Bald Eagle at the Reservoir

photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK - Rockland County, NY -- 2/21/2008


The following exciting news was posted on eBirdsNYC yesterday by regular Central Park birder Junko Suzuki. Though there have been many Bald Eagles seen flying over Central Park in the past, this may be the first to actually set foot -- I mean set talons --- in the park itself

Sorry for the late posting. There was an immature Bald Eagle seen at the Reservoir around 10:35AM, Sunday (11/7). After seeing many gulls flying up suddenly, I looked up the sky and saw a large dark raptor circling. Its body looked uniformly dark and the underwing markings (white pattern on underwing coverts) were very visible. To my surprise, this first year Bald Eagle came down lower and lower to the water with its talons down, and then tried to fish! As far as I could see, it did not succeed. After this one attempt of fishing, the young eagle slowly flew up to the sky and eventually moved out to south

Other birds (seen on 11/7/10) included:

Pied-billed Grebe (At least 2, possibly 3, Reservoir.)
Gadwall (8, Reservoir.)
Northern Shoveler (3, NW. corner of Reservoir.)
Bufflehead (5+, Reservoir.)
Hooded Merganser (3 males & 2 females, N. side of Reservoir.)
Ruddy Duck (80+, 3 groups between NW. corner and NE. corner of
Reservoir.)
American Coot (1, near south gate house.)
Black-capped Chickadee (Several, different places.)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1, at feeders, Evodia Field.)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, north edge of Reservoir.)
Hermit Thrush (8, Ramble, Locust Grove and W. of Reservoir.)
Pine Siskin (2, at feeders, Evodia Field.)

Junko Suzuki