October 19 - Central Park

Summer seems to have returned, or at least summer temperatures, for my Wednesday morning AMNH bird walk. However, one way we knew it was not summer was the fact that the sun does not rise until about fifteen minutes after our 7 AM start time, so it was still dim when we started and when we could find a bird it was hard to get a good look at it. Nevertheless, we managed to find 32 species, including four warblers.

Canada Goose (10, the Lake)
Wood Duck (4, Turtle Pond)
Mallard
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (20)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1, male)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ovenbird (2)
Common Yellowthroat (1, male, Maintenance Meadow)
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

October 13 - Central Park

A very pretty morning in the Ramble for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk group. It would have been an even prettier morning if there had been more birds around! It was the first morning this fall without a single warbler species seen or heard. Perhaps the highlight was a Gray Squirrel in an unusual resting posture.

Gray Squirrel - 10/132016 - Central Park

Canada Goose (7, the Lake)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (1, Turtle Pond)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

October 12 - Central Park

A lovely, cool morning in Central Park for my Wednesday morning AMNH birdwalk group. However, it was a times frustrating because we could see birds high up in the tree tops, but they often stayed out of sight behind the dense clumps of leaves or were mere silhouettes against the sky. Nevertheless, we had a nice couple of hours with a decent variety of species. One favorable development was that most of the Ramble is finally open again now that he Conservancy has finished the latest repaving project and taken down the fencing that has blocked off large sections this fall. My group had been looking forward to this so that we could check the large patch of Jewelweed that was behind the benches at the main path intersection somewhat north of the lower Gill. We were stunned to discover the Jewelweed had all been removed by the Conservancy. I have no idea why.

Northern Flicker - 10/12/2016 - feeding on ground near Maintenance Meadow

Today's list is below (35 species):

Canada Goose (7, the Lake)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (1, Turtle Pond)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (5)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo (2)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee (6)
Tufted Titmouse (5)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2, Blevedere)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (1)
Carolina Wren (1)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher (1, Maintenace Meadow)
European Starling
Northern Parula (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow (1, near Maintenance Meadow)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (5, flyover flock, Maintenance Meadow)
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow

Thursday morning Central Park walks - Sept 15, 22, and 29 and Oct 6

I haven't had a chance to post my Thursday morning AMNH Central Park bird walk lists this fall. I hope I will be able to keep up with them for the rest of the month, but in the meantime I will post here the bird lists for the walks I have done. For the most part, it has been a surprisingly quiet fall, with the Thursday walks being often quieter than my Wednesday morning ones. Before giving the lists, I want to share two photos from last week's Thursday walk. The first is a picture of the ground fog on the Great Lawn as seen from the Belvedere Castle.

Great Lawn - October 6, 2016

The second photo is of a cooperative Red-tailed Hawk that sat in a tree at the north end of the Maintenance Meadow for a time, while other birds such as a Blue Jay and a Downy Woodpecker came in a scolded at it.

Red-tailed Hawk and Downy Woodpecker - October 6, 2016

September 15 (26 species)
Canada Goose (The Lake)
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Philadelphia Vireo (2, Maintenance Meadow; easily our best bird of the fall so far)
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Magnolia Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager (3)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

September 22 (25 species)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Northern Parula (3)
Pine Warbler (2)
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Scarlet Tanager (2)
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

September 29 (28 species)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk (3)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Northern Parula (2)
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

October 6 (28 species)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Red-breqasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Magnolia Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow

Wednesday morning Central Park bird walks - Sept 28 and Oct 5

Unfortunately, I have fallen behind in posting my reports of my AMNH Central Park bird walks. In order to catch up I will post the bird lists for the last two weeks with only very brief comments.

September 28 - (37 species)
Canada Goose (8, the Lake)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
American Kestrel (1, flyover)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1, uncooperative bird in Maintenance Meadow and vicinity)
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2, Willow Rock)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler (2)
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-brasted Grosbeak (2, Willow Rock)
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

October 5 - (44 species; our best morning of the fall so far)
Wood Duck (female, the Lake)
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk (1, flyover)
Red-shouldered Hawk (1, flyover - Upper Lobe)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
American Kestrel (1, flyover)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1, Willow Rock)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe (lots; especially at Turtle Pond)
Blue-headed Vireo (1, Belvedere)
Blue Jay
Winter Wren (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
PineWarbler (1, Hernshead)
Palm Warbler (2, Maintenance Meadow)
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird (1, Azalea Pond)
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow (1, Hernshead)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1, Maintenance Meadow)
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow

September 21 - Central Park

Relatively quiet morning for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk. There were a few highlights: a female Northern Pintail on Turtle Pond was an uncommon find in the Park.

