Inwood Hill Park - Apr 11 - warblers, finally!

OK, there were only a few, but they are here at last. I will get to them shortly.

It was a warm, if mostly overcast morning in the park. I hoped the south winds might finally have brought in the first real group of migrants. In the fenced-in area at the north end of the soccer field there was a Swamp Sparrow, but that has been there most days for over a week now. Walking across the soccer field I spotted a group of female Red-winged Blackbirds on the grass at the south side. They are the first female Red-wings I have seen in the park this spring. they were joined in a minute by three Brown-headed Cowbirds. Heading up the valley (Clove), I heard and saw the usual Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and White-throated Sparrows. Near the glacial potholes a small movement in the underbrush caught my eye - as I guessed, it was my first Winter Wren of the year. As I got to the top of the valley road, a raptor flew into a tree to the east. It looked a bit "floppy" in flight and when I checked it with my binoculars I discovered it was a Peregrine Falcon that had just caught a pigeon. The capture had clearly just happened since the pigeon was still actively struggling. That didn't last long as the Peregrine settled down to breakfast. The poor light and my desire not to disturb the falcon's repast did not lead to a very good photo.

Peregrine eating pigeon                                                                                                 © Joseph DiCostanzo

Along the ridge top there is increasing amounts of green on the ground and in the middle levels as many shrubs are now sprouting.

                                                                                                                                                       © Joseph DiCostanzo

North of the northern pine grove in the center of the ridge was where I finally encountered the warblers. There were at least two Yellow-rumped Warblers, a couple of Pine Warblers and several Palm Warblers. Most of the Palms were the bright yellow race that predominates in the spring, in contrast to the duller "Western" Palms we often get in the fall.

Palm Warbler                                                                                                                        © Joseph DiCostanzo

I encountered more Palms and Pines as I continued north along the ridge and there was a scattering of Palms just above the soccer field as I came down from the north end of the ridge.

In the Spuyten Duyvil area west of the Henry Hudson Bridge there was a lingering lone female Red-breasted Merganser. In the end I totaled 42 species on my walk with the last being a male Belted Kingfisher on my way out of the park near 218th Street.

There were also two nice non-avian finds. The first surprised me. On the slope west of the Henry Hudson Bridge there was an Eastern Chipmunk. Maybe, I have just overlooked them, or maybe my memory is off, but I don't remember seeing one in the park in years.

Eastern Chipmunk, Inwood Hill Park, 04-11-2014                                                            © Joseph DiCostanzo

My other non-avian find was totally expected - three Mourning Cloak butterflies around the edge of the soccer fields.

Central Park - Apr 10 - Wilson's Snipe & migrants

A beautiful morning in the Ramble for my American Museum of Natural History bird walk. It was warmer than yesterday. We found a total of 32 species.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - 30, most on Lake, some on Turtle Pond
Bufflehead - 4, one pair each on the Lake and Turtle Pond
Double-crested Cormorant - 4, The Lake and Turtle Pond
Red-tailed Hawk - bird flying around the San Remo as yesterday; also one perched in the Ramble
Wilson's Snipe - 1, on the Point
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - various locations in the Ramble
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker - several
Eastern Phoebe - at least; 10, seemed to be everywhere
Blue Jay
Brown Creeper - by Upper Lobe bridge
Golden-crowned Kinglet - small numbers scattered around
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - small numbers scattered around
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush - 1, on water's edge, base of sloping rock ne of Balcony Bridge
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2, dull individuals - probably females
Fox Sparrow - 2, well west of Azalea Pond
White-throated Sparrow - singing all over the Ramble
Dark-eyed Junco - mainly by the feeders
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird - pair, well west of Azalea Pond
Baltimore Oriole - chasing a Blue Jay, well west of Azalea Pond
House Finch - feeders
American Goldfinch - feeders and scattered around Ramble, some singing
House Sparrow

The snipe was the first I have seen anywhere this year.

Central Park - Apr 9 - beautiful, but cool morning

Led my Museum walk through the Ramble from 7 - 9 AM. Beautiful morning, without a cloud in the sky, but still a bit on the cool side. We found a total of 33 species.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - down from last week, but still about 20 - 25 between the Lake and Turtle Pond
Double-crested Cormorant - 2, on Lake
Red-tailed Hawk - 2, still engaged in nest building activity on the San Remo, but seemed to shifted their
                focus to the south tower from the north tower last week
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3, various locations
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker - at least 5 around the Ramble
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee - 1, at feeders
Brown Creeper - 1, at feeders
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1, south side Turtle Pond
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
Hermit Thrush - 2
American Robin
European Starling
Louisiana Waterthrush - 1, Indian Cave; my first of the year
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1, south side Maintenance Meadow
Chipping Sparrow - 1, feeders; my first of the year
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow - 1, above Shakespeare garden
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco - feeders
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird - Turtle Pond
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch - mainly at feeders, but also in various spots in the Ramble; some singing
House Sparrow

Inwood Hill Park - Apr 8 - Palm Warbler and Osprey

Worked at home today, but went for a quick walk in the mid afternoon in Inwood with Ann to exercise her knee. We were rewarded with our first of the year Palm Warbler - a bright yellow, singing male on the slope west of the Henry Hudson Bridge, overlooking the railroad bridge. We also saw some Eastern Phoebes. We heard from other birders about Golden-crowned Kinglets, which have been in for a few days and a Pine Warbler seen at the southern end of the ridge. There was still one female Red-breasted Merganser in the shallow water north of the soccer field.

