Inwood Hill
Nature Center
Use this address for
GPS - to Inwood Hill Nature Center
575 West 218th Street
New York, NY 10034-1049
Saturday, August 28, 2010
12:00 p.m.
The osprey is quite an impressive raptor to behold with its seven foot
wing span and fierce appearance. The osprey specializes in hunting fish
and can be seen in the late summer months migrating and fishing along
the Hudson River.
Inwood Hill Nature Center
(in Inwood Hill Park),
Manhattan
Directions to this location
Free
(212) 304-3401
Red-tailed Hawk 1. There is a second clutch in Inwood Hill, fledged over the last few days. A fledgling was seen in Inwood Hill by Jessica Ancker (via the Inwoodbirdwatchers Yahoo Group) Posted by D. Bruce Yolton on 07/25/2010 2. Inwood Hill Park: Diane Schenker reports the nest has hatched. She can see at least one eyass, but can't get a good count yet. Posted by D. Bruce Yolton on 06/07/2010 http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/inwood_hill_park_redtailed_hawks/
Flying squirrels can sometimes be seen at night
in Inwood Hill Park.
Unlike gray
squirrels, flying squirrels (Glaucomys spp.), which also call New York
City parks home, rarely travel far from water. Flying squirrels are
nocturnal tree squirrels that live in dense coniferous or deciduous
forests within 500 feet of an open water source. A 2001 survey conducted
by the Urban Park Rangers in partnership with Fordham University found
flying squirrels in Forest Park in Queens and Inwood Hill Park in
Manhattan. In response to these findings, the Parks Department has
erected flying squirrel nest boxes in parks with appropriate habitat,
such as Forest, Inwood, Van Cortlandt and Blue Heron parks.
Note: Gray squirrels can travel long distances
without water.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/answers-about-urban-wildlife/
And more about bald eagle in Inwood Hill Park:
I just read about the bald eagle reintroduction initiative in Inwood
Hill Park, which apparently started in the summer of 2004. I've recently
moved to Inwood and have walked through the upper elevations of the
park, but I've yet to see any eagles. How is the program going, and are
the eagles in residence?
-- Posted by TomS
Based largely on the success of bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
reintroductions in New
York State and various other
raptor
reintroductions in urban areas like New York City, the Urban Park
Rangers began the first
New York City bald eagle release project in 2002. From 2002 to 2006,
20 juvenile bald eagles (four eagles each summer) were raised, radio or
satellite tagged, and then released in Manhattan's oldest natural forest
in Inwood Hill Park. The goal of the project was to determine whether
released immature bald eagles would establish nesting areas around the
lower Hudson River where they have historically bred. Eagles in the wild
display natal site affinity, returning to the area where they were
raised to establish nests upon sexual maturity (about five years of
age). In addition, eagles are gregarious, tending to select roost and
nest sites near other eagles.
While we have yet to find evidence of eagles nesting (or attempting
to nest) in and around Inwood Hill Park, we have noticed an increase in
the number of eagles using the woods of the park as winter roost sites.
The reintroduction of the American bald eagle continues. While we are
no longer raising and releasing young birds in the park, we are tracking
those birds that were raised in and fledged from Inwood Hill Park via
satellite telemetry, and are analyzing their migration patterns. (Watch
a video about the Urban Park Ranger Bald Eagle Reintroduction
Program.)
New York City parks are a great place to spot bald eagles. During the
winter, you can view eagles in parks along the Hudson River waterfront,
including Dyckman Ballfields at the end of Dyckman Street in Inwood Hill
Park. Eagles migrate south from northern Canada, seeking winter roosts
close to open water. The eagles land on frozen ice floes in the Hudson
River to hunt for and feed on fish from the river. In January and
February, you can head out to the Hudson River waterfront to spot eagles
on your own, or you can join the Rangers for an eagle watch hike every
Saturday morning at the Dyckman Ballfields.
Check our calendar or call 311 for more information.