Laura Goggin Photography

Midweek Ospreys

2026-04-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

Ospreys are making their way north from their southern wintering grounds and I've seen a few in our area over the last several days. They are often seen soaring overhead as they hunt for fish, and are one of my favorite raptors to photograph because they often check out the camera.

This one carries a giant stick back to its nest.

Another one carries smaller nesting material.

Here is an example of an Osprey hovering just before it dives into the water.

Giving me a stern look...

I love watching them soar with their long lanky wings.

This one was taking a break from nest-building near a beach.

In happy Osprey news, Iris, one of the oldest known Opsreys in the world, returned to her nest in Montana on April 6th. I eagerly await her arrival each year, and am overjoyed that she is with us for another season. She's around 30 years old and you can tune in to her activities on Cornell's Hellgate Osprey cam.

A few early springtime birds

2026-04-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Flowers and trees are blooming, and it's really starting to feel like Spring. Bird migration has begun and you can follow along by checking out the Birdcast migration tool.

One sure sign of Spring is when American Woodcocks show up in Bryant Park, NYC. This year, it seems they are getting a lot of attention as people from all over are flocking to see them.

The attention is well-deserved. Just look at this guy!

The photos below are from some early spring birding trips I took. As spring bird migration picks up, we should start to see some new characters in our region.

Eastern Meadowlark:

Painted Bunting (male):

Pileated Woodpecker (female):

Northern Cardinal (male):

Rufous Hummingbird:

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher:

Brown Thrasher:

Common Loon transitioning into breeding plumage:

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron:

Downy Woodpecker (female):

More to come.

Friday Pelicans

2026-04-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

Today feels like a pelican kind of day.

I spent some time this last February hanging out with Brown Pelicans on the Gulf Coast. They're fascinating and watching them go about their day was a great way to de-stress.

They're so cool when they dive. I'll do a dedicated diving post at some point in the future. Every evening, they gathered in one particular area to go fishing.

I think one thing I love about pelicans is they're so big. Their wingspan is around 7 feet.

I watched a pair gathering nesting material from post-storm debris on some rocks.

They flew their sticks to an island nearby where many pelicans, egrets, and herons were also busy building nests.

This one found some nice greenery.

This is an immature pelican toying with a cluster of leaves among a group of adults.

Here comes the squadron, on their way to their roosting island at sunset.

The photos above all show Brown Pelicans. I also spent a lot of time with American White Pelicans, which I will be posting about soon.

Soaring birds

2026-04-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

I can never pass up photographing a soaring bird. With their wings stretched out, you get an almost complete view of them, and can see feather details that are hidden when they are perched or on the ground. Below are some recent highlights of some of these high-fliers.

Roseate Spoonbills led by a White Ibis:

Magnificent Frigatebird (female):

Great Egret:

Anhinga (female):

Male:

Little Blue Heron (adult):

Juvenile:

Snowy Egret:

Black Vulture:

Tricolored Heron:

Sandhill Cranes:

Swallow-Tailed Kite:

Checking in on the Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawks

2026-03-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

I caught up with Charlie, the resident male Red-Tailed Hawk of Tompkins Square Park, when I stopped by earlier today. He was perched on the cross of St Brigid's church on Avenue B.

He stayed up there a few minutes before taking off and flying into the park.

Once inside the park, he perched above a flock of pigeons that was feeding on the ground and watched them for a while.

Apparently he wasn't interested in catching any of them, and he flew back to the roof of the church.

He then surprised me by dropping down to a ledge...

...where he proceeded to start plucking a pigeon he had apparently stashed up there.

After eating his fill, Charlie once again took off and headed back into the park.

Over a couple of hours, Charlie gave Amelia several breaks from the nest so she could fly around and stretch her wings. She never stayed out for long, but they were both very active. Charlie brought some sticks to the nest and stayed in close proximity.

This is Amelia perched on the edge of the nest a few days ago.

The hawk pair appears to be doing well. More to come.

Anhinga, ready for his close-up

2026-03-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Anhingas are some of my favorite birds, and I spent some time this last winter visiting them down south where they live.

Look at this guy all decked out in his spectacular breeding plumage!

This flirty male has it all going on.

Anhingas are not waterproof, so they often sit in the sun with their wings out to dry off. I've never seen one looking so punkish, though.

Although they're not waterproof, Anhingas still have an oil gland at the base of their tail that they use when grooming.

So pretty.

Females have a lighter head and neck.

