April 30 - Inwood Hill Park

I went into Inwood for a short walk this morning. It was mainly gray and cool. The best bird was actually seen from my apartment window shortly before I went out - a Red-throated Loon by Muscota Marsh. As I entered the park I encountered Danny Karlson, also going in to bird the park. We birded together for a while and Danny stayed in when I had to leave to go to the office. On the slope at the beginning of the road into the valley, a few Trout Lilies were in bloom while the Dutchman's-breeches in the Clove seemed to be at their peak. At the upper end of the path through the Clove we found an Eastern Chipmunk, a park resident that can be surprisingly scarce.

Eastern Chipmunk - 04/30/2018

 The birding was very quiet. While I was with Danny, we only came across two warblers. My total list of 33 species is below.

Canada Goose
Red-throated Loon (1)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret (2)
Turkey Vulture (1, over the Hudson, another over the Palisades)
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (2)
Carolina Wren (several singing)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Hermit Thrush (1)
American Robin (at least 40 on the soccer fields)
European Starling
Black-and-white Warbler (1)

Black-and-white Warbler - 04/30/2018

Palm Warbler (1)
Chipping Sparrow (9, the soccer field)
Savannah Sparrow (1, bright plumage; the soccer field)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1)
White-throated Sparrow (only a few)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (3, males on the soccer field)
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow

April 27/28/29 - Great Gull Island

This was "Move Out" weekend for Great Gull Island. Move Out is the annual spring weekend when we bring the gear up from the Museum to Connecticut and take it out to Great Gull Island in preparation for the new field season. This was not the first time people had gone to the island this year. Matthew Male has been out there for a few weeks clearing vegetation and brush off the tern nesting areas. And Helen Hays and Joan Walsh went out last Sunday to join him. I accompanied a crew out on Friday for the weekend. Matthew led a crew in re-shingling roofs that had been damaged by winter storms. Other people worked on repairing the fences that keep tern chicks from running off the edge of gun emplacements. I worked on unpacking gear and setting up the headquarters building for the season. Other people cleaned the dorm buildings. In between the work we also checked the island for birds and watched for migrants. Friday was rainy; Saturday started out overcast and had intermittent sun and occasional light fog and Sunday was rainy again. Despite the less than ideal weather we did spot a number of birds. We knew what the most exciting bird was going to be since Matthew had already posted it. It was a Snowy Owl that has been appearing on the island on and off for a week or so. It gave some nice views.

Snowy Owl - 04/28/2018

Snowy Owl - 04/28/2018

Saturday morning produced a small influx of migrants including sparrows, a few warblers and other odds and ends. One species was a first record for the island, though I have been expecting it for a few years now - a group of three Boat-tailed Grackles (2 males and a female) made a brief stop on the island. Saturday morning saw the first terns of the season when a group of sixteen flew over the island. On Sunday morning a few groups totaling a few hundred appeared briefly over the island. This is typical spring arrival behavior for the terns on Great Gull. We ended the three days with 61 species, the last being a Bald Eagle flying west over the island as some of us boarded the boat on Sunday afternoon for the trip back to the mainland.

The full list of birds is below, but birds were not the only wildlife around the island. We had a number of Harbor Seals swimming around the island and hauling out to rest on the shore. The individual below was sleeping comfortably on the western end.

Harbor Seal - 04/28/2018

Canada Goose
Mute Swan (3, flying eastward south of the island)
American Black Duck (2, hanging around the island and even swimming around the Big Gun)
Common Eider (up to twenty mainly between Great Gull and Little Gull)
Black Scoter (a pair off the eastern end)
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon (scattered individuals)
Northern Gannet (2, flybys)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (1, flyover)
Great Egret (3, flyovers)
Snowy Egret (1, with the Greats)
Osprey (1, flyover)
Bald Eagle (1)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1, Sunday)
Cooper's Hawk (1, Saturday)
Merlin (2)
Peregrine Falcon (1)
American Oystercatcher (2)
Greater Yellowlegs (heard calling by Dale Dancis while flying by)
Spotted Sandpiper (island breeders)
Willet (1, on the rocks on the western end of the island Saturday morning)
Purple Sandpiper (5, at the extreme western end on Friday)

