Welcome Back, Woody!

A Love Letter to the Prince of the Pond

I have loved a wood duck for more than four years. Woody resides at the Pond in Central Park, and his handsomeness and quirky personality bring me daily to see him and give him some peanuts. I put together a video in 2014 showing Woody in all his glory during the month of March. Woody! Woody! Woody! is still a joy to watch, for it shows his many moods.

Prince Woody, Sept. 16, 2016, back in full feather

In previous years, Woody would leave the Pond for maybe a week or a month, usually in May. This year, Woody left March 5 (or at least, I last saw him on March 4), and did not return. I kept returning to the Pond, but the worry and sadness got stronger and stronger as I didn't see him. I kept myself busy chasing hawks, but I really missed my friend.

But Woody returned!!! I saw him once again on June 16, and my joy was overwhelming. I put together my "love letter video" to Woody, and share it with you now. Woody is shown in full feather before his vacay, and then in the different stages of molting until he is back in full feather once again. It was filmed March 3 through Oct. 3, 2016. I set it to Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, and he is worthy of that masterpiece!

This gallery shows Woody from March 3 through Oct. 2. You can really watch the progression of the molting. When he molts, Woody hides out in the reeds. He can't really fly and the sun must really burn. So I am always happy when he comes to see me, and never get upset that he wants to leave very quickly and return to the reeds. Woody is his own duck, and I respect that.

Woody! Woody! Woody! happy to see me! Oct. 2, 2016

Peek-a-Boo Near Laupot Bridge

On Oct. 3, we spent a very short time with a young red-tailed hawk just north of Laupot Bridge. We heard a lot of blue jay squawking, then my friend spotted the hawk flying into a tree. It stayed a brief time there, then flew down the hill and off. We chased a little longer. I had to leave to see Woody at the Pond before my singing workshop, so I left my young friend to chase this handsome bird without me.

Young red-tailed hawk near Laupot Bridge, Central Park, Oct. 3, 2016

A Great Blue Heron at Sylvan Water

There is a pond in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn called Sylvan Water. On Sept. 28, we saw a great blue heron staring into the water, looking for fish. We didn't see the heron catch anything, but the intensity of the bird's absorption with the pool was fascinating. The bird circled the pool, flying back and forth a few times.

A great blue heron in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Sept. 28, 2016

We saw a few birds at the cemetery, including a great number of flickers. But we spent a lot of time with the handsome heron. The Filming the Feathers video is set to piano pieces by Edvard Grieg.