Saturday, February 9, 2013

A Crowded Winter Wonderland

Like just about everyone else in Manhattan, we decided to go to the park in the snow today.  Wheeeee! It was hilarious, people were sledding on everything even resembled a hill.  Puppies frolicked about with astounding cuteness.  And the ducks!  Ah, the ducks.

As soon as we got to the reservoir it started with the hooded mergansers coming over to show off.

Hooded Mergansers

There were a couple of buffleheads around too, but they had to go.
Bufflehead

I love seeing them fly!  Pictures don't capture the best part - they look so frantic, as if they are panicked that if they pause even for a nanosecond the whole business is done for.  They know that flying is hard!
Bufflehead

There were more hooded mergansers by the geese, and they were displaying at each other.  It was awesome, I think it's the first time I've seen them do that live!
Hooded Mergansers

Further along were three wood ducks, in the classic sit-com plot of Two Guys and One Gorgeous Woman.
Wood Ducks

Mystery goose - maybe a barnacle goose?  Maybe just a weird Canada goose?  Maybe -------- a hybrid?
Mystery Goose

Grebe!  There were three pied-billed grebes there.  Yes, the reservoir was good to us today.  :-)
Pied-billed Grebe

We tried to find the barred owl but failed, failed, failed.  I hope to see it again someday, but maybe it's just as well that it didn't happen today.  We did however find this Cooper's hawk!  It showed off for us.

Cooper's Hawk

And a nuthatch.  You can never have too many nuthatches.  Well, as far as I know, anyway.
White-breasted Nuthatch

 Down to the ramble, where we quickly found another Cooper's hawk!  It's in this picture.  Yes it is!
Cooper's Hawk

See?  There it is!  Okay, this is a different angle, but it's the same hawk.  Then it was time to go, having a nice but distant look at the northern shovelers on our way out.  A great walk on a snow day!

Cooper's Hawk


No comments:

Post a Comment