Purple Sandpipers - 04/27/2018

Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Rock Pigeon
Snowy Owl (1)
Chimney Swift (1, flyover seen by Loyan Beausoleil)
Eastern Kingbird (1)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Fish Crow (9, flyover flock)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1)
Tree Swallow (2)
Barn Swallow (island breeders)
Carolina Wren (island residents)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (3)
Veery (1)
Hermit Thrush (2)
American Robin (1)
Northern Mockingbird (1)
Gray Catbird (1, seen by Joan Walsh)
European Starling (island residents)
Ovenbird (3)
Black-and-white Warbler (several Saturday)

Black-and-white Warbler - 04/28/2018

Common Yellowthroat (1, male)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (3)
Eastern Towhee (a couple on Friday; many more on Saturday)
Chipping Sparrow (2)
Savannah Sparrow (1)
Song Sparrow (island residents)
Swamp Sparrow (1)
White-throated Sparrow (15)
Northern Cardinal (one pair)
Red-winged Blackbird (island breeders; females arrived on Saturday)
Common Grackle (5, have bred on island)
Boat-tailed Grackle (3)
Brown-headed Cowbird (2)
House Finch (island residents)
American Goldfinch (6)

April 26 - Central Park

Quite a difference from yesterday morning, at least in the weather. Today was clearing skies when we started at 7:00 am. By about thirty minutes into the walk, I don't think there was a cloud in the sky. As we started Stefan told me there had been a report of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at the Point. This is a real rarity in Central Park, so we decided to head straight there. We checked the length of the Point with no luck. Then we headed around to the Oven. On the way I ran into Dave Barrett who said, yes, the night-heron was still there. He kindly took us over to the right spot to get an angle on where the bird was.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 04-26-2018

Not only was this the first Yellow-crowned I have seen in Central Park, but it was my first for New York County! In the end we had 29 species for the morning.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Northern Waterthrush
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

April 25 - Central Park

Four intrepid participants braved the somewhat dismal weather forecast and met me for today's Wednesday AMNH bird walk in Central Park. The forecast was for rain and cool temperatures, but at 9:00 am the rain stopped and then pretty much held off until the walk ended at 11:00! I wish I could say that we were rewarded with some special bird for our efforts. Alas, though we had nice views of a couple of warblers, we did not find anything out of the ordinary. Our somewhat low list of 28 species is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Herring Gull (3, overhead in the fog)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker (4)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Northern Flicker (5)
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Hermit Thrush (4, way down from last week when they were everywhere)
American Robin
Brown Thrasher (1, heard singing)
European Starling
Palm Warbler (2, the Point)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (2)
Eastern Towhee (3)
Song Sparrow (1)
White-throated Sparrow (fewer than in recent weeks)
Dark-eyed Junco (1)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (1, feeders)
House Finch (4, feeders)
American Goldfinch (5, feeders)
House Sparrow

April 23/24 - Inwood Hill Park

Two beautiful, sunny, bright blue sky mornings in a row in Inwood. However, both were a bit on the cool side with not a lot of birds around. On Monday, April 23, Dale Dancis came up town to bird the park. On the way in we encountered Danny Karlson who was also going in to bird Inwood. The three of us birded together for a bit before Danny went back out to meet another friend. On Tuesday morning when I headed in I again encountered Danny and we birded together. I didn't see a single warbler on either morning. The only new species for the year on either morning was an American Kestrel spotted flying over by Danny on the 24th. The soccer fields continue to host some migrating sparrows, though they are often pushed around by people and their dogs. On the 23rd Dale and I counted six Savannah Sparrows feeding together. On both mornings the male Red-winged Blackbirds were loudly calling and displaying by the water's edge on the north side of the soccer fields.

Red-winged Blackbird - 04/24/2018 - Inwood Hill Park

For the two mornings combined I tallied thirty species. I can't wait for some warm southerly breezes and some migrants!

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
House Sparrow

April 21/22 - Connecticut

Ann and I had to go up to Connecticut over the weekend. It was not a birding trip, but we did stop in briefly at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Sunday, April 22. We did not see many birds, but a few, like two Glossy Ibis, were the first we have seen this year. One species that did surprise us, because we didn't expect to see them this early in the spring were some Purple Martins.

Purple Martin - 04/22/2018 - Hammonasset Beach S.P.

April 19 - Central Park

Another gray, cool, damp morning. Back in the mid-1960's (I know I am showing my age) there was a classic movie about surfing called Endless Summer. This spring might best be named Endless Winter. Again this morning it felt more like February or early-March than the latter half of April. It was spitting rain when my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk started. About ten hardy souls joined me. It was soon clear that despite the weather there were more birds around then yesterday morning. What was also clear was that many of them were Hermit Thrushes; they seemed to be everywhere. We also encountered a number of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Last Thursday, we didn't receive word about the Barn Owl until fifteen minutes before the walk ended so we did not have time to look for it. This week we decided to try for the owl without hearing whether it had been seen today. I knew it had been seen yesterday. Our hunt was successful and we found the owl in the same place it has been for over a week now, It was, however, facing the opposite direction than other times I have seen it. The views were not great, but everyone in my group saw it. It was a life bird for several. By the time we headed out of the park at 9:00 am we had totaled 36 species.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (1, flyover)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Lake)
Red-tailed Hawk (1, frequenting its nest on the San Remo building)
Ring-billed Gull (1, flyover)
Herring Gull (5, flying over as we left the park)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barn Owl (1)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (1, calling persistently near the Azalea Pond)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (15, scattered throughout Ramble; at least one singing)
Hermit Thrush (45, they were eerywhere)
American Robin
European Starling
Palm Warbler (2, Upper Lobe)
Pine Warbler (1, near the Barn Owl)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (8)
Eastern Towhee (1, first female I ave see this spring)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (1, feeders)
House Finch
American Goldfinch (8)
House Sparrow

April 18 - Central Park - Summer Tanager

After work I went back into the park to look for the female Summer Tanager that had been reported at the southwest corner of the reservoir. The bird proved to be very cooperative, giving nice views.

female Summer Tanager - 04/18/2018

While watching the tanager I picked up my first swallows of the year. Tree, Barn, and Northern Rough-winged swallows were all flying over the reservoir. Word also reached the birders enjoying the tanager that a male Summer Tanager had been found at the Conservatory Garden further north in the park. While many headed that way to see the male, I headed down to the pond at 59th Street to try for the Seaside Sparrow that has been there for the last three days. Though I had heard most people had gotten great views of the bird it eluded me. Probably because of all the people activity. At one point, a small dark sparrow suddenly appeared among the reeds along the shoreline, but alas, it was a Swamp Sparrow. The sun had disappeared behind the tall buildings to the west, but I took its picture anyway.

Swamp Sparrow - 04/18/2018

April 18 - Central Park

Once again it felt more like February or early-March at the start (9:00 am) of my Wednesday AMNH bird walk. It was mostly gray and cool, but by about half way through the walk the sun started to break through. It looked as if we were not going to have any warblers this morning, but at the end of the walk we finally picked up two - a Palm Warbler at Oak Bridge on the Upper Lobe and a Louisiana Waterthrush on the stream by Triplets Bridge. We ended the walk with 31 species, but there was nothing remarkable on the list.

Canada Goose (10, the Lake)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, seen across the Lake from the Point)
Red-tailed Hawk (2, one circling by the San Remo, one perched)
Ring-billed Gull (1, flyover)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (1, heard)
White-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, male)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (1, triplets Bridge)
Palm Warbler (1, Oak Bridge)
Eastern Towhee (1, male)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (all over the Ramble; many singing)

White-throated Sparrow - 04/18/2018 

Dark-eyed Junco (2)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (4, male at the feeder and 2 males displaying to a female at the Oven)

Brown-headed Cowbirds - 04/18/2018

House Finch (2, the Feeders)
American Goldfinch (singing in various places as well as at the Feeders)

American Goldfinches and House Finch - 04/18/2018

House Sparrow

April 17 - Inwood Hill Park

I went for a quick walk in Inwood this morning before heading down to the office. The birding was fairly quiet, though a Turkey Vulture flew over the soccer fields as I was coming out of the park by Muscota Marsh. There are lots of Dutchman's-Breeches in bloom now and the Japanese Pachysandra is also in bloom.

On the east road on the ridge a large tree came down in yesterday's storm and is blocking the path.

April 16 - Inwood Hill Park - Red-throated Loon

The first half of the day was just miserable with driving rain and wind. In the early afternoon it finally stopped raining and then cleared somewhat. I went for a short walk (about 30 minutes) in the late-afternoon, just around the soccer fields at the north end of the park. There were not many birds around - among them were a bunch of American Robins, some Brown-headed Cowbirds, a couple of Chipping Sparrows and one Savannah Sparrow. The one surprise was a winter plumage Red-throated Loon in the bay north of the soccer fields. The bird has been seen sporadically since late-March.

Red-throated Loon - 04/16/2018 - Inwood Hill Park

Chipping Sparrow - 04/16/2018- Inwood Hill Park

April 14/15 - Inwood Hill Park

It would have been hard for the weather on Saturday and Sunday to be more different. Saturday was a beautiful sunny and warm spring day. Sunday was cool and gray for most of the day and rainy in the evening; the bleakness of the day enhanced by the cold, stiff northeast breeze. I went into Inwood Hill Park for a few hours on both mornings. Not surprisingly, the birding was very different on both days. The totals for the two days were very similar - 28 species on April 14 and 27 on April 15 - but the make-up was so different that the total number of species was 36 over the two mornings. There are still not many warblers around. I only saw Palm Warblers the first day, but the total for them was at least 16 individuals, thanks mainly to a group of about ten birds south of the Overlook Meadow. Other people saw Pine Warblers, but I didn't run into them. I saw no warblers on Sunday. There were a few kinglets of both species on Saturday, but none seen on Sunday. The soccer fields continue to produce a nice variety of sparrows..

The full list of 36 species is below, but before I get to that I want to mention some non-avian species seen. The Dutchman's-Breeches are starting to bloom in The Cove, though they are still far from their peak. The Daffodils are well past their peak and there is lots of Forsythia out. On the 15th I was accompanied by Ed Eden on my walk. On our way back from the ridge we encountered a Striped Skunk walking through the woods. We made sure we did not annoy it.

Striped Skunk - 05/15/2018 

In another local mammal sighting, on the 14th Alison Dundy posted a picture of an Opossum in a tree just outside the park at Isham and Seaman.

Bird List
Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (1, flyover on the 14th)
Great Egret (hunting in Muscota on the 15th)

Great Egret - 04/15/2018

Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl (there is one that quite a few people seem to know about that occasionally peaks out of a dead tree stub when it is sunny). The following picture was taken from a fair distance and is greatly enlarged.

Eastern Screech-Owl - 04/14/2018

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren (heard calling both days)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (4/14 only)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (4/14 only)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Palm Warbler (16 on the 14th)
Chipping Sparrow (soccer field both days)
Savannah Sparrow (1, soccer field both days)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird (a female on the soccer field in company with a group of female Red-winged Blackbirds on the 14th)
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (5 males on the soccer field on the 15th)
House Finch (the Clove on the 15th)
American Goldfinch (1, Muscota Marsh on the 15th)

House Sparrow

April 13 - Central Park

Friday the 13th! Despite the date it was a nice morning in Central Park for Paul Sweet's regular Friday morning AMNH bird walk. Paul is still out of town so I was covering for him again. It was a bit gray, but with mild spring temperatures. Following a night of southwest winds there was definitely some influx of birds, just not as many as hoped for. Given the forecast I went down early and started scouting around the Ramble at 7:00 am, though the actual walk did not begin until its scheduled time of 9:00 am. The highlight of the morning was the continuing presence of the Barn Owl first found at the beginning of the week. The owl was not easy to see, but everyone did get a look at it. During the walk we totaled 33 species. The list is below. After the main list I list an additional five species I encountered on my early scouting trip.

Canada Goose (4, the Lake)
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk (1, carrying nesting material)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barn Owl (continuing bird)

Barn Owl - 04/13/2018 - Central Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (4)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee (1, heard by Oak Bridge)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (2, Triplets Bridge and Oak Bridge)
Palm Warbler (1)
Chipping Sparrow (5)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (3)
White-throated Sparrow (everywhere, many singing)
Dark-eyed Junco (4)
Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal - 04/13/2018 - Central Park

Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird (1, Upper Lobe)
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


Additional species seen in my 7:00 to 9:00 scout.
Herring Gull
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Towhee

April 12 - Central Park

Finally, a spring migration morning! It wasn't spectacular, but at least there were some birds. My AMNH Thursday morning group found 40 species, and for the first time this spring - more than one warbler species. Near the end of the walk we heard that yesterday's Barn Owl had been found again. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go look for it. One of the highlights was the first Blue-headed Vireo of the year. The full list of birds is below, after a picture of some Blood Root in bloom to prove that it is finally spring!

Blood Root - 04/12/2018 - Central Park

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (7, including a small flock of 5 flying over)
Red-tailed Hawk (2)
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3)
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (5)
Eastern Phoebe (6, scattered individuals)
Blue-headed Vireo (1, by Triplets Bridge; first of the season)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (1, heard)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1, heard)
Brown Creeper (2)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (3)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (5, some males displaying their crowns)
Hermit Thrush (8)
American Robin
Brown Thrasher (1, first one seen this year)
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (1, the Point)
Palm Warbler (3, Balcony Bridge)
Pine Warbler (4, Tupelo Meadow)
Eastern Towhee (2)
Chipping Sparrow (9, Tupelo Meadow and the Feeders)
Field Sparrow (1, Tupelo Meadow)
Fox Sparrow (2)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (5, scattered individuals near wet areas)
White-throated Sparrow (everywhere)
Dark-eyed Junco (10, Tupelo Meadow and the Feeders)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch (10, scattered individuals and the Feeders)
House Sparrow

April 11 - Central Park

A beautiful morning for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk in Central Park. Still cool temperatures, but bright sunshine and lovely blue skies.This spring the Museum changed the start time of the Wednesday walks from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. I still went in at 7:00 myself to scout around before the group arrived. There were a few birds around, but it wasn't particularly birdy so after an hour I headed over to the Museum for a quick break and breakfast and then came back and met my group a few minutes before 9:00. We hadn't gone very far into the Ramble when we heard about the Barn Owl that has been seen sporadically over the last couple of days. The bird was fairly well hidden high in a pine, but my group did get to see it. Then we went back to birding. In the end we found 35 species, but only one warbler. But any bird list that includes a Barn Owl doesn't have to include much of anything else to be a great morning. The total list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (2 pairs on the Lake)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Black-backed Gull (2, flyovers)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barn Owl (1)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe (4)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Hermit Thrush (4)
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (1)
Eastern Towhee (3, all males)
Chipping Sparrow (1, the Feeders)
Fox Sparrow (4)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (2)
White-throated Sparrow (20+)
Dark-eyed Junco (the Feeders)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch (4, the Feeders)
House Sparrow

April 10 - Central Park (lunchtime)

At lunchtime I led Paul Sweet's AMNH Central Park walk for him. The weather was more pleasant than in the morning, but was still cool for the season. We did slightly better than on the morning walk, totaling 32 species over about an hour and a half. One of the highlights was a Louisiana Waterthrush and some lingering Fox Sparrows. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any pictures of those birds, but I have included a couple of other pictures below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Point)

Black-crowned Night-Heron - 04/10/2018 - Central Park

Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (1 heard as we were leaving)
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch (2, south of Azalea Pond)
Brown Creeper (1)

Brown Creeper - 04/10/2018 - Central Park

Golden-crowned Kinglet (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush (1, by Oak Bridge)
Eastern Towhee (1, male)
Fox Sparrow (3)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (3)
White-throated Sparrow (lots, some singing)

White-throated Sparrow - 04/10/2018 - Central Park

Dark-eyed Junco (5, the Feeders)
Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal (female) - 04/10/2018 - Central Park

Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch (8, the Feeders)
House Sparrow

April 10 - Central Park

This morning I led Paul Sweet's Tuesday AMNH bird walk in Central Park while he is away. The weather was not great. It was a solid gray overcast, cool and damp and occasionally spitting. Still we managed to find 30 species. A singing male Eastern Towhee was the first I have seen this spring. The total list is below.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant (flyover)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1, the Point)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Herring Gull (flyover)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker (2)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Blue Jay
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Hermit Thrush (2)
American Robin
European Starling
Eastern Towhee (singing male)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (2)
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (3, the Feeders)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch (5, the Feeders)
House Sparrow

April 5 - Central Park

This morning was my first 2018 spring Thursday morning AMNH walk in Central Park. What a difference a day makes. Compared to yesterday's relatively warm, but very foggy weather today was bright, blue skies and cool temperatures - some of the leftover rain pools were skimmed over with ice and Evelyn Huang was sharing out hand-warmers with other participants! Despite the cool temperatures we did well with birds. We found a total of 32 species with the feeders, not surprisingly, being the most active area. The total list is below.

Canada Goose - 8 (the Lake)
Mallard - 6
Northern Shoveler - 15 (the Lake)
Double-crested Cormorant - 1 (the Lake)
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 2 (the Point)
Red-tailed Hawk - 1 (carrying nest to San Remo)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher - 1 (the Lake)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 5 (scattered around the Ramble)
Downy Woodpecker - 1 (the Feeders)
Northern Flicker - 6 (scattered individuals)
Eastern Phoebe - 2 (the Lake)
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse - 3 (west of Humming Tombstone)
White-breasted Nuthatch -1 (by the Feeders)
Hermit Thrush - 2 (Upper Lobe)
American Robin
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow - 4 (the Feeders)
Fox Sparrow - 2 (the Feeders)
Song Sparrow - 6
White-throated Sparrow - 30 (some singing)
Dark-eyed Junco - 6 ( Feeders)
Northern Cardinal - 5 (singing males all around Ranble)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 (female, Feeders)
House Finch - 3 (Feeders)
American Goldfinch - 6 (Feeders)
House Sparrow

April 4 - Central Park

This morning was my first AMNH Central Park bird walk of the 2018 spring season. For the first time the walk was done starting at 9:00 am instead of 7:00 as it has been done for many years. This is a change the Museum is trying out this spring. Also this spring Central Park is doing restoration work on the Belvedere Castle so we will not be able to include that in our route as we have in most recent migrations. This also makes it harder to get to Turtle Pond and we did not get there today. An additional problem this morning was the weather. While it was not actually raining for the walk there was a heavy fog until the last few minutes of the walk with the sun trying to break through just before 11:00 am. Nevertheless, we did manage to find a total of thirty species during the walk. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but it was nice to see signs of spring. Besides early spring migrants, the Forsythia was in bloom. The total bird follows.

Canada Goose - 18
Mallard - 5
Herring Gull - 2 (overhead in fog)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 4 (most heard)
Northern Flicker - 3
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Blue Jay
Brown Creeper - 2 (one of the highlights)
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Hermit Thrush - 1
American Robin - 10 (minimum)
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow - 3
Fox Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow - 2
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3 (females at feeders)
House Finch
American Goldfinch - 4 (at feeders)
House Sparrow