Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, CT is mostly inhibited by creatures found in Long Island Sound. Aquarium contain a large Shark tank, Harbor Seals, River Otters, Loggerhead Turtles and several large Jellyfish tanks. There are more than 2,000 marine animals from 300 different species exhibited. Although it is smaller than New York and Baltimore Aquariums I have been to still there is a good collection of animals and many things to see. I thoroughly enjoyed the Harbor Seal feeding show. There is an IMAX theater located at the aquarium and which features several nature documentaries. This aquarium is easily accessible from NYC via Metro-North Railroad.

Harbor Seal Show

Shore and Wetland Birds

In NYC Jamaica Bay and Pelham Bay provide excellent spots to watch for shore and wetland birds. Many shore birds migrate through NYC during Spring and Fall. Some of the shore birds that migrate through the city are Dunlin, Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, American Oyestercatcher, Common Terns, Semipalmated Plover and Semiplamated sandpiper. During the Horseshoe Crabs spawning season most migrating shore birds specially Red Knots gather to fest on eggs along NYC beaches. Gull species such as Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull and Laughing Gull can be seen year around. Most common wading birds are Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron and  American Bittern. Also at Jamaica Bay there are artificial nests for Ospreys and for barn swallows.

A Ring-billed Gull near Meadow lake ( Ring-billed Gull is the most common Gull species in NYC)

Anatidae Family

Anatidae family is a biological classification that include Ducks, Geese and Swans. In the lakes of NYC during winter months you can see Mallards, American Black Ducks, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, Wood Ducks, Green Winged Teal, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Brant and Mute Swans. There are many hybrids of Mallards due to inbreeding with domestic ducks. Female Mallards and American Black Ducks are very similar and can be distinguished by the color pattern deference of "Speculum". Canada Goose and Snow Goose used to be migratory birds and due to the abundant food supply in the city some of them have settled down in the city and pose a threat to the local airports. Wood Duck is a beautiful bird to watch and Ruddy Duck is one of the smallest Ducks in the world. Mute Swans are an invasive species from Asia and Europe.During the summer Ducks loose their flight feathers and become flightless. Bronx Zoo and Queens Zoo has an excellent collection of different Duck varieties.

A female Mallard and two Canada Goose in Hudson River near Riverside Park

Warblers

In early April and in September nearly 50 different species of Warblers migrate through the New York City Area. For the new birders it is challenging to identify the large number of these small and fast moving birds, because some of them only have subtle difference. Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Cerulean Warbler and American Redstart are few of the warbler spices that pass through the New York City area. Warblers are popular among birders because they are only seasonal and are active brightly-colored song birds. Warblers spend their winter in Central and South America and migrate back to the breeding grounds located north of NYC and in Canada. Warblers migrate in large groups and in certain days during migration one can see nearly 15 species of warblers in a single day at a NYC park.

Pine Warbler

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Birding at Central Park

Central Park is 843 acres of park land located in one of the world's most densely populated places. It is also one of the most excellent places for birding. According the National Audubon Society more than 280 bird species have been recorded at Central Park. During migration in spring and autumn is the best time for birding with many migrating birds stop at Central Park to rest and replenish energy sources. There are many free guided  bird walk in the park organized by the Urban Park Rangers and National Audubon Society. I visited Central Park and was able to identify dozens of bird species including; Mallards, Wood Ducks, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Ring-billed Gulls,House Sparrows, European Starlings, Rock Pigeons, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, Dark-eyed Juncos, Wood Thrushes, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers. While walking around the park I also saw dozens of other bird watchers enthusiastically searching for birds.

Bullfrog

American Bullfrog simply known as the Bullfrog has the scientific name Rana catesbeiana.  Bullfrog is an aquatic frog and  a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. Bullfrog is a native of southern and eastern United States Canada, It has been introduced to North, Central and South America, Western Europe, and parts of Asia. It’s call resembles  the roar of a bull from which the common name of the frog has been derived. Hind leg of the Bullfrog are used as a human food. Bullfrog inhabits large, permanent water bodies, such as swamps, ponds, and lakes, it can be  usually found along the water's edge.

Development

Bullfrog eggs are fertilized externally. The eggs form a thin, floating sheet which may cover an area of 0.5 to 1 m2. The optimal temperature for embryo development is between 24 and 30 °C (75 and 86 °F) and eggs hatch in three to five days. Newly hatched tadpoles prefer areas with less number of predators such as Shallow water and fine gravel bottom. As they grow tadpoles move into deeper water. Newly hatched tadpoles has three pairs of external gills and several rows of labial teeth. They pump water through the gills and trap  movements of the floor of their mouths, trapping bacteria, single-celled algae, protozoans, pollen grains, and other small particles on mucus in a filtration organ in their pharanges.  As they grow, they begin to ingest larger particles and use their teeth for rasping. They have downward-facing mouths, deep bodies, and tails with broad dorsal and ventral fins.Time for  metamorphosis ranges from a few months in the southern part of the range to three years in the north. Maximum lifespan in the wild is approximately eight to ten years, but one bullfrog lived for almost sixteen years in captivity.

Pollution Sensitivity- extremely sensitive to pollution and other environmental stresses.

Adult

The dorsal surface of the bullfrog has an olive-green basal color and ventral surface is off-white blotched with yellow or gray. Bullfrogs are sexuall dimorphic with males are smaller than the females and have yellow throats. Males also have tympani (eardrums) larger than their eyes. Bullfrogs measure about 3.6 to 6 in (9 to 15 cm) from snout to vent. Young frog would weigh in between 5 to 175 g (0.18 to 6.2 oz) and larger mature frog can weigh up to 500g (1.1 lb).  Male bullfrogs aggregate into groups called choruses during breeding season. Bullfrogs are voracious, opportunistic, ambush predators that prey on any small animal they can overpower and swallow down their throats. Many bird species, otters, fish, and other amphibians prey on bullfrogs. The hind legs of the bullfrog are used as food.

Adult Bullfrog

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Bullfrog Life Cycle

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Red-tailed Hawks of New York City

If you live in New York City, like most people you will rarely expect to see a large bird of prey such as a Red-tailed hawk. But there are dozen or so Red-tailed hawks nesting in New York City. Some of the Red-tailed hawks are residents and can be found throughout the city all year long. Main diet of Red-tailed hawks are pigeons and they are the natural pigeon control in the city. The most famous Red-tailed hawk in the city is Pale male. Pale male who arrived on Central Park in 1991 nests on one of the most luxurious real estates in the city,  927 Fifth Ave at Upper East Side. Every summer number of diehard bird watchers gather around the pool near the 72nd street entrance of the Central Park to get a glimpse of the chicks in the nest made by Pale male. Pale Male has become a legend and books have been written about him and television documentaries has been made about him.The ability survive in the densely populated place like New York City is the greatest survival advantage that Red-tailed hawks has, while most other large birds of prey struggle to co-exist with humans and disappearing from the face of earth.

This is a picture of a Red-tailed Hawk I took at New York Botanical Garden (I wished I had a better zoom in my camera)

Cool Facts about Red-tailed Hawks

• They are commonly known as "Chickenhawks"  though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens
 • Red-tailed Hawks have been seen hunting as a pair, guarding opposite sides of the same tree to catch tree squirrels.
 • The oldest known Red-tailed Hawk was 28 years 10 months old.

More about the Red-tailed Hawks of NYC

http://nycaudubon.org/red-tailed-hawks-in-nyc
 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/pale-male/introduction/2422/
http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/