October 31 - Inwood Hill Park - fall color

Before going to Brooklyn to visit family for Halloween I did a short walk around Inwood Hill Park on a lovely, but cool morning. The winds were from the northwest so i had high hopes for migrants, especially raptors, but birds were surprisingly scarce and there were no raptors at all in the two hours from 9:00 to 11:00 am. However, there was one uncommon bird seen. While enjoying the view of the Palisades across the Hudson from the meadow overlook a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker flew by headed south! But the real treat of the walk was the fall foliage, probably at its peak right now in the park. Below is a picture of one of the park paths and a panorama of the Palisades, followed by the morning's bird list.

East path on the ridge

Palisades across from Inwood

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow