November 27 - Hammond's Flycatcher - Central Park

Over the Thanksgiving weekend an Empidonax flycatcher was discovered in the Ramble in Central Park. First tentatively identified as a "Western" Flycatcher (a Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher), it was later identified as a Hammond's Flycatcher, a third New York State record. Back on October 27, 2001, I was lucky enough to see New York's first Hammond's Flycatcher - before it was eaten by a passing Merlin. I was out of the city over the holiday weekend, so I wasn't able to chase this bird until this morning. Luckily, it was still present this morning and being reasonably cooperative, though occasionally elusive.

November 9 - Corn Crake: R.I.P.

Unfortunately, the Corn Crake out at Cedar Beach was picked up dead this morning, apparently struck by a car. The corpse was brought to the Museum where it will be prepared as a specimen and placed in the scientific collection.

November 8 - Corn Crake!

I have had a busy fall and need to catch up on my blog, however, I cannot let seeing a bird as spectacular as a Corn Crake on Long Island go by without a mention. The bird was found near Cedar Beach on the Jones Beach barrier strip in Suffolk County, NY yesterday. Today Ann and I were among the many birders who dashed out to see such a spectacular rarity. The bird did not disappoint!
My last life bird on land (as opposed to pelagic species offshore) in New York State was a Western Reef Heron in Brooklyn ten years ago.

Corn Crake 11/08/2017

Afterwards, we went over to Heckscher State Park and saw two of the Hudsonian Godwits and the Long-billed Dowitcher that have been there.

Hudsonian Godwit 11/08/2017

Sept 2 - Great Gull Island - Bridled Tern

In August Ann and I went with a friend, Georgia Rose, out to Nebraska to see the total solar eclipse. We had a great trip and got great views of the eclipse. I will post pictures and account of the trip when I get a chance. As soon as I got back to NY, I immediately went out to Great Gull Island where we are going to be closing down the island for the season this week. Yesterday afternoon we had a great thrill and surprise when an adult Bridled Tern showed up on the eastern end of the island. Below are a couple of shots of the bird. The flight shot was cleaned up a bit for me by Sean Sime. This is the second record for the island for Bridled Tern. The first was in August 2016 and was posted on my blog last year.

Bridled Tern - 09/02/2017 - Great Gull Island   © J. DiCostanzo

Bridled Tern - 09/02/2017 - Great Gull Island   © J. DiCostanzo

July - Moths, Butterflies, Amphibians, and Birds - Upstate NY

In July, Ann and I went upstate to visit friends and to do a little camping. We started out visiting our friend Loretta in Columbia County. After a few nights there we went onto Pat and Ron in Essex County in the Adirondacks. Then we camped for a couple of nights at Meacham Lake in Franklin County, still in the Adirondacks. Then it was west for one night in Watertown in Jefferson County before returning to Loretta's for a day or so of drying out our tent and then home to New York City.

Of course, everywhere we went we spent a lot of time outdoors - when it wasn't raining. In Columbia County we spent a morning at the Wilson M. Powell Wildlife Sanctuary. With all the rain in July there were many mushrooms throughout the woods, though the birds were somewhat scarce. In another post I hope to put up some pictures of the fungi, once I get more of them identified. A highlight here was a worn Luna Moth, the first I have seen in years.In Essex County we visited White Pine Camp, one of the old Adirondack Great Camps and one that had served as the summer White House for Calvin Coolidge for a year or two in the 1920s. We also briefly visited Bloomingdale Bog. Later from our base at Meacham Lake, Ann and I birded Madawaska for boreal birds. We saw a couple of Gray Jays and heard Black-backed Woodpecker and White-winged Crossbill. Later in the day we saw a couple of White-winged Crossbills on Oregon Plains Road near Bloomingdale. Our quick trip over to Watertown was so that we could spend a morning at the Perch River Wildlife Management Area before heading back south. Below are a few pictures from the various stops.

Luna Moth - 07/19/2017 - Wilson Powell Wildlife Sanctuary

Twin-spotted Sphinx moth - 07/22/2017 - Jay, NY

Appalachian Brown - 07/19/2017 - Wilson Powell Wildlife Sanctuary

Northern Pearly-eye - 07/26/2017 - Madawaska

Pearl Crescent - 07/28/2017 - Perch River WMA

American Toad - 07/22/2017 - Bloomingdale Bog

Northern Leopard Frog - 07/28/2017 - Perch River WMA

Caspian Terns - 07/28/2017 - Perch River WMA

Gray Jay - 07/26/2017 - near Madawaska

White-winged Crossbill - 07/26/2017 - near Bloomingdale Bog

July 30 - Inwood Hill Park - Greater Yellowlegs

Ann and I got home this afternoon from a trip upstate to the Adirondacks. After unpacking camping and other gear I was sitting down to my computer when I looked out the window and spotted a bird standing on a post on the edge of Muscota Marsh. Grabbing my binoculars to check it out I discovered it was a Greater Yellowlegs. I then grabbed my camera and went down onto the deck at the end of 218th Street to get a picture. It was a nice welcome home surprise.

Greater Yellowlegs - 07/30/2017 - Muscota Marsh, Inwood Hill Park

When I get a chance sometime in the next few days, I will post some things from our upstate trip.

June 18 - Great Gull Island - Regal Moth

I am out on Great Gull Island doing field work with the terns. We have had heavy fog the last two mornings. As the fog was lifting this morning some of the workers were headed east through the "Meadow" section of the island when Donna Satterlee spotted a very large, unfamiliar moth. She took some pictures of it with her cellphone and I later went out and took some more pictures. We identified it as a Regal Moth (Citheronia regalii). Some research on the Internet turned up that the caterpillar has the wonderful name of Hickory Horned Devil. the wingspread of the adult moth can reach six inches. Its normal range is further south from here, usually just reaching northern New Jersey, though they do wander north to Massachusetts, so we were quite lucky to see one here.

Regal Moth (Citheronia regalii) - 06/18/2017 - Great Gull Island, NY

June 3 - Golden-winged Warbler again

I went upstate again today, this time with Ed Eden, to chase some of the same birds Ann and I saw last weekend. The Henslow's Sparrow at Shawangunk Grasslands NWR in Ulster County was a life bird for Ed so we went there first. As we were driving through Blue Chip Farm, minutes from the refuge, I found an email from Rob Jett on the NYSbirds listserv that the Henslow's Sparrow and the Dickcissel were both being seen at the refuge. When we pulled into the parking area we could see groups of birders out in the grassland where I knew from my visit last week the birds were usually seen. We headed down the trail and as we approached the first bunch of birders we could hear the Henslow's singing. It took Ed about five seconds to pick up his first life bird of the day. After long, satisfying views of the Henslow's we walked the short distance down to the blind and got nice views of the Dickcissel. This wasn't a life bird for Ed, but it was the first adult male he had ever seen. We went back to watching the very cooperative Henslow's and waited out a brief passing rain shower that barely got us wet. On the way back to the car we heard an Alder Flycatcher singing and got a few brief views when it perched up. Back by the parking area we saw a Grasshopper Sparrow from the observation platform adding another grassland bird to the morning's list of the two goodies and number of singing and flying Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks. After the brief rain, the day turned into a beautiful partly sunny one with brilliant blue skies and puffy clouds.

Next we headed down to Sterling Forest State Park to try for another life bird for Ed: Golden-winged Warbler. It took more time and effort than the Henslow's, but the photo below is proof of a successful endeavor.

Golden-winged Warbler 06/03/2017 Sterling Forest State Park

Nearby we saw a somewhat cooperative Black-billed Cuckoo. After eating lunch back at the car, we headed back north and east to Doodletown Road near Bear Mountain and spent a couple of hours birding there. We saw and heard 38 species there before heading back to the city. A successful and fun day's birding.

June 2 - Inwood Hill Park: Red-throated Loon

A winter plumaged Red-throated Loon has been hanging out at the north end of Inwood Hill Park for about a month now. On many mornings I can see it from my bedroom window when I get up. This morning when I came down from birding on the ridge the bird was just off the peninsula in the ship canal. It was doing lots of preening and flapping its wings and at one point dealing with waves from the wake of a passing boat. I liked the way it would stick its leg out when preening. It was a lot of fun to watch. Here are a few more pictures in addition to the one I posted earlier today.

2017 Great Gull Island Birdathon Report

I have now finished writing up my account of our 2017 Great Gull Island Birdathon done this year on May 20 and 21. I have posted it as a separate page here on the blog.

