April 1 - Central Park

My first 2015 spring bird walk in Central Park for the American Museum of Natural History was on April Fool's Day. I commented to the group the April Fool's joke was calling it a "spring walk"! I think it was just below freezing when we started at 7 am.While it may have gotten warmer over the next two hours, it never really got warm. The Azalea Pond was closed with a skim of ice when we checked it. Still we managed to find 34 species by 9:00 am. The list follows:

Canada Goose (90 on the Lake)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (pair on Turtle Pond)
Hooded Merganser (pair on Turtle Pond)
Pied-billed Grebe (1, the Lake)
Double-crested Cormorant (2)
Great Egret (1, Turtle Pond in spectacular breeding plumage)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (1, in old swampy pin oak area)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren (singing by Maintenance Meadow)
American Robin
European Starling
Fox Sparrow (all over Ramble, including singing individuals)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rusty Blackbird (1, Turtle Pond)
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch (some at the feeders starting to get fairly yellow)
House Sparrow

pair of Hooded Mergansers on Turtle Pond                                                                     © Joseph DiCostanzo

Great Egret at southeast corner of Turtle Pond                                                                           © Joseph DiCostanzo