UHC CEO Hitman Escape Route Indicates He May Be a Birder
When I saw the NYPD map released of the hitman’s Central Park escape I couldn’t help noticing that it coincides with some of NYC’s top birding hot-spots.
According to police, the suspect entered the park near Hallett Sanctuary and the pond with The Great Blue Heron, and he did so around 7 AM, which is peak bird time. The heron is very handsome and I assume the assassin would have good binoculars, but the pond is also home to an Egret, so it’s often where I enter the park as well, given I’m partial to waders.
The killer is next seen exiting the park at 77th street, which is a great view of the San Remo Tower where the Peregrine Falcon couple nests. To get to that exit you’d have to pass Sheep Meadow, where the Kestrel is often circling for mice, and Strawberry Fields which is teeming with wrens, chickadees, thrushes, and other songbirds. It’s a killer hot-spot, second only to The Ramble, which is where I assume they found his backpack.
This winter, in the ramble alone, he murderer would have been able to see a Great Horned owl, as well as a red-breasted nuthatch, and every type of woodpecker, including Pileated, Hairy’s, and yes even Sapsuckers. We're hopeful about the arrival of the new owl, having lost Flacco, Geraldine, and Barry the Barred owl in the past two years to rat poison.
The Peak Design backpack that was found is a logical choice for a birdwatcher, given its customizable storage solutions and usefulness in 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 as well. I don’t know where the assailant is visitng 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 birds get credit for being unlikely animal friends.
Here’s a photo I took of the Wood Duck, 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 at the HI hostel, which is located within a short walking distance of Riverside Park (home to the Bald Eagle and the Osprey) and the North Woods, another vital bird habitat. I can't think of a more birder friendly lodging situation in any of the five boroughs.
The killer is last seen at the bus depot near Fort Tryon park, which is the best uptown birding spot due to the Cabrini Woods sanctuary, and another location where the Great Horned Owl has been seen lately. So he may be an owl guy.
And if he really likes owls that much, my bet is he’d take a Greyhound bus north on 81 across the Canada border to the Algonquins--home to some of 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 immediately into eBird dot org. With eBird he would have to 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 and I feel luck it was available.
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 $3K for one of those fancy cameras with high resolution imaging, because my current photos keep getting ignored by the Manhattan Bird Alerts twitter account. 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 with it given I lead a full life.
