First day of Spring

Today was the first day of Spring, and I spent the afternoon in Inwood Hill Park. Walking along the river, I saw something moving on the river, screened from me by a tree on the bank. It dove, and I anxiously scanned the water for its return. And there it was, just a few yards offshore:



A Long-Tailed Duck, a life bird for me and my 80th species of the year. So I've made two trips to Inwood Hill, and gotten two lifers and two other year birds. Nice!

There was a raptor soaring north over the Bronx. It seemed too small for a Red-Tailed Hawk. Maybe a Red-Shouldered, but I couldn't make any field marks on it.

The interior of the park was very quiet--I could hear Cardinals singing and Jays calling, but there were few other birds, not even sparrows. But it was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.