June 1/2 - Inwood Hill Park

Yesterday morning and again this morning I went into Inwood Hill Park for short walks. On both mornings, when I first got out of bed I looked out my window and there was the Red-throated Loon that has been frequenting the ship canal north of the park for the last month. This morning when I came down from the ridge the Red-throated was off the peninsula north of the soccer fields, preening and at one point riding over the wake caused by a passing boat. I got a bunch of pictures which I may put up in a separate post when I get a chance.

Both mornings, there was very little evidence of migrants, though the local breeders all seemed to be present. Over the two days I tallied 36 species. The full list is below.

Canada Goose (including goslings on the mudflats)
Mallard
Red-throated Loon

Red-throated Loon 06/02/2017 Inwood Hill Park

Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird 06/02/2017 Inwood Hill Park

European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow 06/02/2017 Inwood Hill Park

Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole

Orchard Oriole 06/02/2017 Inwood Hill Park

Baltimore OrioleHouse Sparrow

Spring 2017 AMNH Central Park bird walks

I have tallied up the cumulative bird lists for my Wednesday and Thursday morning AMNH Central Park bird walks. The lists are posted as separate pages here on my blog. The Wednesday total list is here and the Thursday total list is here. I have also prepared a combined cumulative list for the two sets of walks that can be found here.

May 28 - Bashakill State WMA and Sterling Forest State Park

Ann and I spent the morning and early afternoon birding around Bashakill. It was a lovely late spring morning, if a bit cloudy. There are two active Bald Eagle nests in the area, each with two large young. One is visible from the Haven Road causeway and the other is in the same place it has been for some years now visible from the main boat launch. Other nice breeders seen and/or heard included Acadian Flycatcher, Prairie Warbler, and Indigo Bunting. We also saw a large Snapping Turtle walking across the edge of a field into the woods.

In the afternoon we stopped at Sterling Forest State Park in Orange County on the way back to the city. We were hoping to pick up Golden-winged Warbler. When we arrived at the end of Ironwood Road, we heard Common Raven calling from the ridge. Two other birders were just driving away, but they told us where they had heard and seen a Golden-winged. We headed to the spot and Ann immediately heard the Golden-winged singing. We tried for a while, but could not locate the bird. We continued up the trail, because it had sounded like the bird went that way. We were rewarded with two Broad-winged Hawks circling and calling overhead, but no Golden-winged. A Painted Turtle sitting on the side of the trail was our second turtle of the day. Finally, we headed back since we still had the drive back to the city and did not want to get caught in Sunday afternoon traffic. As we approached the original spot we heard the Golden-winged singing again. Finally, I spotted it perched up high in a tree. It gave us nice binocular views, but I was only able to get some distant pictures.

Golden-winged Warbler 05/28/2017 Sterling Forest State Park

It was a great end to a great two days of birding.

Below are our bird lists for Bashakill and Sterling Forest.

Bashakill
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Bald Eagle
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

Sterling Forest 
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Broad-winged Hawk
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Golden-winged Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole

May 27 - Shawangunk Grasslands NWR and Bashakill State WMA

Ann and I visited the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge in Ulster County last Saturday (May 21) as part of our Great Gull Island Birdathon. We were pleased to see Grasshopper Sparrow there. We were disappointed to hear afterward, that while we were there a Dickcissel was found, but word did not get out about it until later. A couple of days later birders who had gone to see the Dickcissel discovered a singing Henslow's Sparrow within sight of the Dickcissel. This was too good to pass up. So even though we normally avoid traveling on Memorial Day weekend we headed up on Saturday to look for the two birds. It was easy to find where the Henslow's was being seen. You just had to look for the group of birders. When we got there Junko Suzuki pointed out the Dickcissel perched up down the trail. We took a quick look at it and then waited with the other birders for the Henslow's. After about 30 minutes we heard it calling and then it popped up about 25 feet in front of us and provided great views for the next 15 minutes or so. Henslow's Sparrows used to nest on these grasslands, before it was a National Wildlife Refuge. In fact, this is where Ann saw her life Henslow's on a Birdathon thirty-four years ago, but they have been gone from the area for many years. It would be great if they are returning to the area as breeders.

Henslow's Sparrow 05/27/2017 Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

After the sparrow dropped back into the grass out of site we continued down the trail to a blind to get better looks at the Dickcissel. It never got as close as the Henslow's, but i was able to get some slightly blurry pictures.

Dickcissel 05/27/2017 Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

The whole time we were there Eastern Meadowlarks and Bobolinks were singing and flying around us.

Bobolink 05/27/2017 Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

After leaving the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR we drove down to Wurtsboro, NY where we were spending the night. After dinner at Danny's in Wurtsboro we birded around the nearby Bashakill State Wildlife Management Area from dusk until after dark. We heard both Least and American bitterns calling. A group of 10 - 12 Common Nighthawks were feeding over the have Road causeway across the marsh. After dark we heard Eastern Whip-poor-wills and a Barred Owl calling. It was a great end to a great day's birding.

Below are our lists for Shawangunk and Bashakill.

Shawangunk Grasslands
American Kestrel
Barn Swallow
Brown Thrasher
Savannah Sparrow
Henslow's Sparrow
Dickcissel
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

Bashakill
Wood Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Green Heron
Bald Eagle
Common Gallinule
Barred Owl
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Veery
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Red-winged Blackbird

May 25 - Central Park

The last Thursday morning AMNH bird walk of the spring was done in a steady light rain. One brave soul joined me for the walk. We managed to find 24 species in the rain. We went from sheltered spot to sheltered spot, trying to stay as dry as we could. Our best bird was a nice view of a Great Crested Flycatcher seen from the Rustic Shelter on the western side of the Ramble. At one point we had both the Great Crested and a Baltimore Oriole in the same binocular field. I will post a cumulative bird list for the spring as soon as I compile it. Below is the final morning's list. I wish everyone a good summer. See you in the fall.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 24 - Central Park

This was the last Wednesday morning AMNH walk of the season. We started out with some light rain, but it quickly stopped. We managed to find 36 species in the two hours. The best bird was a single Gray-cheeked Thrush. The full morning's list is below. I will compile a cumulative list for the season and get it posted as soon as I can. In the meantime i wish all my walk participants a good summer.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Herring 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
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 21 - Birdathon - Day 2

It has been a week since the Birdathon and I am still working on an account of our two days of birding madness. In the meantime, I will post that we found 186 species for the weekend. This is I believe just about our average number over the last ten or so Birdathons. More to come.

May 20 - Great Gull Island Birdathon - Day 1

It is 10:30 Saturday night. I have been up since 1:30 am (birding since 2:00 am). I have to get up again at 3:15 am for day 2 of the Birdathon (yes, I know we are crazy). Obviously, an actual report will have to wait. Our total for day 1 was 126 species (pending any hanging chads - but I think that number is pretty firm). That is a decent day 1 total, but probably not enough for us to set a personal record, though tomorrow will tell. In the meantime, here is the view at Bashakill Marsh this morning a few minutes before sun-up.

Bashakill Marsh - sun-up - 05/20/2017

May 19 - Central Park

After the early morning R-t Loon (see previous post), I was down in Central Park leading Paul Sweet's Friday morning AMNH bird walk. It was hot and fewer birds than earlier in the week, but we still had some nice birds. Easily the best was the fairly cooperative male Bay-breasted Warbler on the Belvedere Castle plaza. Somewhat surprising was an Eastern Phoebe at Hernshead - it is getting later for this bird in the park. Our full list of 35 species is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret (3, two flying over the Lake; one at Turtle Pond
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (8, oerhead at Maintenance meadow)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (heard)
Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Northern Flicker (heard)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1, heard and seen)
Eastern Phoebe (1, Hernshead)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1, maybe 2; heard)
Eastern Kingbird (1, Hernshead)
Warbling Vireo (3, heard)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse 91, heard)
Swainson's Thrush (2)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Northern Waterthrush (1, heard)
Common Yellowthroat (2)
American Redstart (4)
Magnolia Warbler (4)
Bay-breasted Warbler (1, male, Belvedere)

Bay-breasted Warbler 05/19/2017 Central Park

Blackpoll Warbler (8, males and females)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (2, females)
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch (1, female)

House Sparrow

May 19 - Inwood Hill Park - Red-throated Loon

I woke up at 5:30 this morning to start a busy day. Before I had even gotten out of bed, my phone chimed to indicate an incoming message. I thought I should check it in case there was something interesting being reported from Central Park where I was going to be leading a bird walk later in the morning. It turned out to be a tweet from Nathan O'Reilly to the Manhattan Bird Alert Twitter feed. The message said: "A late Red-throated Loon at Muscota Marsh in Inwood Hill Park. 5:35am". I grabbed my binoculars and looked out the window - a winter plumaged Red-throated Loon was swimming away from the marsh. While it was not new for my apartment list, it is only the second I have had. Nice way to start the day!

