Eagle Mania!

Spent nine hours yesterday with a wonderful group of birders counting Bald Eagles on the Hudson River. We started the morning at the look out by the Bear Mountain Bridge and ended the day at dusk at a eagle roost in Croton on the Hudson. Incredible day filled with 159 sightings of Bald eagles, adults and immatures. I also was lucky and got another life bird! That makes two in a month....which in the north east rarely happens to me! The bird was White Winged Cross-bills, and we watched about a dozen of them atop a tall pine eating the seeds of the pine cones. Stunning views of a beautiful bird. Terrific day spent with like minded people, some of my fellow hawk watchers from Mt. Peter and a few people from other birding groups. Also....got to meet Cal Vornberger who is a wildlife photographer. His book The Birds of Central Park is incrediable! He was at two of our stops. Check out his work: http://www.calvorn.com/

White-Winged Crossbill

A medium-sized finch of the boreal forest, the White-winged Crossbill is adapted for extracting seeds from the cones of coniferous trees. It moves large distances between years tracking the cone crop from place to place.
Description
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* Stocky red or greenish finch.
* Black wings with two large white wingbars.
* Short, notched tail.
* Thick, curved bill with crossed tips.

* Size: 15-17 cm (6-7 in)
* Wingspan: 26-27 cm (10-11 in)
* Weight: 24-26 g (0.85-0.92 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male red or pink, female yellow-green.
Sound

Song is a series of trills interspersed with chirps and warbles. Call a very dry, rapid "chut-chut-chut-chut.?

Petey met up with his doggy friends in the Co. Park and went for a Trail Run with his daddy! They had a fantastic time.