This is another male doing a snakey dance on a railing.

This individual remained on the railing as I spent time photographing other things. He seemed to be waiting for an audience.

This is a typical sighting of an Anhinga perched along the shore of a lake.

And this is what you see when they're hunting in the water: just a needle-tipped serpentine head.

I've posted photos of this sculpture before, but I really love it and have to photograph it every time I see it. It's the work of Paul Eppling and is perched along the lake shore of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St Petersburg, Florida. Boyd Hill is home to many of the sculptor's artworks.

Birds of a feather...

Tompkins Square hawks have one last fling before full-time brooding

2026-03-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawks, Amelia and Charlie, are officially into their brooding season. Amelia is spending most of her time in the nest, and Charlie can be seen giving her periodic breaks throughout out the day.

Below, the pair perch in a tree. Amelia looms over Charlie.

Charlie enjoying some late afternoon sun:

Amelia:

Amelia looking fluffy:

This instance was probably the last time I'll be seeing the pair mate this season.

The whole sequence took about five seconds.

Amelia and Charlie:

Amelia:

Charlie perched on the nest just before evening:

When they're in the nest, it's very difficult to see the hawks. When the tree blooms, it might become impossible. But, we will be able to see them as they take turns incubating and taking meals.

For the best up-close look at what goes on in a hawk nest, check out Cornell University's live cam featuring Big Red and Arthur. Big Red laid her first egg of the season on Monday, so tune in to see her lay her full clutch, which is most likely to be three.

Revisiting Florida Scrub-Jays

2026-03-23T00:00:00.001-04:00

Last year, I took a trip to Florida to meet Florida-Scrub Jays. This last February, when NYC was experiencing endless snow and cold, I took another trip to hang out with these little blue characters.

I went to a park where I had seen some before and, sure enough, they showed up to check us out.

All of the adults are banded and known to biologists. The jays live in family groups and this one appeared to be composed of five or six individuals.

Two of them came to the ground to go on a foraging expedition.

One came back up with some seed pods in its mouth.

After making sure no one was watching, this jay took the seeds to the ground and buried them for later.

Florida Scrub-Jays are endemic to Florida and are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, meaning they are likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future.

The 2025 State of the Birds report lists Florida Scrub-Jay as a Red Alert Tipping Point species, meaning that it has lost more than 50% of its population in the past 50 years, has a perilously low population, and has shown steep declining trends. This is due primarily to habitat loss (human development).

Learn more about these wonderful birds and how to help them at the Florida Wildlife Federation's website.

Bald Eagles tussle over a fish

2026-03-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

In February, I visited a spot I like for viewing Bald Eagles and, sure enough, there were a couple of immature birds battling over a fish.

The two eagles chased each other around and displayed some incredible acrobatics in the air.

I'm not sure what type of fish the eagle has, but it appears to be yellow.

The second eagle tried to grab the fish, but the first eagle hung on tight.

Things got a little heated...

The second eagle kept diving at the first eagle.

Oh noes!

The eagles continued to go at it after the fish fell.

As they were distracted, a bunch of vultures moved in on the dropped fish. I was too far away to get good photos of the vultures, but I caught the eagles flying off, perhaps to do more fishing.

Last year, I had a close encounter with some immature Bald Eagles playing around in the same area. I had set out to find different birds, but the eagles stole the show and really made my day.

Brooding Time for Tompkins Square Hawks

2026-03-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

It's egg-brooding time for our Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawks, Amelia and Charlie. This means Amelia will be spending the bulk of the next several weeks hunkered down in their nest. Charlie will hunt for food an provide meals for both of them. He will take over nest duty several times a day to give Amelia a break to eat and get some exercise.

Below is Amelia on the left and Charlie on the right. Note the difference in their size - Amelia is an impressively large hawk.

The hawks have been putting on some mating displays for the last couple of weeks and will continue to do so until the last egg is laid. Below are some mating highlights from the last week or so.

Atop St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A:

In a honey locust tree on the east side of the park:

This is a new spot...on top of what ever that thing is way up near the roof of the Christodora building on Avenue B. Penthouse residents may have had a good view of this encounter.

I was two seconds late for this, but caught the hawks just after mating on Most Holy Redeemer on E 3rd Street. This photo was taken from within Tompkins Square, five blocks away. Amelia is on the left and Charlie is on the right.

Amelia looking out from the nest:

The best bet for seeing hawk action during brooding time is watching Charlie hunt in the park and deliver food to Amelia. They seem to like taking their meals in the tree in the middle of the central lawn, so that's a good place to look for them.

Wintering Ospreys

2026-03-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

When the cold set in here in NYC, I took some time to travel south and visit some Ospreys who are spending their winters in warmer environments.

This is a relaxed, recently-fed, and content Osprey.

I watched this one take in the sun for a while, then embark on a fishing expedition.

But, someone else had taken the favorite fishing spot!

Excuse me!

The second Osprey refused to budge out of its spot, and the first one kept flying.

After the fist one passed by, the second Osprey decided to give chase.

Eventually, it flew up to a perch to dry off after being in the water.

Another Osprey in the same area flew around with what looks like a partial fish.

The Osprey flew the food behind a tree where it dropped it off with its mate who was working on a nest.

I had to leave for the day, but it was great seeing the Ospreys chase each other around in the air and in the water. Not a bad way to spend the winter...

2026: Year of the Horse

2026-03-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was Super Saturday in Chinatown, one of my favorite events of the year. The streets were closed to traffic while firecrackers, confetti, drummers, performers and revelers filled the streets to welcome the Year of the Horse. I really enjoyed the festivities this year and some photo highlights are below.

The amount of confetti was...astonishing. A glorious mess that I will be picking out of my hair for years to come.

There were times I had to just embrace the cellphone era. I hope someone got a good video...

Offerings for the monster Nian:

The finale of one performance included this dragon.

The dragon and crowd were eventually swallowed up by firecracker smoke. I wanted to take some video to capture the deafening sound, but the crowd was so tight, I couldn't move my arms, LOL.

Let's hope the Year of the Horse brings us some good luck.

See more photos of the event on my Flickr page.

See previous Lunar New Year posts here.

Tompkins Square hawks getting ready for nesting season

2026-03-04T14:13:00.000-05:00

It's March, which means spring is almost here and another hawk nesting season begins. Tompkins Square red-tailed hawks, Charlie and Amelia, have been busy preparing for another brood. Below are some recent pics.

Charlie on the cross of St Brigid's church on Avenue B:

He takes off and heads into the park.

This is Amelia taking off from the cross of St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A.

She's looking good.

Charlie flies in from the left to help Amelia arrange sticks in their nest. When spring kicks in and the tree gets leaves, their nest will be nearly invisible.

Amelia and Charlie perched on Avenue A early one evening:

For information about the previous nesting years, check out my Tompkins Square Hawk Archive page.

2026 Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest - Part 4

2026-02-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

In this final post on the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest, we feature the star of the show, an African Black (Verreaux's) Eagle named Ka.

Falconer Steve Hoddy, founder and director of Earthquest, showed off the 10-month old eagle in her juvenile plumage. When she molts into her adult plumage, she will be all black.

The largest bird in the show, she wowed the crow with her wingspan.

Up close, you can see how beautiful her color patterns are.

The photos don't do her plumage justice as the sun was really bright. In person, her coloring was even more saturated and vibrant.

At one point, Ka went, er, spread-eagle to soak up the sun.

Check out those looong legs!

Thanks to everyone at Earthquest and the volunteers at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve who worked so hard and brought a lot of joy to so many people.

2026 Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest - Part 3

2026-02-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

In Part 3 of my Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest series, we spotlight Arrow, a Harris's Hawk.

These hawks are always spectacular and a favorite at raptor shows.

Look at that beautiful tail.

I've never seen a Harris's Hawk in the wild, so that is on my bucket list.

Thanks to falconer Steve Hoddy, founder and director of Earthquest, for sharing his birds and teaching the audience about the importance of environmental conservation.

I could have spent the entire day watching Arrow fly around and dazzle the crowd, but there was one more raptor who ended up being the star of the show. Stay tuned for Part 4.

2026 Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest - Part 2

2026-02-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Continuing from Part 1 of photos from this year's annual Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest, below are highlights from the flying demonstrations. Falconer Steve Hoddy, founder and director of Earthquest, brought several of his birds to show their flying skills and teach about environmental conservation.

This is Horton, a Great Horned Owl.

And this is Gila, an Aplomado Falcon, now endangered in the US.

She thrilled the crowd with her fast loops and swoops.

The wire hanging from her feet is a transmitter so she can be tracked in case she decides to go off on an adventure of her own.

Next up: More flying demonstrations in Part 3.

