May 26 - Inwood Hill Park - Memorial Day birding

Mornings don't come much prettier than this morning. The calendar may indicate it is late in migration, but the birds are still coming through in numbers. I found 55 species this morning, with 12 warblers. Flycatchers are coming through in good variety and numbers - I saw/heard four species this morning and that was without an Eastern Kingbird which breed in the park, but somehow eluded me this morning. I saw and heard a couple of Eastern Wood-Pewees and several Great Crested Flycatchers. The prizes, however, were the little Empidonax flycatchers. A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher obligingly perched up in view in the Overlook Meadow and I heard two or three Alder Flycatchers, probably seeing one of them, though it was not calling while I observed it. The first Alder was calling near the top of the Clove Road this morning. Another was fairly persistently calling in the Overlook Meadow, usually from somewhere on the east side of the meadow. I heard another or the same one as the Clove bird on the main trail northwest of the head of the Clove Road. A singing male Scarlet Tanager was very cooperative for several of us at the north end of the road north of the Overlook. A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak perched up for a few of us just south of the recent burn area.

A complete bird list for the morning is below, but first a few non-avian wildlife sightings. Butterflies are starting to be more common. This morning I saw Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage Whites, Silver-spotted Skipper and Hobomok Skipper.

Coming down the Clove Road I spotted some (Greater) Celendine in bloom which I stopped to photograph. I was so intent on the flower, that it wasn't until I was home and looking at the pictures on my computer screen that I noticed the Harvestman (or Daddy-long-legs) to the left of the flower.

Celendine and Harvestman                                                                   © Joseph DiCostanzo

Morning bird list:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - see above
Alder Flycatcher - see above
Great Crested Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow