Little Yellow Birdies!

The yellow-breasted chat, the largest warbler to come our way, is a frequent visitor to Central Park, but one that has eluded me for some time — until this year. We had a chat hanging out at Sparrow Rock in Central Park for several days, and more recently a chat has spent 16-plus days at the cemetery at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan. 

Yellow-breasted chat at Trinity Church, Lower Manhattan, Nov. 18, 2016

Yellow-breasted chat at Trinity Church, Lower Manhattan, Nov. 18, 2016

I am not a great warbler photographer. These birds flit and fly so fast that I and my camera cannot keep up. But occasionally I get lucky and the little yellow birdies reward my video and photographic efforts. Such was the case on Nov. 1, when I saw the yellow birdie at Sparrow Rock, and then on Nov. 18, when I was so fortunate to have the chat pose for me at Trinity Church. So, as is my wont, I made a video! The music is by Henry Purcell, arranged for recorders, and performed by Papalin.

These little birdies are fattening up on berries and insects before they head south to Central America for the winter. What a delight to see them, and to add them to my Filming the Feather series.

All the photos below are of the Trinity Church chat.

Oh, Rapture! Seven Raptors!

Between Nov. 10 and Nov. 14, I was able to photograph seven different raptors in Central Park. I was able to see at least three more, flying above, that I wasn't able to photograph. On Nov. 10, I saw two Cooper's hawks, two first-year red-tailed hawks, and one adult red-tailed hawk flying (probably one of the Sheep Meadow hawks). Nov. 11, I filmed a first-year red-tailed hawk perched over Literary Walk, and Nov. 12 and 13 I filmed a young adult red-tailed hawk near Bethesda Fountain and the Bandshell (on Nov. 13, I also saw Octavia, Pale Male's mate, on a building on Fifth Avenue, but wasn't able to get a good photo or video; I also saw two adult hawks flying over the Mall, probably the Sheep Meadow couple). Nov. 14, I was fortunate enough to watch Pale Male eat a rat behind the Met Museum. 

First-year red-tailed hawk over the Mall, Nov. 10, 2016

First-year red-tailed hawk over the Mall, Nov. 10, 2016

Cooper's hawk over Strawberry Fields, Nov. 10, 2016

Cooper's hawk over Strawberry Fields, Nov. 10, 2016

Cooper's hawk near the Boathouse, Nov. 10, 2016

Cooper's hawk near the Boathouse, Nov. 10, 2016

First-year red-tailed hawk near the Boathouse, Nov. 10, 2016

First-year red-tailed hawk near the Boathouse, Nov. 10, 2016

Artful Dining

I have posted several photos of Pale Male having dinner. On Nov. 14, I filmed him once again, dining on a rat behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pale Male, over East Drive across from the obelisk, Nov. 14, 2016

Pale Male, over East Drive across from the obelisk, Nov. 14, 2016

Hawk! Hawk! Hawk! Hawk! Hawk! Hawk!

Nov. 10 was a great day for hawks, with five sightings. Nov. 11, 12 and 13 gave me more sightings, of one of the first-year red-tailed hawks and a young adult red-tailed hawk. Also seen were Octavia on a building across from the Met Museum, and adult hawks flying over the Mall.

On Nov. 13, the young adult red-tailed hawk was eating a pigeon across from the Bandshell. Feathers were flying and the dining was pretty graphic. At one point, two older adult red-tailed hawks were seen flying over the Mall, and the young adult grabbed the pigeon dinner, flew with it near the flagpole, stashed the meal in a tree and flew off, kiering, after the flying adults.

Four Sagas Are Now in the Archives!

There was a time when I believed in love, hope and Christmas. I wrote stories about dreams and dreams coming true. I created a character called Purple Monster, and she became the North Pole Ambassador. I also created a character called the Chronicler, who had issues, but faithfully recorded the exploits of our magical heroine and her friends and family in Christmas Monsterland and at the North Pole. Thus came about the PM Sagas, and thus came about this Web site and blog.

A number of the PM Sagas have been placed online for your reading pleasure. I have just added four more:

Crisis at the North Pole, or Yet Another Christmas Story

In this third Saga, SEGWAC malevolently disorients the North Pole crew with a hallucinogenic drug.

 

PM becomes North Pole Ambassador, is kidnapped, and meets Alabaster Eggshell, the Christmas Monster of her dreams.

 

Santa is called before the Un-Christmas Activities Committee by the Purity Plurality.

 

Ho! Ho! Ho! A UFO!: The North Pole is bonked by an alien spacecraft carrying Relicta, the ET IT; and PM and Alabaster get married.