May 25 - Inwood Hill Park - A beautiful morning

A magnificent, beautiful spring day in Inwood Hill Park. Went out for about 2.5 hours in the morning. Not as much activity as yesterday morning, but some nice birds. The best was a singing Mourning Warbler seen briefly north of the Overlook Meadow. I missed Olive-sided Flycatcher yesterday, but had one today on the ridge shortly after reaching the top of the Clove Road. Another flycatcher today was a single Yellow-bellied on the ridge. Also on the ridge was a singing Tennessee Warbler.

The complete list of 42 species for my morning walk is below, but first a few photos of some interesting non-avian finds. On the ridge I came across a nice patch of Columbine in full bloom.

Columbine                                                                                     © Joseph DiCostanzo

Also on the ridge I came across a patch of "Bluebell" (Hyacinthoides sp.) that is presumably an escape from someone's garden or a leftover from a garden of one of the old estates in the park.

"Bluebell"                                                                                            © Joseph DiCostanzo

On a rotting log near the top of the Clove Road, there was a nice group of Turkey Tail fungus.

Turkey Tail                                                                        © Joseph DiCostanzo

Finally, for a winged, but non-avian find, there was a nice Silver-spotted Skipper that posed for me on the ridge.

Silver-spotted Skipper                                                                                      © Joseph DiCostanzo

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher                                                                                       © Joseph DiCostanzo

Eastern Wood-Pewee - calling on the ridge
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher - several heard calling
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler - 1, singing on the ridge
Mourning Warbler - see above
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting - singing near the Overlook Meadow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

May 24 - Inwood Hill Park - Migration continues

I went in to Inwood Hill Park for about three hours this morning. It started out overcast and a bit threatening, but cleared up as the morning progressed. Most of the day was lovely until the afternoon rain showers.

We are now in the downward side of the spring migration but there were still many birds around with a good variety. Among the warblers there are now mostly females and young males passing through. I found 13 species of warblers this morning with a singing Mourning Warbler and three Bay-breasted Warblers topping the list. Flycatchers usually peak late and there were certainly good numbers around this morning.  I was surprised not to encounter an Olive-sided Flycatcher, but was more than rewarded by hearing singing Alder and Willow flycatchers on the ridge. Also on the ridge were both cuckoos. My full bird list is given below, but first I want to mention some non-avian finds. Just off the main ridge trail I cam across some False Solomon's Seal in bloom.

False Colomon's Seal                                                                                         © Joseph DiCostanzo

Later as I was headed out I came across a cooperative skipper butterfly. Skipper's are not showy and can be tough to identify, but I believe this one was a Hobomok Skipper.

Hobomok Skipper                                                                                    © Joseph DiCostanzo

The total bird list on my morning walk was 56 species.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret - one flying south over the Hudson
Ring-billed Gull - gull numbers are way down, but I did come across one each of the three regulars
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - heard calling near the Overlook Meadow
Black-billed Cuckoo - one seen high in a tree along the center of the ridge
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee - calling in the Clove
Alder Flycatcher - calling in the Overlook Meadow vicinity
Willow Flycatcher - perhaps two different ones calling on the ridge
Great Crested Flycatcher - at least three
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren - one seems to be settled in near the Clove overlook on the ridge
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush - singing all through the Clove and on the ridge
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing - a small flock on the east side of the ridge
Ovenbird - at least two seen
Northern Waterthrush - about five seen; perhaps mostly or all females since I did not hear any singing
Nashville Warbler - one singing on the southern end of the ridge
Mourning Warbler - one singing in the vicinity of the Overlook Meadow
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart - lots of the first year males
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler - at least three seen, none apparently adult males
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler - one
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler - two; getting late for this species
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting - singing near the Overlook Meadow
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

South to southwest winds are predicted for at least part of tonight, so perhaps tomorrow morning will be good again.

May 22 - Central Park

Yet another overcast, misty, gray morning - but, once again with birds for my Thursday morning AMNH bird walk group. There seemed to be fewer birds than yesterday morning, but that could partially reflect our concentrated efforts to find a Mourning Warbler. The efforts were partially successful in that a few of us had a fleeting view of a Mourning Warbler on the Point after our official ending time of 9:00 am. Another good bird that everyone saw this morning was Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 on the Lake
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee - seen from the Oven
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 2, one well seen above Tanner's Spring
Warbling Vireo - usual places
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 2, one by Turtle Pond
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing - small flock flying away from Oak Bridge by the Upper Lobe
Northern Waterthrush - several singing in various places in the Ramble
Mourning Warbler - the Point
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart - everywhere
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler - the Point
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Canada Warbler - 5 or more
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole - heard near the Polish Statue
House Sparrow