When we first started out, I was surprised to see three adult Red-tailed Hawks go over the new Muscota Marsh area, north to south. I assume at least two of them, if not all three, were migrants since our resident Red-tail is on a nest. After we got home, I spotted an Osprey circling overhead from our apartment window.

Van Cortlandt Park - Apr 6 - signs of spring

Ann and I went up to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to exercise her knee and to look for signs of spring. Ann has been wanting to see her first Mourning Cloak butterfly of the spring and since I had seen one at Van Cortlandt on March 22, it seemed like a good place to look for one. We were rewarded with two very cooperative individuals, the first not long after we parked our car by the golf course and headed up the bike trail.

Mourning Cloak                                                                                                                  © Joseph DiCostanzo

On the west side of the marsh, near the edge of the parade grounds we found another sign of early spring we had been hoping for - Skunk Cabbage.

Skunk Cabbage                                                                                                       © Joseph DiCostanzo

Being birders, we of course were also looking for avian spring arrivals and were not disappointed on that front either. There were lots of Eastern Phoebes around and though I have not seen any swallows yet at Inwood Hill Park I did spot single Tree and Northern Rough-winged swallows over the marsh here. There was also spotted a lone Rusty Blackbird skulking in the dense vegetation by the bridge crossing the south end of the marsh by the golf course.

Inwood Hill Park - Apr 6 - Red-necked Grebe

On my morning walk through the park the best bird was the last one. I was headed out of the park at the West 218 Street entrance when I stopped to scan the canal off the new Muscota Marsh area as I always do. All this winter I have been hoping for a Red-necked Grebe here since there have been virtually unprecedented numbers of them in the New York City region. Now there one was in the channel. I was momentarily torn between running upstairs to try to add the bird to my apartment list and doing the more responsible thing of heading out towards the Columbia dock to try to get a picture to document the record. It only took a few seconds, but responsibility won and I quickly headed down the ramp of the new Muscota Marsh area and out to the gate that restricts access to the dock. I was greatly disappointed that when I got there I could not see the grebe anywhere! I scanned up and down the channel and across the channel repeatedly. I kept looking back and forth since I know Red-necks can dive for long periods and I thought it could have drifted off in the few moments it took for me to get to the dock from the street. I finally gave up and even though I was sure about what I had seen I resigned myself to being extra cautious and not adding the grebe to my list. As I turned away to head home I saw one of the tourist cruise boats heading east towards me from the direction of the Hudson River. I decided to watch until the boat had passed east towards the Harlem River, just in case it disturbed something on the water. The decision paid off. I don't know where the grebe was since I did not see it take off, but suddenly there it was, flying low over the water westward along the canal towards the Hudson. I could easily see the birds white cheek and dirty looking long neck and trailing feet. The white secondaries on the trailing edge of the wings was very prominent. I lost sight of the bird behind the peninsula of land to the west that contains the Little League baseball field currently under reconstruction. Hoping the bird might have landed again before setting to the river I quickly headed that way. Along the wall overlooking the marsh I encountered another birder. I told her about the grebe and she followed me out to the peninsula to look for it. When we got to the far end of the point of land we could find no sign of the bird. It probably continued on to the river. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture of the Red-necked Grebe, but this may have been a first record for Inwood Hill Park. It was my 195th species for the park.

The woods along the Clove and up on the ridge were nowhere near as exciting as the end of my morning walk. Bird activity is starting to pick up though. There were a number of Eastern Phoebes around, particularly toward the north end of the ridge. I also had my first Golden-crowned Kinglets for the year in the park (species #61) and a couple of Hermit Thrushes in the Clove. I encountered all five of our regular woodpeckers: Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Northern Flicker.

Inwood Hill Park - Apr 5 - mixed signals

It rained overnight, but started clearing around sun-up. It was still cool with temperatures in the mid to upper 40s, but with a stiff WNW wind. There were definite signs of spring, but also lingering traces of winter. The biggest winter holdover were the five White-winged Scoters on the Hudson River west of the railroad bridge over Spuyten Duyvil. It will be exactly one month tomorrow since I first saw a male White-winged fly past my apartment window. Other traces of winter was a lone Dark-eyed Junco on the north side of the soccer fields and numbers of White-throated Sparrows in the woods. A lot of the White-throats are singing now and their numbers actually may not peak in the park for another week or two as others who wintered further south pass through on their way to more northern breeding grounds.

In contrast, there were finally unmistakable signs of spring. A Red Maple just in from 218th Street and Indian Road is now in bloom.

Red Maple                                                         © Joseph DiCostanzo

And the buds on some bushes and vines in the woods are swelling and bursting open.

                                                                                  © Joseph DiCostanzo

But the most obvious sign that April and spring are finally here was the blooming of the daffodils. Most have not opened their flowers yet, but in a few warm, sheltered spots that catch the morning sun, the flowers are out.

daffodils and fly                                                      © Joseph Dicostanzo

I can't end without mentioning some more birds. There was an Eastern Phoebe near the upper end of the Clove trail. One of the nicest sightings was along the ridge. I saw a medium-sized woodpecker fly to the right side of a tree trunk ahead of me and another woodpecker of about the same size fly in to land on the left side of the same tree. My thought was Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, particularly since they seem to often move in pairs or small groups. But, when I raised my binoculars I found I was looking at a male Hairy Woodpecker on the right and a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the left. Naturally, they did not stick around to have their picture taken. Though the woodpeckers were uncooperative, I can't end without a bird picture so here are two Mourning Doves from the Clove.

Mourning Doves                                                                  © Joseph DiCostanzo

[AFTERNOON UPDATE: In the afternoon when Ann and I walked around the soccer field, there was a female Red-breasted Merganser in the shallow bay - another holdover from the winter.

Central Park - Apr 3 - quieter today

This morning was my first Thursday morning Museum walk for the spring. It was definitely quieter than yesterday morning, but the biggest disappointment was that the Red-necked Grebe that had been on the Reservoir for about the last three weeks seems to have departed since yesterday. We had a total of 30 species, down quite a bit from yesterday's 40. Still, but instead of yesterday's gray skies, today was a gorgeous morning with lovely, blue skies. The list follows:

Canada Goose
Wood Duck - pair on the Lake
American Black Duck - 4 on Lake
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - fewer than yesterday, but still probably 50 on the Reservoir
Bufflehead - 2 males on Turtle Pond another 8 (males and females) or so on the Reservoir
Red-breasted Merganser - pair on the Reservoir
Ruddy Duck - 6 on Reservoir
Double-crested Cormorant - at least 10, including a group on the north pump house roof on the Reservoir
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - several along the wood chip path west of the Great Lawn
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe - 2 on the wood chip path west of the Great Lawn
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 on the wood chip path as above - my first of the year
American Robin
European Starling
Fox Sparrow - 1 was singing by the Balcony Bridge when we started
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow birds singing all over
Dark-eyed Junco - about 5 along the wood ship path
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird - singing by Turtle Pond
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

[LUNCH UPDATE - Went into the Ramble for a quick look around on my lunch break: 5 Northern Flickers; no warblers; about 5 Fox Sparrows; 6 goldfinch (mainly at the feeders).]

Central Park - Apr 2 - Red-necked Grebe continues

This morning was the first of my spring bird walks in Central Park for the American Museum of Natural History.  I lead them every Wednesday and Thursday mornings in April and May. Normally, we bird the Ramble primarily, but this morning we only skirted the Ramble in order to go north to the Reservoir to look for the Red-necked Grebe that has been present for about three weeks. We were successful! Following is the entire trip list of 40 species.

Canada Goose
Wood Duck - 7 on the Lake
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - at least 60 between the Lake, Turtle Pond and the Reservoir
Bufflehead - about a dozen on the same three bodies of water
Red-breasted Merganser - pair on Reservoir
Ruddy Duck - 1 on Reservoir
Red-necked Grebe - 1 on Reservoir - showing good color on neck
Double-crested Cormorant - 4 on Lake and Reservoir
Great Blue Heron - 1 flying over Castle
Great Egret - 1 south side Turtle Pond
Red-tailed Hawk - pair building nest on the San Remo on Central Park West
American Coot - 2 on Reservoir
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
American Kestrel - south side of the Reservoir
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 by Shakespear Garden
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Brown Creeper - island in Turtle Pond
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4 south of the Castle and west of Great Lawn
Hermit Thrush - 1 south of the Castle
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow - 1 near Shakespeare Garden
White-throated Sparrow - singing all over
Dark-eyed Junco - 2
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

Inwood Hill Park eBird Hotspot web page

Ben Cacace has developed a web page for Inwood Hill Park utilizing the data from Cornell's eBird database and the eBird hotspot explorer. On it there is a checklist for species recorded in the park, checklists by month and by season, maps and all sorts of information. the link is on my list of links to the right. It is definitely work checking out for anyone interested in the birds of Inwood Hill park.