2026 Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Raptor Fest - Part 1

2026-02-19T15:16:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of attending the annual Raptor Fest at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in Florida earlier this month. It's a fundraising event to help them maintain the preserve and to care for the many birds they have in their care. All of the resident raptors are captive due to injuries or imprinting on humans, and cannot survive on their own.

Up first is this cute little Screech Owl.

Here is an example of red-morph and gray-morph Screech Owls. It was really difficult to capture these two looking in the same direction at the same time.

This Barred Owl drew a lot of attention with her beautiful dark eyes.

There were a few Swallow-Tailed Kites in attendance, including this adult.

This is an adult Mississippi Kite.

This is my first time seeing a juvenile Mississippi Kite, which was really striking in person.

An annual favorite is this leucistic adult male Red-Tailed Hawk. I've posted photos of him before, but had to share more again as he's so unique.

Upcoming: Part 2

Dinner with Charlie the Red-Tailed Hawk

2026-02-17T20:25:00.001-05:00

On a recent visit to Tompkins Square, I found resident male Red-Tailed Hawk, Charlie.

He was calmly perched in a tree when a squirrel came along to taunt him.

I soon realized Charlie had been perched on that particular branch because there was a dead pigeon on the ground below, presumably dropped by him just before I arrived. He soon came down to retrieve it.

You can see he still has bright yellowish eyes, indicating he's young. His eyes will darken with age.

After looking around a few seconds, Charlie flew the pigeon to a tree where he could safely eat it.

After eating his fill, he took the leftovers to another tree and called to Amelia.

Seeing her in another tree, he flew the pigeon to her.

Amelia was hidden in thick branches, so I couldn't get a photo of her accepting dinner. Instead, I stuck with Charlie who perched in a nearby tree, soaking in the sun on this cold day.

Eventually, he took off and soared away...

Red-Shouldered Hawk in the neighborhood

2026-02-13T12:36:00.001-05:00

There has been an immature Red-Shouldered Hawk hanging around the neighborhood.

It seems to avoid Tompkins Square Park, territory of the resident Red-Tails, and has scoped out an area where it is finding success hunting pigeons and rats.

If there is prey readily available, a hawk may camp out for several days or weeks.

In the photo below, you can see the heat waves coming out of the chimney where the hawk was perched. I can't help but wonder if the hawk was taking advantage of warm chimneys on this extremely cold day.

Red-Shouldered Hawks are not that rare, but we don't see many of them in the city, so it was exciting to see this one making a living in this area. I hope it sticks around for the remainder of winter.

There can never be too many ducks

2026-02-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Winter is my favorite time to see ducks, and some really interesting ones can be found in the waters around NYC.

I was really excited to find this female Common Eider off the beach at Coney Island.

She is my first and I revisited her many times to get a decent photo. A random snow storm hit during one of my visits, which made photos nearly impossible, so I returned the following day and found her in the same spot.

I didn't have any luck seeing a male (they are black and white), but I was really happy to get good looks at this gal.

These ducks breed in the Arctic, so seeing them this far south is pretty special.

Common Goldeneyes usually show up in winter. The males appear black and white, but the dark head is actually a deep iridescent green.

These ducks are not uncommon, but they don't appear in large numbers here, so it's pretty cool to see one.

Long-Tailed ducks are some of my favorites, so I have posted photos of them before, and don't mind sharing some more. I find their plumages really interesting.

This is an immature male:

And this is an adult male in non-breeding plumage:

This one is not like the others. All the ducks above are diving ducks, and often found along the shore. Muscovy ducks are none of that. Most of the ones we seen in North America are domesticated versions, and can often be found in parks or lakes.

I like how varied they are in appearance. This is a male.

This is a female.

And these are Muscovy ducklings. Squeeee!

Happy Groundhog Day

2026-02-02T18:46:00.001-05:00

It's Groundhog Day, the day we're supposed to take advice from a rodent about whether to put away that winter coat or not. Seeing as how there are still mountains of frozen brown snow lining the streets, I'm just going to assume we should continue wearing boots and gloves.

But I will pay some respect to these critters because they manage to live among use here in the city and generally keep a low profile. They're not as visible as squirrels, raccoons or rats, so seeing one is a special experience and I'm always surprised at how big they are.

In Manhattan, Fort Tryon Park is a good place to spot one.

The ones below were seen in Brooklyn.

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil this morning predicted six more weeks of winter, so bundle up.

