BirdingAroundNYC
  • Home
  • Spring Migration 2025
  • Spring Migration 2024
  • Spring Migration 2023
  • Warblers
  • Spring Migration 2022
    • Birding Blog
  • Spring Migration 2021
  • Owls
    • Moths
    • Shore Birds
  • Ducks, Loons & Grebes
  • Butterflies & Dragonflies
  • Sparrows
  • Insects
  • Fall Migration 2024
  • Fall Migration 2022
  • Plants & Flowers
  • Fall Migration 2023
  • Mushrooms
  • Fall Migration 2021
  • Fall Migration 2020
  • Birds of Prey
  • Spring Migration 2020
  • Fall Migration 2018
  • Fall Migration 2019
  • Spring Migration 2019
  • Spring Migration 2018
  • Seasonal Birds
  • Fall Migration 2017
  • Spring Migration 2017
  • Fall Migration 2016
  • Birding Hotspots in Pictures
  • Fall Migration 2015
  • Spring Migration 2015
  • Spring Migration 2016
  • Other "Things"
  • Prothonotary At Madison Sq Pk
  • Couch's Kingbird & Fall Birds 2014
  • Woodpeckers
  • Pictures for Framing and Gifts
  • FallMigration 2020
  • Insect
  • New Page
  • Fall Migration

Angel Stabbing Demon 

10/13/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
After my bird walk at NYBG I decided to try my luck at Pelham Bay Park.  Although I had read a Sedge Wren had been found near the picnic area I had no luck in finding it. So I headed to my new favorite place to bird, the little bridge by Turtle Cove. During the summer there are marsh wrens everywhere and now during migration the brackish swampy area is full of sparrows. Migrating sparrows pass through NYC during the month of October. That is it really - just one month to see all different species of sparrow and today I had a sparrow bonanza at the Garden and had hopes of adding more at Pelham Bay Park. As I scanned the mugwort I could see flickering and flitting through the reeds and bushes. Swamp, song - in all different plumages- field, house finch, American Goldfinch and two very agressive Belted Kingfishers passed within view of my binoculars. The Kingfishers put on quite an aerial display, which may have caught the attention of a passing Peregrine Falcon. All of sudden I heard screaming from two different type of birds and I looked up to see the Peregrine had caught the Kingfisher in mid-air. The Kingfisher was screaming and the Peregrine was screaming back at it. To tell you the truth, it was a horrible sight. The sounds of death, the agony of the Kingfisher and the screaming of the falcon were deafening. The Peregrine flew around the Cove three or four times before it carted away its prey. Just as I started to recover from that sight a very large Osprey appeared before me holding a squirming bunker in its talons. It had just picked up the fish from the shallow water of the cove and the fish was desperately wiggling to get free as the osprey also flew around the same area many times. I am guessing the predator uses the time flying to let its prey die before eating it.  Even though it is the circle of life - it is hard to bear witness. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Archives

    September 2024
    April 2018
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.