May 18 - Central Park

Another big flight of migrants on radar last night; another disappointing morning. I suppose the disappointment is actually relative. Most of the spring has been so cool and wet and the migration has been so slow that everyone was looking for some spectacular flights this week now that the winds were predicted to be favorable (SW) and the temperatures were warming up. Indeed, Tuesday morning (which based on the overnight radar on Monday night was expected to be middling) was, in fact, quite good. The next two mornings, which everyone thought would be even better, just didn't measure up. This does not mean that we had a very poor morning, just a disappointing one. My Thursday AMNH bird walk group tallied forty species, with ten warblers, about half the warbler total of Tuesday morning. It would seem that the last two nights were so favorable for migration that the big numbers of birds picked up on radar just kept on going. Nevertheless, we had some nice birds: Great Crested Flycatcher, male Bay-breasted Warbler, and a male Scarlet Tanager. The list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret (1, flyover)
Herring Gull (2, flyovers)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker (heard)
Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1, heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1, west of Azalea Pond)
Eastern Kingbird (3, Hernshead and Turtle Pond)
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo (3, heard)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (heard)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1)
Swainson's Thrush (1)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (6, flock flying over)
Ovenbird (1)
Northern Waterthrush (1, heard)
Black-and-white Warbler (4)
Common Yellowthroat (3)
American Redstart (4)
Magnolia Warbler (6)
Bay-breasted Warbler (1, male se of Turtle Pond)
Blackpoll Warbler (5)
Canada Warbler (1, male singing south side of Turtle Pond)
Wilson's Warbler (1)
White-throated Sparrow (1)
Scarlet Tanager (1)

Scarlet Tanager 05/18/2017 Central Park

Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 17 - Central Park

Radar last night indicated a huge flight of birds through our area. Based on this morning's walk in Central Park, the important word in the previous sentence is "through". While there were indeed birds around, it was no where near as impressive or diverse as yesterday morning. We found fourteen warblers this morning, which was nice, but it seemed so much less than yesterday's nineteen and the numbers of individuals seen as down also. However, flycatcher diversity doubled, including the first Olive-sided Flycatcher of the year, plus an unidentified Empidonax on the south side of Turtle Pond. The full list of 43 species is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (2, overhead)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1, heard)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (1, heard)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (1, north of the Gill)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1, west of park drive, 77th Street, calling)
Empidonax sp.? (1, south side Turtle Pond)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1, south side Maintenance Meadow)
Eastern Kingbird (1, path to Belvedere)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (2)
Red-eyed Vireo (4)
Blue Jay
Swainson's Thrush (1)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling (begging young all over)

young European Starling - 05/17/2017 - Central Park

Cedar Waxwing (8)
Ovenbird (2)
Northern Waterthrush (2)
Black-and-white Warbler (4)
Common Yellowthroat (3)
American Redstart (4)
Northern Parula (4)
Magnolia Warbler (4)
Blackburnian Warbler (1, female, south side Turtle Pond)
Yellow Warbler (1, Belvedere)
Blackpoll Warbler (2)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1, heard)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (2, Belvedere)
Canada Warbler (1, south side Turtle Pond)
Wilson's Warbler (3)
Scarlet Tanager (2)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
House Sparrow

May 16 - Central Park (lunchtime)

Today, I was back in Central Park in the Ramble at lunchtime, filling in again for Paul Sweet on his mid-day AMNH bird walk. It was not as busy as this morning, but there were still a fair number of birds around. Even before we entered the park we were looking down at an American Robin nest with young just off Central Park West.

American Robin with young in nest (lower left) - 05/16/2017 - Central Park

There were far more people in the park on this beautiful, sunny spring day than there had been around in the morning. That made the birding harder, but we still managed to find 36 species, including 12 warblers. The full list is below.

Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (at least 10 overhead; mainly over the southeast side of Turtle Pond)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1, heard)
Downy Woodpecker
Warbling Vireo (2)
Red-eyed Vireo (2, heard)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee (1, heard)
Veery (1)
Swainson's Thrush (1)
American Robin
Gray Catbird (5)

bathing Gray Catbird (in a rain puddle) - 05/16/2017 - Central Park

European Starling
Ovenbird (4)
Northern Waterthrush (3)
Black-and-white Warbler (4)
Common Yellowthroat (2)
American Redstart (5, including 1st year male)
Northern Parula (4)
Magnolia Warbler (5)

Magnolia Warbler - 05/16/2017 -Central Park

Chestnut-sided Warbler (1)
Blackpoll Warbler (2)

Blackpoll Warbler - 05/16/2017 - Central Park

Black-throated Blue Warbler (1)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (2)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Canada Warbler (1)

Canada Warbler - 05/16/2017 - Central Park

White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

My total count for the day, combining the morning and lunchtime walks was 51 species.

May 16 - Central Park (morning)

This morning I filled in for Paul Sweet on his Tuesday morning AMNH bird walk in Central Park. It was easily the best morning of the spring so far (at least for warblers). We started well with two Eastern Kingbirds at and a Wilson's Warbler at Hernshead and then a singing Least Flycatcher as we left there for the Ramble. By the Humming Tombstone there was a Bay-breasted Warbler seen briefly, but we oved on quickly from there because of the disturbance caused by someone loudly playing recordings. The Belvedere was fruitful with the highlight there a gorgeous male Cape May Warbler. Along the south side of Turtle Pond we really struck it big with lots of warbler variety including three male Blackburnian Warblers. At one point we were using one of the Blackburnians as a landmark to get people on the nearby Worm-eating Warbler. My total was 45 species with 19 warblers for the two hour walk.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret

Great Egret 05/16/2017 south side of Turtle Pond

Black-crowned Night-Heron (2, both flying)
Spotted Sandpiper (1, the Lake from Hernshead)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker (heard)
Downy Woodpecker (heard)
Northern Flicker (heard)
Least Flycatcher (1, Hernshead)
Eastern Kingbird (2, Hernhead)
Warbling Vireo (3)
Red-eyed Vireo (4)
Blue Jay
Swainson's Thrush (1)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (2, heard)
Worm-eating Warbler (1, south side Turtle Pond)
Northern Waterthrush (1, heard)
Black-and-white Warbler (5)
Common Yellowthroat (2)
American Redstart (5)
Cape May Warbler (1, male, Belvedere)
Northern Parula (6)
Magnolia Warbler (4)
Bay-breasted Warbler (1)
Blackburnian Warbler (3)

Blackburnian Warbler - 05/16/2017 - s. side Turtle Pond

Yellow Warbler (2)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (2)
Blackpoll Warbler (2)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (3)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
Black-throated Green Warbler (2)
Canada Warbler (2)
Wilson's Warbler (2)
Scarlet Tanager (1, female, upper Lobe)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 11 - Central Park

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday morning was cool with a light northerly breeze. This morning was the same. However, yesterday there was great birding in the park, but this morning things were relatively quiet for my Thursday AMNH bird walk group. instead of yesterday's total of over fifty species, this morning we only found thirty-seven.A nice non-avian sighting was the lady's-slippers in bloom near Azalea Pond.

Lady's-slipper 05/11/2017 Central Park

The full bird list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher (1, heard)
Blue-headed Vireo (2)
Warbling Vireo (1, Hernshead)
Red-eyed Vireo (2, near weather station)
Blue Jay
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (3)
Northern Waterthrush (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (4)
Common Yellowthroat (3)
American Redstart (4)
Northern Parula (3)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (6)
Black-throated Green Warbler (2)
Wilson's Warbler (1, Turtle Pond)
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal 05/11/2017 Central Park

Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

May 10 - Central Park

Finally, a nice selection of birds on a mid-May morning. It was still a cool morning with light northerly winds for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk group, but it was easily our best morning of the spring so far. By my count the group had 53 species over 2.5 hours (some of us stayed in until 9:30, a half an hour past our official ending time of 9:00 am). Personally I tallied 48 species, but some members of the group added another five species that I missed, usually by being in the wrong place or looking in the wrong direction as something flew over. The list included eighteen warblers with a few nice ones such as Cape May and Bay-breasted. The areas around the weather station, Belvedere Castle and the south side of Turtle Pond were so productive we never made it into the Ramble proper. After walking through the Maintenance Meadow, which was surprisingly quiet, we just headed out along the edge of the Tupelo Meadow since it was now well after our regular ending time of 9:00 am. The full list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret (1, the Lake)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Lake)
Red-tailed Hawk (1, overhead)
Merlin (1, flying south over the Lake when we started)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (1, flyover)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1)
Least Flycatcher (1)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (2, Hernshead)
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow (1, flyover)
Tufted Titmouse (heard)
Wood Thrush (1, heard by Maintenance Meadow)
Swainson's Thrush (1, weather station)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (4, heard and seen)
Worm-eating Warbler (2, Upper Lobe and by weather station)
Northern Waterthrush (1, singing near hernshead)
Blue-winged Warbler (1, weather station)
Black-and-white Warbler (4)
Common Yellowthroat (4)
American Redstart (5, including first year males)
Cape May Warbler (2, weather station and Tupelo Meadow)
Northern Parula (6)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Bay-breasted Warbler (1-2, weather station and Belvedere; possibly the same bird)
Blackpoll Warbler (1, weather station)
Yellow Warbler (3; including a cooperative one by the Belvedere Castle))

Yellow Warbler 05/10/2017 Central Park

Chestnut-sided Warbler (1, male, weather station)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (2)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (5)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Wilson's Warbler (1, male, Hernshead)
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow (1, adult by Bevedere Castle)
Scarlet Tanager (3, female and 2 males west of Tupelo)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1, heard singing near Belvedere)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole (6)
House Finch (2, east of Maintenance building)
House Sparrow

May 8 - Inwood Hill Park

I went into Inwood Hill Park for a few hours Monday morning with some visiting birders. While it was mostly sunny, it was still cool and somewhat slow birding for the eight of May. Migration continues to be slow, apparently due to all the adverse northerly winds and cool temperatures.We still managed to find forty-seven species in about four hours in the park, but with only eight warblers.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher (1, calling up on ridge)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (along edge of soccer fields)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush (2, in the Clove)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (1)
Common Yellowthroat (1, singing along the north side of the Clove)
American Redstart (4)
Northern Parula (2)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1, male on the ridge)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (8)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1, singing on the ridge)
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1, male on the ridge)
Indigo Bunting (1, singing on south side of soccer fields)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole (2, adult male n. side of soccer fields; 1st year male on ridge)
Baltimore Oriole (6, all over)
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

May 6 & 7 - Catskills

Ann and I went with our friend Georgia up to the Catskills for the weekend to visit another friend who has a lovely 18th Century farmhouse near the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster county over the weekend. We went for the same weekend last year. Last year we found 66 species over the weekend; this year with the cool, wet spring we have been having our total was ten species lower - 56 species. Nevertheless, and despite cool temperatures and on and off rain over the weekend we had a wonderful time. Vince has extensive woods on his property and nearby and we went for a number of birding walks. On of the fun non-avian finds was the "Red Eft" juvenile, terrestrial phase of the Eastern Newt we found crossing a gravel road through the woods.

"Red Eft" (Notophthalmus viridescens)

Our total bird list is below.

Canada Goose (Ashoka Reservoir and heard along the nearby Esopus Creek)
Bufflehead (1, male on the reservoir)
Common Merganser (2 - 3 pairs on reservoir)

male Common Merganser

Common Loon (1, on resevoir)
Double-crested Cormorant (1, on Reservoir)
Turkey Vulture (several)
Osprey (1, over resevoir)
Bald Eagle (1 adult over reservoir)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl (2, heard at night and just after dawn from house)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker (a couple heard, but Vince photographed one outside his window after we left)
Eastern Phoebe (nesting in Vince's garage)
Great Crested Flycatcher (several)
Yellow-throated Vireo (1, heard)
Blue-headed Vireo (2 - 3)
Warbling Vireo (1, heard)
Red-eyed Vireo (1, heard)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1, over Esopus Creek)
Tree Swallow (over reservoir)
Barn Swallow (over a nearby pond)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (lots)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren (nesting by house)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird (pair on phone lines on front lawn)

female Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush (1, singing in wet area near house)
Nashville Warbler (1, singing by Esopus Creek)
American Redstart (lots)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager (1, male)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (by resevoir)
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch