to help our animals. On Sunday I was in Green-Wood Cemetery and while near the main entrance noticed something that made my heart sink. In the middle of the road, near the juniper shrubs was the Virginia Rail. It was dead, apparently hit by a car. Heydi picked it up and tucked it into the leaf litter under the shrubs. I reluctantly gave Bobbi the bad news. She was devastated. We all were.

It has been taught to us all our lives and in dozens of ways that we have a responsibility to protect animals and nature, and not just because they are necessary to our long term survival. It is morally and ethically the right thing to do. Two small steps would be to tread lightly and support local conservation efforts. Here is a short list of a few national organizations:

American Birding Association
American Bird Conservancy
National Audubon Society
The Sierra Club ...Read more

Catbird Rescue

Working at home on Monday, it was around noon when a tweet came in from Will Pollard. He was birding in Prospect Park and spotted a Gray Catbird caught on discarded fishing line and hanging from a tree. I made a few suggestions for who to contact, then went back to work. Another message came through a short time later that he couldn't get in touch with anyone. I stopped what I was doing, grabbed my bike and headed up to the park.

Will tried to contact Martin Woess, who works for the Prospect Park Alliance in their forestry division. As an animal advocate he also frequently receives calls to rescue pets or wild animals in distress. He helped me back in spring of 2010 when a bat became snared in discarded fishing line. I stopped at the park offices in the Litchfield Villa thinking they could locate him. They called his office extension but, given his job, I wasn't optimistic he would be at his desk. He wasn't, so I decided to pedal around the park looking for landscape management vehicles. I eventually spotted a large truck parked next to the Nethermead Meadow and stopped to talk to the guy sitting behind the wheel. Explaining that I was looking for Martin to help with a bird rescue, he calmly replied, "Why don't I just give him a call on the radio".

Martin was tied up with a group of volunteers doing a phragmite mitigation project on Prospect Lake. He'd have to wait until a break to meet us. I told them the location of the bird then headed off to meet Will to give him the news and see if there was anything we could do in the meantime.

The catbird was on the north side of the Peninsula along a narrow stretch of water that flows out of the Lullwater. Lots of fishermen frequent the water's edge around this wooded promontory that juts into Prospect Lake. Unfortunately, when casting their lines they often catch overhanging branches, then just cut the lines leaving the hooks and lengths of monofiliment behind. The list of animals trapped by this deadly refuse that I've helped rescue (or been unable to) is too long: Mute Swan, Brant, Canada Goose, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Spotted Sandpiper, Herring Gull, American Crow, American Robin, Baltimore Oriole, Little Brown Bat and, now, Gray Catbird.

The bird was hanging pretty high up in a mature hackberry tree. The branch was out over the water, so it would have to be approached from above. Will and I looked on helplessly as the bird struggled. The lure had a pair of treble hooks, one of which was through the catbird's nostril. With no place to grab onto with his feet, the young bird was hanging from his bill. Blood was visible on its mouth. It was anyone's guess how long he had been there. Periodically his body would go limp and we worried it was too late to help. Within a few minutes Martin Woess and Peter Dorosh arrived to assess the situation. It was immediately clear that the situation was dire. Martin got on the radio and called in the park's professional tree climbers. Here is what happened next:



Update: Martin brought the catbird over to Sean Casey Animal Rescue. Sean looked it over and transported it to a vet. It is now with a wildlife rehabilitator recovering from a broken leg and mouth injuries. ...Read more

Red-tailed Hawk Release

"Pip" has been given another lease on his short life. In May of 2012 this small male Red-tailed Hawk fell out of his nest in Prospect Park. He wasn't flighted yet and wildlife rehabbers Bobby and Cathy Horvath took care of him until he was healthy enough to be returned to his nest. Unfortunately, by that time his parents had left the nest area. As an alternative Bobby brought the young raptor to Big Mama and Junior's nest in Green-Wood Cemetery knowing that the adults would easily adopt this youngster as one of their own. They already had two nestlings and, almost immediately, began feeding him along with their biological offspring. Pip eventually fledged along with his foster siblings and continued to be seen around Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park (he has a band on his left leg). Then on February 28th of this year Bobby received a call from Animal Care and Control. They responded to a call about an injured Red-tailed Hawk at Ocean and Church Avenues in Brooklyn. He had band number 1967-05898 on his left leg. It was Pip. From Bobby:

"He has blood in his throat and head trauma indicating a collision with something but nobody saw anything. He's in decent flesh and good feather meaning it was a recent incident and was probably doing fine before this."

Bobby called me on Wednesday to let me know that Pip was given a clean bill of health and was ready to go home. We arranged to meet Thursday late in the afternoon at Green-Wood Cemetery. Here is a short video of the release:

Red-tailed Hawk Rescue

I just received a note from Bobby Horvath of "Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation" regarding an injured hawk in Brooklyn.

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From: Bobby
Subject: "Pip" or little male Green-Wood adoptee rescued
Date: February 28, 2014

I wanted to let you know today Animal Care and Control Brooklyn picked up an injured banded Red-tailed Hawk from Ocean Ave and Church Ave, Brooklyn around 3:00 pm. They called me at work and delivered it to me around 6pm. From the band (#1967-05898) it is the tiny male we released in June 2012 in Green-Wood Cemetery that was accepted by the resident family as you both witnessed. He has blood in his throat and head trauma indicating a collision with something but nobody saw anything. He's in decent flesh and good feather, meaning it was a recent incident and was probably doing fine before this. He's got light eyes but already a full red tail, but those tiny thin legs and feet are unmistakable. He's on pain medication, antibiotics and activated charcoal to combat possible poisoning if that is a contributing factor to his accident and neurologic state. He's in bad shape as I write, but its only been a few hours and the next few days will tell more. He's made it to adulthood close by the area we left him and proved he's a survivor. Time will tell.

Bobby

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"Pip" is a Red-tailed Hawk that was hatched in a nest in Prospect Park in 2012. That season the poor thing either fell from the nest or was a bit overanxious and tried to fly too soon. Bobby's rescue and rehabilitation was successful, but since he was the only offspring for the Prospect pair that year, during the rehab period the parents left the nest area. Bobby's solution was to place him with the Green-Wood Cemetery hawk family, where the parents would raise them as their own, ensuring him at least a fighting chance for survival. You can read my posting about that rescue and release here. Let's hope this is only the second of nine lives for this Red-tailed Hawk and he recovers from his injury. I'll keep you posted.
...Read more

Wildlife Rehabbers Update

Apparently, the petition drive seemed to have really helped (over 31,000 signatures as of this evening). Bobby and Cathy just posted the following on their Facebook page:

WINORR- Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation

We received great news today ! Over the weekend Supervisor Venditto called me at home to discuss the situation and again yesterday as well and finally we were able to meet today to work out a solution. We have been granted permission to continue rehabbing wildlife with some adjustments which should benefit everyone involved. We will still be able to work from our home but will also look into alternative sites such as Tackapauasha Museum, our town animal shelter , or any other appropriate location to expand long term . Cathy and are are very happy and look forward to work with our town and all the other agencies we have served over the years. We appreciate John Venditto's acknowlegdement of the important work we do and today his actions backed up what he has said to me over the past few days. We want to thank all the people who have publicly supported us starting with Robin Lynn and the petition she started on our behalf . I've never been involved in anything like this before and watched it start out and just grow and gain speed in no time at all. Thank you . And too all the others who took the time out on our behalf to show your support with an e mail, letter , or phone call including old friends and new, attorneys, rehabbers, rescue groups, and governmental agencies I also thank you . Over the years Ive had more than my share of media coverage but this obviously was not the type of thing I would wish on anyone. We are glad its over, just want to be good neighbors and will strive to improve and continue to assist whenever and wherever we can.

Wildlife Rescue Petition Being Delivered

Help Save Those Who Save Wildlife

I've posted many times on my blog about the great work that Bobby and Cathy Horvath do rescuing animals. Their non-profit organization, Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR) is now under attack by an unscrupulous town supervisor. They have only until next Tuesday (April 16th) to find a new place for the animals that they rescue. Read about it here and here. The story was also just covered tonight by CBS News.

Please sign this petition to allow them to continue their great work. You can also write the town supervisor here:

Commissioner Ippolito
Department of Planning and Development
74 Audry Ave.
Oysterbay, NY 11771

Here's the CBS News video:

A Rare Bird & A Distressed Bird

As I'd mentioned in a previous posting, biologist Ron Pittaway has forecast that this winter we'll be seeing various species of "winter finches" moving into our area. The species not typically seen around New York City, or at least not seen in abundance, that we should expect to see in our parks and at our backyard feeders are - Pine Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin and Evening Grosbeak. The siskins have already arrived and I've been observing them in good numbers nearly everywhere I go. I even had a flock fly over Robin and I while we relaxed on the roof last month. The crossbills feed on pinecone seeds, so I've been concentrating my efforts at Green-Wood Cemetery, where there are many mature, cone-laden conifers.

This past Saturday I spent 6 hours wandering Green-Wood and the effort eventually paid off. The highest concentration of conifers is in an area called "The Flats", which is below the ridges of the terminal moraine and runs parallel to Fort Hamilton Parkway. I decided to first walk up Ocean Hill, where there are also a good number of pines, before heading down to The Flats. At around 8:45am I had just ducked under the low branches of a yew tree to scan for owls when we heard the dry chirps of an incoming flock of White-winged Crossbills. It took Heydi and I a moment to locate the flock but eventually spotted a flock of about 25 White-winged Crossbills in a pine tree next to Stephen Whitney's copper-roofed chapel. The flock eventually took off towards the "Catacombs". We tried to follow the fast moving flock in an attempt to take some photos. A short time later we saw the chattering flock flying near the Crescent Water.

We ultimately realized that chasing after a single flock of crossbills was an exercise in futility, so returned to our game plan which was to walk The Flats, scanning the abundant conifers in that area. At around 10:15am we heard a calling Red Crossbill, then spotting a single bird as it flew over us near the "Valentine" angel on Cypress Avenue. At around 11:30am we heard a loud "jip, jip, jip, jip, jip" call coming from the top of a towering tulip tree. The bird was a long distance off and neither of us were certain, at first, what it was. Moving a little closer, we were elated to find that it was a Red Crossbill. It was more than a little ironic that we had been focusing our search exclusively on evergreens only to finally find this winter finch in a deciduous tree. The bird was very cooperative and remained long enough that we were able to take a few photos. It then flew a short distance to a spruce tree where it continued to call for a few minutes. It only stopped very briefly to feed on the tree's cones. During the excitement I managed to send out a text alert to the local birders. Tom Stephenson was the first to respond and said he would be there shortly. In the meantime, the bird decided to fly off in the direction of the Catacombs and Ocean Hill.

By the time Tom arrived the bird was gone, so we headed up Grape Avenue in an attempt to track down both crossbill species for him. Near Cedar Dell we ran into Cindy Cage, who had also responded to my text alert. The four of us spent several hours zig-zagging our way through the cemetery in the hopes of stumbling on these wandering northern birds. We scoured The Flats, the ridge above William Niblo, Steep-side Path and the ridge at Horace Greeley, but the crossbills eluded us. A consolation prize for the effort, however, was finding a pair of Eastern Bluebirds next to Horace Greeley.

As we descended Steep-side Path and approached the Sylvan Water, I noticed something odd along the shore on the West side of the lake. It appeared to be a lump of dark brown feathers. It seemed too small to be a Canada Goose and it wasn't moving. I wasn't sure if it was a sleeping or deceased bird. It was definitely a bird, but I couldn't see its head. As we got closer I realized that it was a Double-crested Cormorant. The pale throat and breast indicated that it was a juvenile bird and, by its behavior, something was wrong with it. They are seldom found far from the water and this individual was a few feet up on the shore. I approached the bird slowly to see if there was an obvious injury. It remained lying down and allowed me to walk right up to it. Backing off, I called Bobby Horvath to see if he could come by for the rescue. Bobby had his hands full rescuing oiled waterfowl in the Rockaways and recommended Sean Casey, a local wildlife rescuer. Sean was great. He arrived very quickly with an assistant and was able to capture the cormorant. The poor bird had a fishing hook impaling his left foot. The foot appeared swollen and I assume was infected. Cormorants are diving birds that rely on underwater speed to catch fish. This bird was likely unable to feed very well and, in addition to the infection, was probably malnourished. Thankfully, this bird now has a good chance of recovery and release back into the wild. I'll post an update as soon as I know anything.

People like Sean and Bobby are true saviors for the diverse animals around New York City and Long Island. Nobody becomes a wildlife rehabilitator to make money. They do it for the satisfaction of knowing they can make a difference. If you'd like to make a donation to Sean's organization, click here. I'll also be adding his information to my Wildlife Rescuers page shortly. ...Read more

Wildlife Fundraiser

Bobby and Cathy Horvath of "Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation" are having a fundraiser to benefit their rescue operations. It will be this Saturday, March 31, 2012 in East Meadow, Long Island (click the flyer to enlarge).

Wild NYC Presentation

The "Wild NYC" panel at New York University last week went very well. After my presentation, Wildlife Rehabilitators Bobby and Cathy Horvath wrapped up the evening with a selection from their rescued animal menagerie. Diurnal raptors included American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk. Nocturnal raptors on display were Barn Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Barred Owl and Eurasian Eagle Owl. Another bird was a one eyed Common Raven. Bobby also explained to the audience the background of several other rescues in their charge - a Striped Skull, a blind Opossum, a Kinkajou and a young Fennec Fox.

Francois Portmann has some really great photos of the birds on his website here.

Red-tailed Rescue

I just came across this story and HAD to post it.

New Resource Added

I've added a new page of wildlife rescue information to the sidebar here. It's a work in progress, so feel free to contact me if you have others that you think should be included in the list.

Beach Bird Rescue

Robin and I went to Jacob Riis Park on Monday. It was the first time in about a month that I noticed lots of migrating shorebirds.

The vast majority of the small shorebirds seen heading south appeared to be Sanderlings, but there were also a few Least Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones. American Oystercatchers seemed to be a lot more abundant, but that might just be the result of this year's local broods becoming more active.

We were walking west along the beach, towards Fort Tilden, when I spotted a young Common Tern standing on the sand. It was next to an adult that I assumed was its parent. The adult flew off as we got closer, but the young bird stayed. A Herring Gull approached the small tern, then grabbed it in its bill. The tern struggled to get loose. I ran over waving my arms and the gull flew off, leaving the visibly shaken tern behind. The juvenile bird seemed alright, but didn't attempt to fly, even as I bent down to pick it up. I decided to place it on the wooden pilings at the end of one of the jetties, thinking that it was safer than on the beach. Robin and I then continued walking down the beach.

When we returned I noticed that the tern was no longer resting on the jetty so I assumed he had regained his senses and flown off. Then Robin pointed to a spot in the sand at the edge of the receding waves. I'm not sure if he had flown to that spot or fell into the water and was carried to the shore, either way, he didn't look well. I picked him up and called Bobby Horvath. Bobby was working in Rockaway until 5pm, but told me to drop off the tern at the firehouse on Beach 169th Street and he would pick it up on his way home. The firehouse was closed until 1pm, so I had to hold on to the bird for a little while. I walked up to one of the food concessions to get a small cardboard box. By this time the tern seemed to have gotten used to me and had settled down. He didn't appear to have any external injuries and he was able to hold his wings out, so there didn't seem to be any fractures. The girl working the concession seemed completely freaked out by the tern. I tried to reassure her that it wasn't going to hurt her and that it weighed less than a half a roll of pennies. She forced a smile then slid two cardboard beverage holders across the counter. I put the tern in one, poked several 2" holes into the second cardboard piece then placed in over the top.

A constant Northwest breeze kept the beach comfortably cool. I put the box holding the tern in the shade of my chair and checked on him every few minutes. Each time I looked he was sitting with his head up, occasionally peering out through a large rectangular opening in the box's side. At 1pm I put on my sneakers to walk the bird over to the firehouse. As I bent down to pick up the box, I saw that the tern was no longer sitting up, but lying on his side with his head curled in, his bill tucked into his belly. His eyes were barely opened and he was taking short, shallow breaths. Gazing down at the small mound of feathers and flesh, I suddenly felt completely inadequate. Only a few minutes earlier I felt good about rescuing this bird and his odds of survival. But now, all I could do was watch his breathing slow, then stop. Robin put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and offered her sympathy. I felt bad for that tiny bird, especially since it never made it past his first few months of life. Under the circumstances, I guess I did the best that I could. Funny, I think Robin feels worse for me than the poor bird. It's been a couple of days and she is still acting like I lost a family member. ...Read more

Kestrel Rescue

Every year around this time fledgling American Kestrels begin appearing on sidewalks, in city parks and, in this case, a community garden. Most of the time, with the watchful eyes of their parents, they are able to figure out how to stay out of harms way, but not always. Thankfully, New York City has a growing network of protectors made up of raptor watchers, wildlife rehabilitators, park employees and the New York City Audubon Society who have been instrumental in saving these tiny falcons from injury or death. Two days ago a help call came in from 111th Street near Lexington Avenue. James O'Brien came to the rescue.

Here is the discussion group thread that eventually lead to the falcon's rescue:

Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011
Subject: Fledged Hawk at 111th between Lex and Third
From: Susan Elbin

I just received an email about an eyass in the NYRP Herb Garden at East 111th between Lex and Third. Does anyone know this bird? One of the people from the gardens wanted us to know about the bird and to help keep it safe.
http://www.nyrp.org/Parks_and_Gardens/Community_Gardens/Manhattan/Herb_Garden

thanks!
Susan

**********

Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2011
Subject: Fledged Hawk at 111th between Lex and Third
From: James O'Brien

I'll go check it out...no redtail nests that I know of in that area. I'm guessing its a kestrel.

Cheers,
James

**********

From: Bobby Horvath
Date: June 5, 2011
Subject: Re: kestrel at the herb garden

I've been speaking with the resident who called this in and asked James to try to find a high spot to relocate the little male kestrel.  Unfortunately leaving the bird in the garden isn't an option here since it is a cat community and at night the place is loaded with cats and Alicia said the 24 hour cat watch probably isn't going to happen.

**********

From: Susan Elbin
Date: June 5, 2011
Subject: kestrel at the herb garden

James is right -- it's a kestrel. I just spoke with the folks at the herb garden, and they sent me a photo of the bird. Their concern was that the bird was on the ground. It has hopped up to a park bench. It doesn't appear (to them) to be injured -- just a bit awkward. And they can hear the parent calling.

They have closed the garden to visitors and will keep an eye out. I asked about the use of rat poison in the garden -- they are not using any.

I'm glad James will stop by. :-) I have given James their contact cell phone number (and they have mine).

Let's hope all's well.
Susan

**********

From: Bobby Horvath
Date: June 5, 2011
Subject: Re: kestrel at the herb garden

James just called me to report he relocated the kestrel to a nearby rooftop . He checked it out including looking in the mouth for signs of frounce which they are susceptible to and it appeared in good health, just too young to be on the ground without the ability to get any height flight wise yet. He searched for a nest site but couldn't locate but the female was nearby so she knows her baby is where they put him . I wish they all worked out it like this one did. Thanks, Bobby

**********

Check out James' blog here for a great write up and lots of cool pictures of the little falcon. ...Read more

Queens Owl in the News

Fallen owl at Alley Pond Park not welcomed with open wings upon return to nest

BY Lisa L. Colangelo
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, April 24th 2011, 4:00 AM

Birdwatchers have only confirmed a handful of great horned owl nesting pairs around the city.

A baby owl in Queens got her first lesson in sibling rivalry the hard way.

The tiny fluff ball, who had toppled from a treetop nest at Alley Pond Park earlier last week, was returned to her home Friday by rescuers - but then promptly pushed out.
"She was in there about five seconds when the sibling knocked her out," said wildlife rehabilitator Bobby Horvath, who caught the owl in midair while standing on a ladder. "I replaced her [again], and they seemed to tolerate each other. Sometimes with two babies in a nest, it gets crowded in there."

Alert birdwatchers found the wet, shivering 3-week-old great horned owl under a tree Wednesday and contacted parks officials.

It's a scene that animal experts expect will play out across the city this spring as baby birds and other wild critters venture out for the first time.

But Sarah Aucoin, director of the Urban Park Rangers, urged good Samaritans to leave family reunions to the experts.

"The best thing to do is watch from a distance and call 311 for the rangers," she said. "The parents might be there just waiting for the public to leave." In this case, city parks workers contacted Horvath, who brought the owl to a veterinarian for an exam. Luckily, it had no injuries. Firefighters from Ladder 160 helped Horvath reach the 30-foot-high nest, while the mother owl kept a watchful eye from a nearby tree.

"This is a rarity," said Horvath. "Usually the nests are higher up or not easily accessible."

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe praised the collaboration of citizens and city workers that led to the owl's rescue. "It reminds us of how humans and animals share and benefit from the parks of New York City," he said.

While screech owls and barn owls are commonly seen across the city, birdwatchers have only confirmed a handful of great horned owl nesting pairs. Horvath said he is raising several baby owls at his Long Island home that couldn't be placed back into their nests, but said his goal is to return the babies whenever possible. "Mother bird can do a much better job," he said.

Wildlife rehabilitator Bobby Horvath with FDNY members (Bryan Pace for News).

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com ...Read more

Brooklyn Hawk Release

Late yesterday afternoon Marge and I met wildlife rehabilitators Bobby and Cathy Horvath at Green-Wood Cemetery. They had just come from Manhattan where they released two mended Red-tailed Hawks. In the back of their car they had two more patients who were ready to be discharged. In fact, the two raptors seemed more than ready. They were restless to the point of hostility towards their temporary keepers.

With winds gusting to 40mph yesterday, I decided that the natural windbreak behind the "Hill of Graves" would be a good release site. Bobby had a small male juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, as well as, a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk for release. For reasons that are unclear, the vast majority of the raptors he and Cathy receive over the winter are young males. Cathy theorizes that "boys" tend to get into more trouble without the oversight of their mothers. It sounds feasible (and funny), but there could also be a simpler explanation - there is a higher percentage of male hawks being hatched.

Marge has never had the honor of releasing a rehabbed hawk. When Bobby removed the young red-tailed from the carrier and asked who wanted to take it, I suggested Marge. Some people get a little nervous once they see the raptor's talons closeup. Not Marge. Maybe it is her tough Brooklyn upbringing, but she acted more like someone was handing her a puppy, not an agitated predator with razor-sharp claws. Here is the video of her releasing her first Red-tailed Hawk:



The hawk headed towards a cedar tree and perched near the top. Within minutes Big Mama appeared and flew to a branch at the opposite side of the tree. The young bird took off with the huge, resident Red-tailed Hawk in hot pursuit. We spotted her mate, Junior, a short distance to the north. Their aggression towards the juvenile interloper in their territory seemed strictly symbolic as they never actually engaged in any physical attacks. After a few minutes they left the young red-tailed alone and flew off to the west.

The juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk seemed surprisingly small and delicate. Its bill and feet were noticeably smaller than that of a comparably sized Red-tailed Hawk. In fact, Bobby wasn't able to band this hawk because he didn't have a small enough ring. Injured somewhere in Coney Island, the hawk was picked up by a Russian gentleman. He had kept it locked in his bathroom for two days before a friend convinced him that keeping a wild hawk was not a smart decision. When Bobby received him, he was undernourished and showed signs of head trauma.

Bobby's friend, Peter, would be releasing the red-shouldered and was warned that the angry hawk was a "biter". By the looks of all the fresh wounds on Bobby's hands, he had found out the hard way. Despite his words of caution, Peter decided to hold onto the hawk sans gloves. To make Bobby even more nervous, he feigned kissing the hawk on the bill. Notice at around the 15 second mark in the following video how the hawk jerks forward as if he were trying to bite Peter's hand:



The Red-shouldered Hawk flew up over Ocean Hill where Peter watched him soaring in wide circles as he headed south, towards Coney Island. I just hope he stays safe and far away from Russians with dubious motives. ...Read more

Another Hawk Rescue

There was a posting this morning on the NYC Raptors discussion group regarding a hawk in distress.

Emily, of New York City Audubon Society, received a call about a hawk and posted the following:

From: Emily Loffredo
Subject: Hawk stuck in building air shaft
Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 11:16 AM

Our office received a call about a Red-tailed Hawk that has been stuck in a building air shaft for about a week. The caller, Frank, said it's been fluttering back and fourth a lot for the past few days.  Please email Frank at [ ] for more details.

Folks in the group quickly mobilized and Bobby Horvath (Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation) rushed to the scene. Here is his follow-up posting:

From: Bobby Horvath
Date: January 4, 2011 3:57:06 PM EST
Subject: Re: Hawk stuck in building air shaft

I met James O'Brien at 70 East 3rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues at about 1:30pm and with his much needed assistance was able to grab this juvenile off a 4th story window sill just as he landed and couldn't see me from inside the apartment. It is not injured but starving from his week long stay and worse is his (or small girl) feather condition. The shaft it was confined to is only about 4 feet wide by 70 feet long and as the bird flew back and forth from window to window unable to get the necessary height to escape he damaged almost all of the primary feathers as he brushed the brickwork with outstretched wings so it will most likely be a long stay here until new feathers molt this summer. It is not Lola who many folks are concerned with and looking for. This system does work and many thanks to James this time for his sacrifices in this rescue.

For photos and a nice narrative, check out James' blog posting here. ...Read more

Injured Osprey in Queens

I received an email yesterday about an injured Osprey found in a parking lot near Shea Stadium (I mean, CitiField), in Queens.

James O'Brien met Bobby Horvath at the site and has a follow-up on his blog "The Origin of Species".