It's the buzz of the town.
On Monday, for the first time in nearly two years, a local celebrity, the bald eagle Rover, was spotted flying over the Central Park Reservoir.
“Immediately after passing the exam, [Park’s] At 3:50 p.m., an adult bald eagle was seen at North Gatehouse flying low and circling repeatedly over the northwest corner of the reservoir. ” manhattan bird alert He spoke to the Post about the X account. “I was so excited because this had to be a rover!”
This reputed raptor was a regular at the reservoir in 2022 and was frequently seen hunting gulls and other local creatures within the park. He is easily identified by his distinctive “R7” band tag. As Eaglet in 2018.
Bird enthusiasts are celebrating his return.
“Rover the bald eagle returned this morning to one of his favorite feeding spots, Central Park Reservoir,” birder Karen Jarre wrote in a post on X with a clear photo of Rover, viewed 28,000 times. Collected more views.
Other birdwatchers said Rover posed for Jarre's photo, then caught, killed and ate a seagull in mid-flight while perched in a tree near a reservoir.
The bald eagle's comeback is a great sign for the species, which was threatened with extinction in the 1970s due to conservation efforts such as pesticide bans.
In 1976, it was estimated that only one pair of nesting bald eagles remained in New York state. New York City Audubon spokesman Andrew Mars said there are now hundreds of pairs during peak winter season.
“We're proud to see bald eagles like Rover increasingly embrace our city, demonstrating how far New York City has come in terms of improving the environment for birds and humans,” Maas told the Post. told.
As for Rover's whereabouts during his long absence, Barrett said the bird has followed the same path as many of the people in the borough over the past two years, migrating to the northern part of the state and living somewhere along the Hudson River north of the city. I think they were breeding.
When cold weather freezes waters in the northern part of the state, many birds fly south in search of more water and prey, Barrett explained.
“The recent cold snap likely caused the rover to embark on a journey back to its old hunting grounds,” he says.
