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