Audio

Hawking on the Harbor

Dave Taft at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Hawk-watching sites in the Jamaica Bay Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area

A peregrine falcon on the wing

What makes hawks such amazing predators -- and where are the best places in New York City to see them? Let National Park Service Ranger Dave Taft share his insights and expertise with you -- and hear about his memorable experience watching a peregrine falcon make a kill.

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For information on the hawk-watching sites mentioned in this recording, where up to 17 hawk species may be seen during the fall migration, visit our Fort Tilden, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Floyd Bennett Field pages.

Dave Taft grew up in Canarsie where he learned to collect, trap, and study insects, fish, crabs, spiders, turtles, snakes, ferns, orchids, and other unfortunates not quick enough to escape. Thirty years later, he is still collecting, trapping and studying -- but for the National Park Service. Currently, he serves as District Ranger at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreation Area.

A trained artist, Mr. Taft frequently paints or draws from familiar landscapes and objects found near the park. Says Taft: "There is always something unexpected about nature in New York City. Even a simple find (such as a dead bee on a visitor center windowsill) can lead to important personal discoveries."

  
© 2007 Dave Taft. The landscapes depict West Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The third painting shows fifteen dead bees found on the windowsills of the old visitor center at the refuge. Click to see enlargements.