Island Hopping

Governors Island is just a short ferry ride away from the Isle of Manhattan, and definitely a summer destination (as well as a spring and early fall place to visit). It has an absolutely incredible view of the Statue of Liberty!

The view from the west side of Governors Island, Aug. 6

There is a lot of nature there, particularly birds and flowers, but good bugs, too! The island has very few cars (only official and vendor motorized vehicles allowed), lots of bicycles, and many pedestrians. Slowly but surely, more and more touristy places to spend your money are popping up on the small island. But in advance of the total commercialization that will probably deprive Governors Island of its charm, I've been visiting and documenting the nature there. On August 6, I walked around the island photographing wildlife and avoiding people. I offer here An August Nature Walk on Governors Island.

For the last two years, a pair of yellow-crowned night herons have been nesting on the island. The babies this year are so delightful.

Yellow-crowned night heron youngsters, Governors Island, Aug. 6

The first stop of my walk was just west of the castle, where I saw a banded common tern. I watched it for a while, and you can see the flight in the video.

On a building across from the Harbor School, a mother herring gull watched over her kids, occasionally squawking at them. Below, on the ground, two youngsters ran around, stretched or slept. I shifted my focus between the gulls and the heron nest.

Mama Herring Gull, keeping watch

A baby herring gull, hanging out below Mom

A very balletic baby gull

After leaving the Harbor School area, I walked south along the west shore and found least sandpipers exploring the rocks.

There are flowers to be found everywhere you look on the island, not only in the Urban Garden (which I didn't visit on this trip) or the garden in front of the Harbor School.

And I saw lots of bugs, but focused on the butterflies, including a very beautiful skipper, a monarch butterfly, a cabbage butterfly, a painted lady and a battle-scarred spicebush butterfly (I think, but am not sure).

This butterfly has seen better days, but has survived. Harbor School garden

The island will remain accessible through the end of October. I will go back, I hope several times, and hope to have lunch those days at Little Eva's.

Two Hawks, One Pigeon

In Part 5 of The Grant's Tomb Fledglings, shot on June 28, you'll get to see the three young red-tailed hawks between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. First, the youngsters explore and cry and try to figure out the hunting thing they are expected to learn. One kid pounces on a napkin and, after carrying it to the top of a park bench, begins to "pluck" it. The napkin didn't stand a chance. Then one youngsters grabs a pigeon brought in by Mrs. Grant (also called Claremont), takes it to a tree, drops it, eats on the ground, then tries to protect the meal when a hungry sibling shows up to eat.

Two kids and one meal, right before grand theft pigeon.

The great hunter with the napkin prey.

You'll find Part 5 below. If you want to get to the sibling rivalry action without watching the beautiful babies pose, preen and hunt napkins, skip to minute 25 or thereabouts. You'll see one youngster with the pigeon meal dine on the ground until a sibling comes in, studies the situation, then grabs what remains.

All photos below show the young hawks on June 28 near Claremont Playground.

Fun on the Ground at Grant's Tomb

The three Grant's Tomb red-tailed hawk fledglings spent much of June 27 on the ground, chasing bugs, twigs, clover and other fascinating items near the Claremont Playground and behind the General Grant National Monument.

Grant's Tomb fledgling, north of the General Grant National Monument, June 27, 2017

Two hawk siblings near Claremont Playground, June 27

Parental supervision

Baby hawk vs. squirrel. The squirrel won.

The day was so filled with action that it warranted its own Chasing the Hawks video: The Grant's Tomb Fledglings, Part 4: June 27, 2017. So much fun to watch! Adult red-tailed hawks don't spend a lot of time on the ground. They tend to swoop down, grab the prey, then swoop back up to a tree to eat. But the babies are discovering what they can and can't do, and because they weren't designed to run on the grass, they often fall over as they hop around. You'll see that in the video.

The photos below are all from June 27.