Neighborhood hawks

2026-01-28T00:00:00.002-05:00

Before the snowstorm rolled in last Sunday, I made the rounds to check on our local hawks. It's the time of year when the Tompkins Square Red-Tails are sprucing up their nest and defending their territory against other hawks.

I found Charlie in the park hunting for snacks. When he arrived a year ago, he seemed to focus solely on catching birds, but he's been spending the winter clearing the park of rats.

Nearby, Amelia kept watch.

Both hawks can often be found perched on Most Holy Redeemer church on E 3rd Street. It offers them a great vantage point where they can look over their territory and the city. I'd love to know what the view is like from up there.

Charlie is on the left while Amelia is on the right.

I took the photos above from the street, and the ones below from a rooftop a few blocks away.

This is Amelia:

From my far-away vantage point, I later found Amelia perched on the cross of St Nicholas of Myra church on Avenue A and 10th Street. If you squint, you can see her in this photo.

This one is a little closer, but I was almost a mile away.

Back in the park, Charlie caught a rat and flew it high into a tree to eat.

A short while later, he flew off, his bulging crop visible.

Bonus: in addition to the Red-Tails, I found a couple of other hawks in the area.

This is an immature Red-Tail who was scoping the neighborhood and drawing the ire of Amelia, who chased it around.

And this is an adult Cooper's Hawk seen soaring around the Con Ed plant, and eventually chased off by a Kestrel.

Another Cooper's Hawk:

Winter is a good time to see raptors in the city as they migrate. Keep and eye on the sky for Bald Eagles as well.

Today's snowstorm

2026-01-25T18:38:00.003-05:00

I took a walk around the neighborhood earlier today as the snow really started coming down. It was fun for a while until the wind picked up and I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon holed up in my apartment.

Looking down Avenue A from 7th Street:

Joggers headed up Avenue A:

Looking up Avenue A from 9th Street:

Ray's Candy on Avenue A:

Another view north on Avenue A and 7th Street:

Here are a couple of videos of snow plow action on Avenue A:

Meanwhile, there were quite a few people enjoying the snow in Tompkins Square Park.

Back to Avenue A and St Mark's Place:

Looking across Avenue A at Doc Holiday's:

Looking southwest on 1st Avenue at 6th Street:

For me, the most dramatic storm was the blizzard of December 27, 2010 when then-mayor Mike Bloomberg took off for Bermuda, failed to declare a state of emergency (to bring out the snow plows), and told all of us to stop whining and "Go see a play!" That night, several MTA buses became stranded in the snow on Avenue A, and the following day was spent digging them out. Below are a couple of videos showing those efforts.

What I remember about that 2010 storm is the feeling of being left to fend for ourselves and neighbors helping neighbors. Good Samaritans brought hot coffee to the bus drivers who had to stay with their buses until they were towed.

"I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."

--Fred Rogers

An afternoon with the Tompkins Square hawks

2026-01-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Friday afternoon, I was happy to find both Tompkins Square Red-Tailed Hawks around the park.

This is Amelia on the cross of St Brigid's Church on Avenue B.

A short while later, she moved a block north to the roof of the Christodora building.

She was soon joined by Charlie who flew in from the left.

After checking in with Amelia, Charlie moved to the ladder on the south side of the building.

Something caught his attention and he flew over to the chimney on the north side of the building.

Eventually, Charlie came down into the park and started making his rounds.

Here, he perches in the Krishna Tree.

As I watched him, he suddenly took off after a rat.

My photos of him carrying his catch back to another tree aren't so great, so we'll just skip to when he held the rat in his talons on a branch.

The rat was a decent size, but Charlie chomped it down in just 4-5 bites.

Was that just an appetizer? He wasted no time taking off again.

I followed him around as it looked like he might make another catch, but he seemed to be comfortable and taking his time.

In this photo, you can see his bright "eyebrow" which helps identify him. Amelia does not have this field mark. His eyes are also light and bright,

Just as the sun went down, both hawks flew out of the park, which was my sign to leave for the evening. All seems to be well in hawk world.

Bird highlights to start the new year

2026-01-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

I still have a ton of bird photos from the last few months that I haven't been able to share. Below are a few to start the new year.

Great Egret:

Black Vulture:

Turkey Vulture:

Great Horned Owl:

Horned Lark:

Common Loon:

Great Cormorant:

Green Heron:

Great Blue Heron:

Yellowlegs:

Red-Winged Blackbird:

Snowy Egret:

Northern Cardinal:

Brown Pelican: