May 5 - Inwood Hill Park

Another birdy morning in Inwood. I headed into the park around 7:45. On the deck overlooking Muscota Marsh I encountered Hilary Russ and we went into the park together. Hilary said she was supposed to meet Danny Karlson but was running late, so we would probably run into Danny somewhere in the park. We eventually met up with him up on the ridge. As yesterday there were Wood Thrushes and Ovenbirds scattered through the Clove as we climbed the trail. From the Clove path Hilary heard Northern Parulas up on the ridge, but I couldn't pick them out. As we got to the top of the path I could hear them - time to get the wax cleared out of my ears! At the top of the trail we spotted a male Indigo Bunting, some Scarlet Tanagers and a male Orchard Oriole. A few minutes later we saw another adult male Orchard and a first year male Orchard. Also at the top of the trail was a lone Least Flycatcher, not far from where I heard one calling yesterday. There were lots of Black-and-white Warblers around and I finally caught up with my first Yellow Warbler of the year. We continued birding the ridge after meeting Danny. At the old eagle hacking spot overlooking the valley, Hilary spotted a lovely male Blackburnian Warbler and there was a male Chestnut-sided. Later coming back down the Clove road there was a Worm-eating Warbler feeding in the leaf litter. Along the flat section of the Clove we watched a serious fight between several Wood Thrushes, either over a territorial boundary or a possible mate. As we came out onto the soccer fields Hilary heard a Prairie Warbler sing. While trying to spot the bird we saw a Nashville Warbler and then the Prairie. Along the north side of the soccer fields, at the edge of the bay we encountered our best bird of the morning, a singing Marsh Wren. My full list of 56 species is below. Hilary added one more with a Chimney Swift she had seen in the morning before we met.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture (2, over the Palisades)
Red-tailed Hawk (3)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher (1)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (2, singing)
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow (1)
Tufted Titmouse (1)
Carolina Wren (3, heard singing)
House Wren (2)
Marsh Wren (1, along shore edge north of soccer fields)

a bad, but recognizable picture of the singing Marsh Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Veery (6)
Swainson's Thrush (1)
Wood Thrush (5)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (8)
Worm-eating Warbler (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (10)
Nashville Warbler (1)
Common Yellowthroat (2)
Northern Parula (8)
Magnolia Warbler (1)
Blackburnian Warbler (1)
Yellow Warbler (2)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (3)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (6)
Prairie Warbler (1)
Eastern Towhee (4)
Savannah Sparrow (1)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager (6)
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting (1)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole (4)
Baltimore Oriole (10)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow