April 7 - Inwood Hill Park

I went for a short walk up onto the ridge in Inwood Hill Park this morning. The forecast was for sunny skies, but the weather was actually somewhat gray and chilly. Nevertheless, in under two hours I found 32 species. There was the expected singing White-throated Sparrows and a number of Dark-eyed Juncos in the Clove. The best bird was an adult Bald Eagle soaring over the ridge, as seen from the overlook above the Hudson. This bird was spotted first by Nadir Souirgi who I encountered at the overlook. On the way back down we came across a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, the first I have seen in the park this spring. The weather forecasts call for steadily warming temperatures over the next four days, so we should get a real pulse of migrants coming through.

This morning's list is below.

Brant (7 flying south over the river. A bit of a surprise.)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bald Eagle (1, adult)
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Fish Crow (1, heard)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren (singing)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow