Central Park in October

...is very green.

The avenue under the elms is one of the most beautiful walks in New York.

But we walked up from 59th Street towards the rougher and woodsier Ramble, where I thought we might see some interesting birds. We saw chickadees, nut hatches, what I think was a brown tree creeper, and unidentified little brown birds that looked like wrens. We'll go back early one morning with the bird book, coffee and baguette for breakfast. It was cold and shady in the woods and not much good for pictures.

 

Out in the open on the Great Lawn, though, plenty of sunshine, especially on the east side. That's The Eldorado in the background.What a stupid way to spell it.

We watched, for quite a while, a man pitching to a boy who repeatedly wacked every ball in a straight line over the pitcher's head. It was very impressive. A smaller and increasingly tired little boy gathered the balls from the grass.

 

In ten years? I'd be curious to follow his trajectory.

On the little hill, at Belvedere Castle, many people were looking up, so we did, too.

 

There were some serious watchers, below. A quick search on the web at home revealed that this was in fact Pale Male, the famous Central Park red tailed hawk.

 

The Beresford in late afternoon light.

 

And then down into the subway beneath the Museum of Natural History, whisking towards Brooklyn under the city, on a C train packed to rush hour crushing point. 

Home again, home again...