Brewster's Warbler

I recently photographed a Brewster's Warbler in Orange County, NY. It may be a backcross between a Brewster's and a Golden-winged as it has a white breast only slightly tinged with yellow. Then again, it may just be a first-year Brewster's. It's hard to tell with these hybrids. Photos begin here.

According to the Cornell Ornithology Lab:

Scientists have identified dozens of hybrid crosses between warbler species. Although most combinations are very rare, a few crosses are common enough to be encountered with some regularity. The best known are the hybrids between Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers, which are depicted in many field guides. Hybrids between these species typically show stereotyped plumage patterns that combine traits from both of the parental species. The most common hybrid form is known as a "Brewster's" warbler; the rarer form is known as a "Lawrence's" warbler. We currently believe that a "Lawrence's" warbler results when two "Brewster's" warblers mate, or when a "Brewster's" warbler backcrosses with one of its parent species, but research into the genetics of hybridization between these species is underway and many questions remain unanswered.

NYC Photo News

I have created a new Web site for those of use who would like to share our newsworthy photographs with bloggers, news sites, and Web builders. The name of the site is NYCPhotoNews.com.

The concept is that photos on Web sites do not need to be high-resolution like those sold by stock agencies. All photos on my site are 1024 pixels at 72 dpi. I sell all the photos on my site for $5.00 each. I split this amount with the photographer who took the photo. We are planning on rolling out sites in all major U.S. cities by the end of 2010.

If you would like to join as either a buyer or seller of photographs, visit the Web site at www.nycphotonews.com and sign-up for a free acccount.

Rabies Epidemic in Central Park

Not many people know about the rabies epidemic in Central Park. I believe he Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Dept. have tried to keep it out of the newspapers for fear of scaring people from coming into the park but a major health emergency of this magnitude should be made public. I don't know why the Times or the Post haven't picked-up the story.

With more than 100 rabid raccoons trapped and removed from Central Park it would seem that health officials would be more concerned about it spreading into the dog (and cat) populations. Many dog owners do not have their dog's rabies vaccinations up-to-date and there are quite a few feral cats living in and around the park.

Someone reported an incident of a raccoon attaching a woman near the Reservoir last week. I only found out about it because it was reported on a birding listserv.

I urge Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Benepe to step up to the plate on this one and do a much better job about informing the public about the risks associated with rabid raccoons in Central Park. This is a ticking time bomb.

You can find more info on the NYC Health Dept. site: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdrab-borough.shtml

Photo courtesy of NYCPhotoNews.com