Northern Pintail on Turtle Pond - 9/21/2016

Unfortunately I was the only one in the group to catch a glimpse of a Common Raven as it disappeared to the east over the Great Lawn. However, I think everyone got at least a quick view of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak by the Belvedere Castle. Other finds were a sleeping Raccoon in a tree north of the Maintenance Meadow and an Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly in the Meadow.

sleeping Raccoon - 09/21/2016

Eastern Tailed Blue - 09/21/2016

The full bird list follows. [Below today's list is the list for last Wednesday morning, which I did not get posted last week.]

Canada Goose (The Lake)
Gadwall (eclipse plumage, Turtle Pond)
Mallard
Northern Pintail (female, Turtle Pond)
Red-tailed Hawk (flyover near Upper Lobe)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (flyover, Maintenance Meadow)
Downy Woodpecker (Hernshead)
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo (near Belvedere)
Blue Jay
Common Raven (flying east over Great Lawn)
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (heard, Maintenance Meadow)
White-breasted Nuthatch (heard, west of Azalea Pond)
Carolina Wren (south side of Turtle Pond)
Swainson’s Thrush (Maintenance Meadow)
Wood Thrush (Maintenance Meadow)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher (Belvedere Castle)
European Starling
Northern Parula (3, on way to Belvedere)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (female, west of Azalea Pond)
Black-and-white Warbler (Belvedere)
American Redstart (Azalea Pond)
Ovenbird (Azalea Pond)
Northern Waterthrush (Azalea Pond)
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Belvedere Castle)
Common Grackle
House Sparrow


Below is the list for Wednesday, Sept. 14. The highlight was the adult Red-headed Woodpecker by the Azalea Pond.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush (Azalea Pond)
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

August 13 - Bridled Tern on Great Gull Island

This evening, shortly before sunset, Catherine Neal told me she had a very beautiful bird down by the dock out here on Great Gull Island, but she didn't know what it was. I grabbed my camera in case it was something I should get a picture of. At the end of the dock Catherine had a spotting scope set up aimed back at the rocks to the west of the dock. She looked through it and said the strange bird was still there. I looked through the scope and my first thought was "Sooty Tern!", followed immediately by an unprintable exclamation as I realized it was a Bridled Tern! Not only is this new for my New York State list (#420), but it is new for my U.S. list. Everyone got to see the bird and Cathrine went back down the dock to let Helen Hays know. Helen was in the new dock blind observing. When Helen didn't come out onto the dock I headed back to the blind to call up to her. She said she was getting good views of the bird from there. I joined her in the blind and got some nice photos. I will put some on my Facebook page and will add some here when I figure out how to upload here from my iPad.

adult Bridled Tern - August 13, 2016

June 29 - Royal Tern on Great Gull Island

Around mid-day a Royal Tern stopped by Great Gull Island and spent some time sitting on one of the old dock pilings.

Royal Tern (right) and Common Tern - 06/29/2016 - Great Gull Island

My 2016 Great Gull Island Birdathon report

Last month I did my annual Great Gull Island Birdathon. We tallied 192 species on the weekend. I have finally gotten my report together and placed it and the full bird list as a separate page on the blog. It is here.

Final tallies on Central Park AMNH bird walks.

Though my American Museum of Natural History bird walks in Central Park officially finished last week, I waited until now to compile cumulative lists for the season since I was doing an extra walk this week for each group (Wednesdays and Thursdays). I have now compiled the lists and they are posted as separate pages on the blog. The Wednesday list is here and the Thursday list is here. I also did a combined list for the two groups and it can be found here.

May 26 - Central Park - Mourning Warbler

Even warmer this morning than yesterday. As with my Wednesday morning AMNH Central Park bird walk group, last week was the last official walk, but I did one more this morning for the Thursday group. Also as with yesterday's extra walk for the Wednesday group, today's extra walk for the Thursday group was worth the trip. We had slightly fewer birds than yesterday, notably we missed yesterday's flycatchers, but we still had ten species of warblers and some quality birds. Easily the best was a singing male Mourning Warbler just south of the west side of Oak Bridge by the Upper Lobe. The bird exhibited its usual skulking behavior, but most of the group managed to get some good views. We then headed up towards the Belvedere Castle where the same Honey Locust tree that was so active with warblers yesterday was again a focus of attention for birds and birders, Again this morning there were at least six species of warblers feeding in the tree as well as Red-eyed and Warbling vireos. One Warbling Vireo was particularly accommodating to having its picture taken.

Warbling Vireo 05/26/2016 Central Park

 Later, we got a quick view of a Black-billed Cuckoo flying away from the same tree, south of the Maintenance Meadow that the Least Flycatcher was in yesterday. In the end we found 34 species for the morning. The full list of 34 species is below. I will be posting as a separate page the cumulative list totals for the Wednesday and Thursday walks.

