Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Croton Point

Buteo jamaicensisThis Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was perched near the entrance of Croton Point Park as we entered and then, several hours later, as we left, albeit on the other side of the road. We recognized him by his chest plumage and streaks of russet on the neck.

This is a nice walk. We take Metro North to Croton-Harmon, a 45-minute trip out of Grand Central on the express train, and then walk over the bridge right into the park. We went looking for Bald eagles, and we saw several airborne, at least three individuals. (Hard to count sometimes when you see another juvenile and wonder if it was one of the duo you saw before). It’s getting late for winter birds like the eagles, which means migration is just around the corner; already here if you’re a woodcock, which are being seen now here in the city. There were rumors of Great Horned and Barred owls up there, but we didn’t see them this trip. Next time.

mthew

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2 responses to “Croton Point”

  1. Tom

    Interesting place. It’s a former garbage dump that for years was a major source of pollution. The Hudson River Fisherman’s Association, I believe, sued the county and forced them to cap it and turn it into a grassland. Before the dump, in the 1930s, Roger Tory Peterson was birding there when he came up with the idea for his field guide. I wrote a newspaper column about it when RTP died 16 or 17 years ago.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Tom, was that column ever made available on the ‘net?

      The dump also attracted enormous flocks of gulls, as dumps will. Interestingly, it was also a kind of dump before Europeans showed up. Two large shellfish middens on the point attest to the huge numbers of oysters once taken from the area.

      Reply

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