Inwood Hill Nature Center

Use this address for GPS - to Inwood Hill Nature Center

 

575 West 218th Street

New York, NY 10034-1049

 

 

 

Osprey Watch

Saturday, August 28, 2010

12:00 p.m.

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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.

http://maps.google.com/maps/api/js/StaticMapService.GetMapImage?1m2&1i2471692&2i3148829&2e1&3u15&4m2&1u280&2u300&5m3&1e0&2b1&5sen-US&token=69029

Map

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Terrain

 

Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Directions to this location

Cost

Free  

Event Organizer

Urban Park Rangers

Contact Number

(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:

 

Question:

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

Answer:

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.