Finally, to end with a non-bird sighting, here is one of the Red-eared Sliders on a floating branch south of Oak Bridge.

Red-eared Slider 05/26/2016 Central Park

Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Gray-cheeked Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Black-and-white Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 25 - Central Park - warblers and flycatchers

Last week was officially my last AMNH Wednesday morning bird walk of the spring, but with spring migration still going on, I did an extra one this morning. My group was rewarded with lovely weather and a good late migration assemblage of birds. The walk started slow, but Dave Barrett, who joined us part of the time, let us know that according to his Twitter feed there was activity up at the Belvedere Castle. On the way there Dave heard a Blackburnian Warbler singing and the group soon spotted it over the path. It gave everyone nice views, despite staying high as Blackburnians tend to do. The real treasure trove was the Honey Locust by the steps at the Belvedere. There were probably six species of warblers feeding in this tree including Yellow, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, a female Blackburnian, and American Redstarts. But the real star here was a very cooperative male Bay-breasted Warbler, probably a first year bird, which was not shy about feeding low in the tree.

Yellow Warbler 05/25/2016 Central Park

singing Bay-breasted Warbler 05/25/2016 Central Park

A couple of times the warblers were joined by an Eastern Kingbird. We heard a number of Eastern Wood-Pewees calling and later saw one on the way out. Between the Maintenance Meadow and the Azalea Pond, we saw and heard a Least Flycatcher. We had no luck with the Olive-sided Flycatcher that a number of others saw this morning. A final treat on the way out was a brief view of a Lincoln's Sparrow along the lower stretch of the Gill. In total we had ten warblers and forty species for this final walk. Today's list is below. In the next day or two I will post a cumulative list for the spring as a separate page on this blog.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Scarlet Tanager
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
House Sparrow

May 22 - Bashakill and Shawangunk Grasslands

Ed Eden and I went up to the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area (Sullivan and Orange counties) and the Blue Chip Farm/Shawangunk Grasslands NWR area on Sunday. It was Ed's first visit to these great birding areas northwest of New York City. I was at both last week as part of my annual Great Gull Island Birdathon big weekend. It was quieter than last weekend, but many of the breeders were, of course, there and beautiful Bashakill is always worth a visit even if there are not a lot of birds around. I will append a complete bird list to this report later, when I have a chance, but by my count we found 74 species for the day. Some of the highlights included the two full grown Bald Eagle young still on their nest at Baskakill; both cuckoos heard calling (but not seen); and the always photographically lovely Prairie Warbler.

Prairie Warbler 05/22/2016 Bashakill WMA

Both last week and this week there seemed to be large numbers of Eastern Chipmunks running around, one of which insisted on having its picture taken.

Eastern Chipmunk 05/22/2016 Bashakill

At Blue Chip Farm in Ulster County we had not luck finding the Upland Sandpipers the area is known for. We couldn't find them last week either. The nearby Shawangunk Grasslands NWR provided the bird of the day for Ed - his life Grasshopper Sparrow. The sparrow obliging posed for it portrait a couple of times, so Ed now has pictures of his life bird.

Grasshopper Sparrow 05/22/2016 Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

Grasshopper Sparrow 05/22/2016 Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

There were also lots of Bobolinks flying around the Grasslands and a few Eastern Meadowlarks.

May 20/21 - Inwood Hill Park - breeders and late migrants

I birded Inwood Hill Park on the mornings of May 20 and May 21. The first morning I met Stan Cho at the entrance to the park at West 218th Street for a few hours of birding. The next morning I happened to run into Jessica Ancker at the top of The Clove path and we birded the ridge together. On both mornings the birding was quieter than reported for the park last weekend, though my combined total species count for the two morning was 51 species. Migration is still going on, though many of the eleven species of warblers found were represented by females, a sure sign of the tail end of migration. This morning, there were Northern Rough-winged Swallows perching on the fences at the north end of the soccer fields. These are summer residents here and breed either in the park or nearby.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 05/21/2016 Inwood Hill Park

All through the woods you could hear Wood Thrushes singing their wonderful flute-like songs. Yesterday, Stan and I were treated to one perched up and singing at the top of The Clove path.

Wood Thrush 05/20/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Its cousin in the thrush family, American Robins, have been on nests for sometime already this season. I have already seen young robins out of the nest down in Central Park.

American Robin on nest 05/21/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Jessica told me about watching a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak building a nest on the ridge the other day. We went to check it out and the female was on the nest. In my photograph below, if you look carefully, you can make out the top of her head, her eye strip and part of her bill as she sits on the nest.

female Rose-breasted Grosbeak on nest 05/21/2016 Inwood Hill Park

When Jessica and I came by the nest later after birding around the ridge, the female had been replaced on the nest by her mate whose red breast made him more conspicuous.

male Rose-breasted Grosbeak on nest 05/21/2016 Inwood Hill Park

My combined two morning species list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

May 19 - Central Park - Another birdy morning

For the second morning in a row there was a good variety of birds in the Ramble in Central Park, this time for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk group. Today's total of 43 species was a bit less than yesterdays, but we found sixteen warblers today and some other nice birds as well. Again the commonest warbler was Magnolia. We spent some time chasing a Kentucky Warbler, which we never did see, but which I did hear sing once. Other warbler highlights were a Cape May and a Bay-breasted. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo spent a fair amount of time sitting motionless high in a tree, which was good of it, sonce it was hard to spot. The full list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, Hernshead)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1, near the Azalea Pond)
Belted Kingfisher (1, flying away from Turtle Pond, seen by only or two people)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird (1, west of Belvedere Castle)
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee (1)
House Wren (2, one seen south side of the Tupelo Meadow)
Veery
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (several heard)
Northern Waterthrush (3, heard and seen - Hernshead, Azalea Pond)
Black-and-white Warbler (2)
Kentucky Warbler (1, heard it singing on the south side of the Tupelo Meadow)
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler (1, bathing in the Gill above Azalea Pond)
Magnolia Warbler (everywhere)
Bay-breasted Warbler (1, probably a young male, bathing Azalea Pond)
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler (2)
Blackpoll Warbler (2)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (males and females)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1, with a Chestnut-sided Warbler by the Upper Lobe)
Canada Warbler (3)
Wilson's Warbler (1, Turtle Pond)
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

post-bath Bay-breasted Warbler 05-19-2016 Central Park

May 18 - Central Park - lots of Magnolias and other warblers

A very birdy morning in the Ramble for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk group. There were Magnolia Warblers pretty much anywhere you looked. In all we found fifteen species of warbler and a total of 46 species. The full list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret (1, Turtle Pond)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (2, the Lake and Turtle Pond)
Spotted Sandpiper (2, Hernshead)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (3, the Lake)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Warbling Vireo (3)
Red-eyed Vireo (1)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee (1)
Veery (1)
Swainson's Thrush (1)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (2)
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler (3)
Wilson's Warbler (2)
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow (1)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
House Sparrow

(My apologies to my Wednesday group for being a day late posting this. I left my field card in the office overnight and did not want to do the list solely from memory.)

May 12 - Central Park - beautiful morning, but much quieter

The weather was beautiful for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk in Central Park. However, the birding was much quieter than yesterday morning. I could tell from the start at Hernshead that there were many fewer birds around. One amusing thing was that when we got up to the Belvedere Castle there was an Eastern Kingbird perched on the same light in exactly the same spot as where I photographed it yesterday (see yesterday's post) - I assume it was the same bird. Though we only had a dozen warblers today, one was a species that had eluded me so far this spring. We found two Prairie Warblers, one on the south side of Turtle Pond and one near Azalea Pond. Our total ofr the two hour walk was 38 species. The full list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Northern Parula
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Canada Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 11 - Central Park - a great morning!

How good a morning was it for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk group? It was so good that most of us stayed in for over an over extra to take advantage of it. Particulalrly after all the cool, gray morning we have had this spring, this was a delight with lots of birds. The skies were clear, bright blue and the temperatures were pleasant. My first indication that it might turn into a good birding morning was when Roger Pasquier walked up to me while my group was assembling to tell me that there were mulitple Bay-breasted Warblers by the Belvedere Castle. Then at our usual starting point at Hernshead we had a relatively cooperative male Wilson's Warbler. This was the first of what eventually totaled 18 warblers for the morning (including the Bay-breast which we encountered on the south side of Turtle Pond). On one of the lights below Belvedere Castle was my first Eastern Kingbird of the year.

Eastern Kingbird 05/11/2016 Central Park

Some of the group spotted a Canada Warbler by the Belvedere Castle, but I missed this one because I had already headed down to Turtle Pond. I finally caught up with the species out on the Point where we found at least two more Canadas. At the far end of Turtle Pond, near the King of Poland statue there was a Yellow-throated Vireo. Later we were treated to a male Blackburnian Warbler which unfortunately insisted on playing hide and seek in the top of a tree southeast of Azalea Pond. Eventually, I believe, everyone in the group got to see the bird. Also out on the Point was one of two Black-crowned Night-Herons we saw this morning.

Black-crowned Night-Heron 05/11/2016 Central Park

However, the best bird of the morning was not a warbler. As we came off the point we encountered a birder looking into the large willow at the base of the Point. He said there was a Bobolink across the way. Unfortunately, most of the group did not see it before it flew out of sight, but Irene Marks did get a picture of it before it flew.

