Hitman Escape Route Indicates He Might be Into Birds
When I saw the map of the hitman’s Central Park escape, I couldn’t help noticing it coincides with some top birdwatching hot-spots.
The suspect entered the park near the pond with The Great Blue Heron around 6:45 AM (peak bird time) and I assume the assassin would have good binoculars. But the pond is also home to an Egret, so it’s often where I choose to start my day as well, given I’m partial to wading birds.
The killer is next seen exiting the west side of the park at 77th street, which is an optimal view of the San Remo Towers where the Peregrine Falcon couple nests. We don’t know exactly how he got from point A to point B, but he’d have had to pass Sheep Meadow, where the Kestrel is often circling, and Strawberry Fields which is teeming with wrens, chickadees, and other songbirds. It’s a killer hot-spot, second only to The Ramble, the secluded woods where I assume they found his backpack.
In the ramble, the murderer would have been able to see a Great Horned owl, as well as a red-breasted nuthatch, and every type of woodpecker imaginable, including yes, even a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. The birding community is very hopeful regarding the arrival of the new owl, having lost Flacco, Geraldine, and Barry in the past three years to rat poison.
The Peak Design backpack is also logical choice for a birder, given its customizable storage solutions for carrying camera equipment.
The hitman is next seen entering a cab at 86th, which runs parallel to the southern tip of the Reservoir. A quick jaunt over would have yielded not only Hooded Mergansers and Buffleheads, but a wonderful Wood Duck. I don’t know where the assailant is visiting from, but a Wood Duck could be a lifer for him, and lately it’s been spotted hanging out with a female Mallard, which is kind of funny if you think about it, because they’re two different species and I don’t think water birds get nearly enough credit for being unlikely animal friends.
Here’s a photo I took of the Wood Duck and the mallard, which I submitted to Manhattan Bird Alert twitter, but didn't hear back.
I know they’re probably overwhelmed with submissions so I don’t take it personally, and I realize it’s slightly blurry due to low lighting.
The police say the murderer stayed overnight at the HI hostel, which is located within a short walking distance of both Riverside Park (home to the Bald Eagle and the Osprey) and the North Woods (with all the night jars). If that doesn’t scream birdwatcher, I don’t know what does.
The killer is last seen at the bus depot near Fort Tryon park, with the Cabrini Woods sanctuary— another location where the Great Horned Owl has been seen. So he may be an owl guy.
And if he really likes owls, my bet is he’d take a bus north on 81 across the Canada border to the Algonquins--home the best owling in North America, and also free healthcare.
Greyhounds have notoriously bad Wi-Fi, but he would certainly try to enter his sightings into eBird. He’d have put put the time and location of each bird, which helps the Cornell Lab of Ornithology track migrations, and could also help authorities close in on his identity, depending on his eBird handle. Mine is HeronTodayGoneTomorrow.
If any of this information helps with his arrest, I’m happy to donate the bulk of my $50,000 reward to the American Bird Conservancy, but I would like to keep $4K for one of those fancy cameras with high resolution imaging, because my current photos keep getting ignored by the Manhattan Bird Alerts twitter. Here’s one I shot of the heron at Hallet's Sanctuary.
After this one was ignored I stopped submitting. I imagine it helps to know someone over there and I’m not the most extroverted person, so I don't hold any ill-will. I just don’t want to waste any more time submitting, given I lead a pretty full life.
