City Birds

It's tough being a birder when you work in a large city. The birds you yearn to see when you can take your eyes away from the computer are no where to be found. The birds that make you wince when they come to your feeders are abundant and everywhere. Or at least this is what I thought a couple of weeks ago.

It started with the exciting sighting of the falcon. Hmmmmm, I thought......I wonder if there are any other gems out there I have yet to discover.

And there I found it. A lone robin on a crab apple tree at the Worcester Common. I have worked in downtown Worcester for over 15 years now and had never seen a robin anywhere in the downtown area. Of course, I have never actively looked for one either so that may be why. It would make sense that they would be here considering all of the crab apple trees the city planted in an effort to beautify the downtown area.


Here we see the dreaded house sparrow. One thing I do have to say about these birds is that they are not at all afraid of people. I decided to test their bravery while taking these pictures. I got closer to these birds than I have any other birds since birding. They went about their business as I stood only a few feet away from them and clicked away.

This one here is eating kale that is in one of the planters. The male sat there for about 5 minutes munching away. I couldn't help but feel pity for the poor bird who had to roost next to him that evening.

Another picture of the magnificent falcon. The king bird of the city as far as I'm concerned. He is a falcon with a capital F.

A couple of people have asked me why the falcons find a downtown area so appealing. There are quite a few factors at play here.

1: The city has skyscrapers and nesting areas that suit their needs.

2: For the most part, downtown Worcester is predator free as far as I know. You will not find any owls, foxes or other animals that would find falcon a tasty meal.

3: Most significant is the large availability of food. One of their favorite meals are pigeons and as you can see the pigeons in the city are very well fed by well meaning people waiting for their bus.

I have also seen a couple of red tailed hawks downtown about 10 days ago. I have been looking for them since, but have not had any luck. I am hoping they will be back though so I can get some pictures.

It will be interesting to see what other birds I can find once spring comes. I am going to try and bird at least once a week during my lunch hour and make my own little check list to see what I can find. Who says city birding can't be fun! ;o)

Do any of you have any notable birds in your downtown area? I would be curious to know what kind of birds make the city their home.

Happy Friday everyone!!