Boblink 05/11/2016 Central Park

I later heard that a number of people saw it during the day in the same vicinity. Our total for the morning was 57 species. A great walk.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron (2, Hernshead and the Point)
Red-tailed Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper (1, the Point)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (1, spotted by Lenore Swenson overhead)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird (above)
Yellow-throated Vireo (above)
Blue-headed Vireo (the Point)
Warbling Vireo (several)
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow (1, Turtle Pond)
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (several still around)
Veery
Swainson's Thrush (2, Upper Lobe and the Point)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (several)
Northern Waterthrush (3, Hernshead and Azalea Pond)
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler (1, singing east of the Tupelo)
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler (above)
Blackburnian Warbler (above)
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1)
Blackpoll Warbler (2)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Canada Warbler (3)
Wilson's Warbler (2, Hernshead and the Point)
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (3, Belvedere)
Bobolink (above)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

May 9 - Inwood Hill Park - a nice variety of migrants

Georgia Rose accompanied me for a three hour walk in the park on a beautiful May morning. There apparently were not as many birds around as were reported by birders the day before, but we were not disappointed. I had a few species that were the first of the year for me, including Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Black-throated Green Warbler. The last had somehow eluded me so far this spring.

Black-throated Green Warbler taking off 05/09/2016 Inwood Hill Park

We found a total of 55 species, not bad for a non-wave morning in Inwood. The full list is below.

Canada Goose
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey (flying over carrying a fish)
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher (calling)
Yellow-throated Vireo (one singing)
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

Song Sparrow 05/09/2016 Inwood Hill Park

May 7/8 - weekend in the Catskills

Ann and I went with our friend Georgia to the Catskills for the weekend. We stayed at another friend's house near the Ashokan Reservoir. Vince has a lovely old house that was first built as a farmhouse around the Revolutionary War and then added to since and repaired after serious damage during the 1938 hurricane. The weather was often on rain on Saturday, followed by clearing Saturday evening and then rain again Sunday morning around sunup, finally followed by beautiful blue skies. I did quite a bit of birding by foot in the vicinity of Vince's house. The area is well-wooded and not surprisingly, there was a good variety of woodpeckers. I found a total of six species. The commonest was Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 05-08-2016 Catskills

Pileated Woodpeckers were also relatively common, but they were heard more often than seen. Once, however, one did come done on some fallen branches in the bag of the yard. Their workings were easy to see in the woods.

Pileated Woodpecker workings 05-08-2016 Catskills

On Saturday morning Georgia and I were out nearby when I heard a Louisiana Waterthrush singing from a small brook running through the woods. We headed over towards the water to see if we could get a glimpse of it. As we walked through the woods, Georgia spotted a Barred Owl we inadvertently flushed. Later in the morning we drove over to the Ashokan Reservoir. Just after we got there it started to drizzle, which became intermittent. There were a number of Common Loons, most in breeding plumage and one gave its haunting call. Also on the reservoir were a few Bufflehead and Double-crested Cormorants. We packed a lunch which we ate at a town park in Marbletown, watched from across a small stream by an adult Bald Eagle.

Bald Eagle 05/07/2016 Catskills

The best birding was after the rains passed and the sun came out on Sunday morning. Before breakfast we found a number of warblers including a male Cape May and a male Blackburnian across the road from the house. After breakfast I was delighted with a male Golden-winged Warbler in the trees just outside the kitchen door. We were sorry to leave around mid-day for the drive back to New York City. Over the course of the two days I found 51 species of birds while birding on foot in the vicinity of Vince's house and a total of 65 species during our visit. The full list is below. (One additional species was seen on the drive north Friday afternoon, a few Black Vultures over I-87.

Canada Goose
Bufflehead
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

May 5 - Central Park - gray again

Another gray, overcast morning in Central Park for my Thursday AMNH bird walk group. With a damp, cool northerly breeze, it felt colder than the actual air temperature. Mostly quiet, but we did have some luck once we got to the Point. We ended with 43 species found; total list below.

Canada Goose
Gadwall (pair, Turtle Pond)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (2, the Lake)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (north of Hernshead on shore)
Spotted Sandpiper (1, Lake shore, by Hernshead)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue-headed Vireo (calling bird, southwest of Azalea Pond)
Warbling Vireo (singing bird, Maintenance Meadow)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren (singing near Upper Lobe)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2, Upper Lobe, the Point)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (the Point)
Veery (1)
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush (stream entering Azalea Pond; also several calling)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (several heard singing)
Northern Waterthrush (Triplets Bridge, Upper Lobe, Azalea Pond)
Blue-winged Warbler (male, the Point)
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat (singing male, Triplets Bridge)
Cape May Warbler (female, Willow Rock)
Northern Parula (the Point and Balcony Bridge)
Palm Warbler (the Point)
Prairie Warbler (the Point)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee (heard, Evodia fields)
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male, singing, the Point)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow

On the way out of the Ramble, after passing through the archway east of the Upper Lobe we encountered the large, attractive mushroom below, growing from a tree stump.

unidentified mushroom 05-05-2016 Central Park

May 4 - Central Park - overcast, but no rain

The rain stopped literally minutes before my Wednesday morning AMNH bird walk started at 7 am. It remained heavily overcast with no clouds, but we had no rain during the two hour walk. We found a total of 42 species, including a few firsts for the spring for our walks. The list is below.

