Little Naturalists: Tragedy for Red Tailed Hawks

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Mom in New Nest

This year, as Mother’s Day dawned I awoke with a sense of anxiety. The red-tail hawk babies had not been seen in the nest for 2 days. I received email after email Saturday afternoon and evening from hawk-watching friends that the parents were bringing food into the nest, but no little white heads popped up; no perfect little hawk-shaped beaks opened. I emailed my friends Lincoln Karim and Beth Bergman, both professional photographers and passionate hawk and nature watchers, saying that I would run to the nest early Sunday morning. At 7am I raced out of the boat with my binoculars and up to Riverside Park to the nest tree, a honey locust standing along the on-ramp to the northbound West Side Highway. There I ran into Cal Vornberger, a renowned urban wildlife photographer (The Birds of Central Park). Together we looked up and saw the mother hawk but no babies.

Top Posts for May

This month we added our Mommy Poppins Slacker Camp Guide to our growing roster of guides including our Camp Guide and Preschool Guide. If you're still looking for a camp for this summer, check out the listing of camp openings and our listings of amazing art camps, which includes performing arts camps as well.

More Top Posts for May were:

Updated Listing of NYC Moms Groups

Luxury Dresses for Old Navy Prices on Etsy

Little Naturalists See Nature All Around

Top Resources for Family Travel

Father's Day Giveaway - Monkey Museum Portrait

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Back when we were doing our Mother's Day Giveaway, we asked our readers what they wanted for Mother's Day and one post totally cracked us up. It was from Kate, who wanted a fake LeSport Sak bag and a Monkey Museum portrait. We are all too familiar with fake bags, but we had to go check out what the Monkey Museum was.

It turns out it's this really awesome art and we immediately wanted some too. So Kate, thanks for sharing this idea with us so now everyone can have the chance of getting a Monkey Museum piece for Father's Day with our Father's Day Giveaway!

Community Spotlight: Elephant Ensemble Theater

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Our Community Spotlight is a monthly feature where we talk to a local mom who is making a difference in the community or otherwise deserves to be celebrated and supported. We also offer free Community Spotlight ads to small local mom-owned businesses. If you know of someone who should be profiled or would like to apply for a free ad, drop us a line.

Free Exercise Spots in NYC

Exercise. Something you know is good for you, but yet, so easy to avoid. And, when you have to pay through the nose for a gym or yoga class it can feel like adding insult to injury. But, no more excuses, here are some great free exercise opportunities all over the city, so - just do it! Bryant Park Free yoga and tai chi on Tuesday mornings and yoga on Thursday evenings. Make a whole day of it; bring your laptop and enjoy the free wireless before or after your downward dog!

Memorial Day Weekend Activites and Events for Kids

[THIS POST IS FROM 2008. PLEASE SEE OUR 2009 EVENT PICKS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.]

I can't believe it's Memorial Day Weekend already...and I'm cold! But here it is and it's bringing the good weather with it. Memorial Day Weekend marks the openings of the city beaches and swimming pools. Also Victorian Garden's Manhattan's own amusement park. And this week is Fleet Week. Get ready for summer with our lists of top family beaches, swimming pools and amusement parks. Whether you are staying in the city or heading for the hills it looks like this Memorial Day Weekend really will be a great kick-off into the summer season.

The big fireworks display Thursday night was just the beginning of the celebrations for the 125th Anniversary of Brooklyn Bridge. This weekend is filled with fun family events starting tonight, plus a bunch of other interesting cultural events. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Top Resources for Family Travel

06-29-06_0818.jpgThe travel industry is notoriously ridden with a lot of "guides" that are actually just advertorials. But family bloggers and parent writers are stepping up to give parents traveling with kids real information based on their personal experiences. We've gathered together the top genuine resources for family travel from blogs to books.

DeliciousBaby
An excellent site I have found is DeliciousBaby. Debbie blogs about traveling with her two small children in the US, Canada and Europe, sharing their favorite destinations, kid-friendly restaurants, plus her site has lots of great family travel tips to make traveling with kids a little easier.

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