Canada Goose (Lake and Turtle Pond)
Gadwall (pair on Turtle pond)
Mallard (Lake and Turtle Pond)
Double-crested Cormorant (1, Turtle Pond)
Great Egret (1, Turtle Pond)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Lake)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue-headed Vireo (Turtle Pond)
Warbling Vireo (several singing)
Blue Jay
American Crow (1, overhead)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren (singing near Upper Lobe)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1, Upper Lobe)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, Maintenance Meadow)
Veery (Maintenance Meadow)
Hermit Thrush (Maintenance Meadow)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (several heard)
Worm-eating Warbler (1, Upper Lobe)
Northern Waterthrush (1, singing at Triplets Bridge)
Blue-winged Warbler (1, Upper Lobe)
Black-and-white Warbler (several)
Common Yellowthroat (1, singing at Triplets Bridge)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee (heard)
Swamp Sparrow (1, Triplets Bridge)
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male, King of Poland Statue)
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole (male, King of Poland Statue)
Baltimore Oriole (male, Turtle Pond)
House Sparrow

April 28 - Central Park - More on the Swainson's Warbler

Thursday's AMNH bird walk in Central Park started out relatively quietly at 7:00 am as usual. At Hernshead there were fewer birds than the morning before. However, looking across the Lake I could see Chris Cooper, Doug Kurz and a few other birders clearly looking at something in the trees near the north end of the Bow Bridge. I called Chris on his cellphone to find out what they had over there. After looking across the Lake at me calling him, Chris laughed and said they had a cooperative Worm-eating Warbler. I thanked Chris for the info and said I would head over there with my group to look for the bird. After heading north up the park drive and crossing the bridge by the Upper Lobe - and not seeing much along the way - one of my group got a call on his cellphone and I heard the electrifying name, "Swainson's Warbler". Of course, my immediate reaction was: "What!, Where?" That is how we first heard about the report of a Swainson's Warbler down by Strawberry Fields. I told my group, forget about the Worm-eating. we are headed for Strawberry Fields to look for the Swainson's.

My feelings were in quite a jumble. Swainson's Warbler was my most wanted bird in New York State. There are not many records for the state, but I had managed to miss, for various reasons, all of the few individuals that had shown up in New York in the 45+ years I have been birding. On most occasions, I had been out of the state when they showed up or for other reasons couldn't try for them. Now, one was being reported only minutes away. On the other hand, I was leading a group of birders, most of whom didn't have the same insane desire I had to see this one, relatively drab warbler. However, the length of time of any ambivalence in what my decision was going to be, was probably measurable in nanoseconds. After all, as I explained to my group, this was likely to be the rarest bird seen in Central Park this spring. (I should know better than to make pronouncements like this. See note below.) Even before crossing back over the bridge over the Upper Lobe, I was on my cell calling my friend Sean Sime in Brooklyn. I knew Swainson's was at the top of his wanted list also. I will not repeat his words - this is a family blog - but he said he couldn't leave Brooklyn until 9:00 at the earliest. I told him I didn't know anything beyond that there was a report, but that I would let him know more as soon as I found out more.

As you know from my earlier post, the Swainson's Warbler was indeed there. When we arrived, there was already quite a crowd of birders, some of them on the ground peering into the underbrush. Someone told me, "Joe, you can see it through this opening." Even before I actually saw the bird, I heard its song, reminiscent of a Louisiana Waterthrush. I pretty quickly got a glimpse of the bird and then reverted to leader mode and worked to get all of the people in my group views of the birder. More and more birders kept arriving until there must have been fifty plus birders trying to get a look at this secretive, drab little bird. Some people commented that it didn't look like much, but many of us explained how rare it was this far north. After making sure everyone in my group had sen the bird, I texted Sean that the bird was indeed present. I then called him to make sure he got the message and he told me to send out a posting to the Internet since though word had spread via Twitter, nothing had yet gone out on line to people who did not use Twitter. Sean left Brooklyn as soon as he could after 9:00 am and got the nice photo below of the bird. The bird stayed in the same vicinity all day and I have heard estimated of perhaps 200 or more birders seeing it. For me it was my 420th species for New York State and my 400th for the New York City/Long Island region.

Swainson's Warbler -  04/28/2016 - Central Park

After we had our fill of seeing the bird I led my group over the Bow Bridge and back to the Ramble. We were further rewarded with the Worm-eating Warbler we had started to chase over an hour earlier, as well as a male Orchard Oriole. The full list below is smaller than we usually get on our walks, but it certainly makes up for its length with quality.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Worm-eating Warbler
Swainson's Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Above, I said that I told my group the Swainson's Warbler would be the rarest bird seen in Central Park this spring. Roger Pasquier, who was one of the many birders encountered at the Swainson's, said, but Joe, the spring is still young. I replied that I would love to be proven wrong. On Sunday, May 1, Alexis Lamek, Karen Fung, and Anthony Collerton found an even rarer warbler, a Hermit Warbler, just in from the West 77th Street entrance to the park. Karen was able to get some pictures of the birder, but unfortunately, as of Monday afternoon, May 2, the bird has not been refound.

April 28 - Central Park - Swainson's Warbler!

This is just a quick note, since I am going to be busy for the next few days. My Thursday AMNH bird walk group was treated to a Swainson's Warbler in Central Park today. A New York State bird for me - # 420! I did not get any pictures of the bird myself, though many others did. When we saw the bird there must have been 50+ birders there. Below is a shot of one of the scenes.

Birders looking at a Swainson's Warbler south of Strawberry Fields in Central Park

April 27 - Central Park - finally warblers!

Cool and overcast for my Wednesday AMNH Central Park bird walk group. But finally warblers are in. We had ten species of warblers and I heard about at least another six species we didn't see. Whenever you see a male Blackburnian Warbler it is a good morning and we had a fairly cooperative bird near the Azalea Pond. Probably the bird I was most surprised to see was a Least Flycatcher on the Point. It is a bit early, but certainly not record early. Below is a poor, blurry picture of the bird.

Least Flycatcher 04/27/2016 Central Park

The morning's complete list of 44 species is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Lake)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher (1, above)
Blue-headed Vireo (2, Turtle Pond)
Warbling Vireo (1, singing bird, the Point)
Red-eyed Vireo (1, Maintenance)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (all over the Ramble)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (2)
Northern Waterthrush (2, Hernshead and Azalea Pond)
Blue-winged Warbler (1, the Point)
Black-and-white Warbler (several)
Nashville Warbler (1, Azalea Pond)
Northern Parula (1, Humming Tombstone)
Blackburnian Warbler (1, Azalea Pond)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (2, male and female)
Palm Warbler (several)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (all over)
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow (1, Hernshead)
Swamp Sparrow (1, Azalea Pond)
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

April 23 - Inwood Hill Park - Grasshopper Sparrow

The April 23 date in the title of this post is correct. On Saturday, April 23, Ricki Ravitts and Danny Karlson found a sparrow they did not immediately recognize on the edge of the soccer fields at the north end of Inwood Hill Park. After studying it they identified it as a Grasshopper Sparrow - a rare find for Inwood, or indeed almost anywhere in New York City. I ran into Danny in the park the next day and he told me about there find. It was another couple of days before I received Ricki's lovely photos of the bird which she has given me permission to post here. Enjoy! And try not to be too envious.

And to save the wondering, yes, I have looked for the bird since Saturday and there has been no sign of it.

Grasshopper Sparrow 04/23/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Grasshopper Sparrow 04/23/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Congratulations to Ricki and Danny on a great find. And thank you Ricki for permission to post your very nice pictures!

April 26 - Inwood Hill Park - migration finally hits home

Early yesterday morning, within minutes of each other I heard from Sean Sime in Brooklyn and Nadir Souirgi birding on the ridge in Inwood Hill Park that there were lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers (with a scattering of other birds) passing through. Unfortunately, I couldn't get out yesterday, so I decided to try to go this morning, weather permitting. Thunderstorms during the night made me suspect i wouldn't get in to the park afterall. When I got up this morning it was very gray, with a low overcast, but a check of the weather radar indicated there should be a window of dry weather, or at least a spell of no rain, in which I could check out the park. The weather did indeed cooperate. There were good numbers of Yellow-rumps on the ridge, though in apparently less numbers than reported yesterday by Nadir. I also found a couple of Palm Warblers in the meadow on the ridge as well as a Blue-headed Vireo. A first for the year for me was a Baltimore Oriole heard up on the ridge. When I encountered James Knox as I came back down the valley, he said he had heard an Orchard Oriole singing on the south side of the soccer fields by the spring. James had also seen three Snowy Egrets flyover, much rarer here than our usual Great Egrets, and a couple of Greater Yellowlegs on the flats. Another first of the year for me was a Veery partway down the main valley path.

Veery 04/26/2016 Inwood Hill Park

Back on the soccer fields I ran into Danny Karlson and we headed over to the northwest corner of the fields to look for the Northern Waterthrush that James had reported there. Shortly after getting there we first heard it singing and then saw it walking on the mud under the trees.

To leave birds for a moment, the Dogwood is starting to flower up on the ridge. My complete list of forty species is below after the Dogwood picture.

Flowering Dogwood 04/26/2016

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (1, flying south over the Hudson)
Great Egret (2)
American Kestrel (1, flying west over the soccer fields carrying something in its talons)
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (1, singing along north edge of soccer fields)
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow (1, over the water)
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren (singing)
Veery (1, picture above)
American Robin
Gray Catbird (1, my first of the year)
Northern Mockingbird (1, Muscota Marsh)
European Starling
Northern Waterthrush (1, see above)
Yellow Warbler (1, north side of soccer fields)
Palm Warbler (2, see above)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (many)
Eastern Towhee (singing)
Chipping Sparrow (soccer fields)
Field Sparrow (1, soccer fields)
Savannah Sparrow (1, soccer fields)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (2, almost all gone now)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole (1, see above)
American Goldfinch (1, adult male up on ridge)
House Sparrow

April 24 - Inwood Hill Park - beautiful morning

Crystal blue skies and cool temperatures this morning for a walk in Inwood Hill Park. As in recent days, Red-winged Blackbirds were singing along the water's edge on the north side of the soccer fields.

Red-winged Blackbird calling 04/24/2016 Inwood Hill Park

On Friday morning I had found Savannah, Swamp, and two Field sparrows on the soccer fields. There was no sign of those birds this morning, but there were a few Brown-headed Cowbirds and Chipping Sparrows feeding on the grass. As I started into the Clove, I encountered Danny Karlson and we joined forces. In recent days there were usually White-throated Sparrows feeding on the ground in the woods and singing everywhere. This morning we did not see or hear any. Up on the ridge, I finally saw my first Palm Warbler of the spring. I believe Danny had seen them at least a week ago, and I know they have been seen all week down in Central Park, but they had eluded me until today. The Palm was followed in quick succession by a Yellow-rumped Warbler and then a Black-and-white Warbler. These were the only warbler species we found this morning. On Friday morning I had encountered a Louisiana Waterthrush, an uncommon species in the park. On the ridge we ran into James Knox and Nadir Souirgi. They had heard and seen a Prairie Warbler shortly before we met them, but we never refound it. The four of us continued along the ridge. Lots of the residents were calling and singing, but the only other notable migrant encountered was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. My full list of thirty-five bird species for the morning is below.

More and more wildflowers are coming into bloom. A couple I photographed this morning were Virginia Bluebell and White Trillium.

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) 04/24/2016 Inwood

White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) 04/24/2016 Inwood

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher (1, heard)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee (singing)
Tufted Titmouse (singing)
White-breasted Nuthatch (calling)
Carolina Wren (singing)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Black-and-white Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee (calling)
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

On my way out, I couldn't resist a Great Egret that was "ready for his close-up"!

Great Egret 04/24/2016 Inwood

April 22 - New book on New York City parks

Forty-five yeas ago when I was a new (and much younger) birder, one of my favorite books about nature in New York City was Elizabeth Barlow's The Forest and Wetlands of New York City. It has remained a favorite and though it has been long out of print I have recommended it many times over the years. It is the first book on my page of references to local natural history books posted on the side of this blog. So it was a great pleasure to meet Betsy Barlow Rogers a few years ago. She has now written a new book, a sort of successor to that earlier wonderful book. It is Green Metropolis: The Extraordinary Landscapes of New York City as Nature, History, and Design and was published by Alfred A. Knopf earlier this week.

After a brief overview of natural areas around New York City it has chapters about Staten Island, Jamaica Bay, Inwood Hill Park, the Ramble in Central Park, Roosevelt Island, Freshkills Park and the High Line. I think you will enjoy. And I do not say that just because my AMNH Central Park bird walks are featured in the chapter on the Ramble!

April 21 - Central Park - disappointing

A lovely morning with southerly winds and surprisingly few birds around for my Thursday AMNH bird walk group. We did, however, pick up our first vireo of the spring. The full list of thirty species below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (1 male on the Upper Lobe)
Double-crested Cormorant (the Lake)
Red-tailed Hawk (1, going into its apparent nest on Central Park West)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher (1, Turtle Pond)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo (1, Turtle Pond)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (calling individuals all around the Ramble)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (scattered all around the Ramble; many of the males displaying)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler (scattered individuals)
Eastern Towhee (calling birds)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1, Azalea Pond)
White-throated Sparrow (many singing birds)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch (feeders)
American Goldfinch (near Azalea Pond)
House Sparrow