May 21 - Central Park

A surprisingly birdy morning for my Wednesday AMNH bird walk in the Ramble. Though there were a good variety of birds around, the birding has reached the somewhat frustrating stage of birds being hard to see because most of the trees are fully leaved out now. Still, we were able to find a total of 46 species and 17 warblers. Flycatchers seemed to be in short supply for this point in migration while there were a few migrants you don't normally expect to see this late.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret - 1, Turtle Pond
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1, the Lake
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1, the Point
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
House Wren - 1, singing near the Maintenance Meadow
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart - mostly females, but a few adult males also
Cape May Warbler - bright female on the Point
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler -  at least 3 seen
Blackburnian Warbler - male at Belvedere
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler - a very late bird was a surprise on the Point
Yellow-rumped Warbler - getting scarce
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler - several
Wilson's Warbler - Oak Bridge on the Upper Lobe
White-throated Sparrow - Oak Bride, plus another heard singing
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - male on the Point
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow

May 18 - Day 2 of GGI birdathon - Long Island portion

It is now Tuesday, May 20 and I am still recovering from the two days of birding madness of the great Gull Island birdathon. A longer account will be posted in due time - I am still entering lists in the computer. However, the final tally for Sean Sime and myself was 195 species, just one short of our record. There were a few bad misses which, in found, would have broken our record. Even the elusive 200 mark was within reach, but did not fall this year. But, we have no complaints. It was a fabulous and exhausting couple of days of birding. Jeff Kimball and Chuck McAlexander who did the most of the birdathon with us have their own list somewhere in the upper 170s, a new record for them.

May 17 - Day 1 of GGI Birdathon - upstate portion

A fuller account of out Great Gull Island Birdathon will have to wait until we get some rest. But a couple of highlights: Friday night at the motel in Wurtsboro there was a power failure due to the rains (presumably). The motel had a generator so there were emergency lights on, but Sean and I had to make the sandwiches for the next day with the use of headlamps.

photo taken by Ann Shaw using Sean's iPhone.

Things got better after the above. Saturday was easily out best first day ever for us on the birdathon. We had a total of 138 species including 27 warblers. More in a couple of days when time and rest allows.

Central Park - May 15 - A bit soggy.

The forecast was for the rains to stop this morning and when I looked at the weather radar at 6:00 am it looked as if most of the rains had passed us and there was nothing else coming our way. This however, turned out not to be the case. On my way down to Central Park for my Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. bird walk the heavens opened. It let up a little when I arrived at the park. A couple of participants were waiting for me and even though it was raining we decided to head down to Hernshead to see if there were any birds around. More people arrived and eventually the Magnificent Seven (plus  myself) headed into the Ramble. We were rewarded with a let-up in the rains for the entire walk. There were not as many birds as in recent days, but it was surprisingly birdy. We had a total of 36 species with 10 warblers. A Northern Waterthrush was singing loudly from the stream by Triplets Bridge. We crossed the park drive from Balcony Bridge to see if we could spot it. It was obligingly in the middle of the stream. On the way into the Ramble, the trees over Oak Bridge at the Upper Lobe had a number of birds, including a Wilson's Warbler. Other highlights included a Lincoln's Sparrow on the Point. While we were on the Point, Chris Cooper told us about a singing Gray-cheeked Thrush on the Riviera. We headed over there to look for it, doing a detour around a Park vehicle cutting some tree branches and loudly turning them into wood chips. Not surprisingly the thrush was not singing, but Phil Jeffrey was photographing it on the path. Unfortunately only a few of us saw the thrush since it quickly disappeared into the thick ground cover. The full bird list follows.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1, Riviera (see above)
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird - still good numbers around; several seen
Northern Waterthrush - at least 3
Black-and-white Warbler - 4
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart - females all over, a couple of males
Northern Parula - 1, Riviera
Magnolia Warbler - all over
Blackpoll Warbler - males seen all around the Ramble
Black-throated Blue Warbler - several females
Wilson's Warbler - 1, Oak Bridge
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1, the Point
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1, heard at the east end of Turtle Pond
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

Central Park - May 14 - Back to March temperatures

Cool and gray this morning (a familiar refrain back in April) for my Wednesday morning American Museum of Natural History bird walk. Despite the cool temperatures, there were some birds around, just in much lower numbers than in the last week.The most activity was on the point. In total we recorded 40 species with 13 warblers.

Canada Goose
Gadwall - pair on Turtle Pond
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Kingbird - Hernshead
Warbling Vireo - usual places
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Barn Swallow - 1, over the Lake
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler - male on the Point
Yellow Warbler - female on the Point
Chestnut-sided Warbler - on the point as well as a singing male on the way out at 77th Street
Blackpoll Warbler - several on the Point
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Canada Warbler - male on the Point
Lincoln's Sparrow - Upper Lobe on the way out
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - one heard on the Point
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

[Update - thank you to Lenore Swenson who pointed out a couple of birds I missed.]

Inwood Hill Park - May 12 - Birds, butterflies, and flowers

I was only able to get into the park for a short time in the late morning. Still, it was a fun, productive walk. I will get to the birds in a moment. On the walk I had several first of the year butterflies. The first was an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on the large Lilac bush at the meadow overlook.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail                                              © Joseph DiCostanzo

Nearby, west of the railing fence at the overlook, I spotted a small dark butterfly on a Dandelion flower which proved to be a Juvenal's Duskywing.

Juvenal's Duskywing                                                                                           © Joseph DiCostanzo

Further north along the ridge a large, dark swallowtail flew quickly by me under the trees. Unfortunately, the fleeting view of it did not allow me to identify it, so what would have been my third first of the year butterfly got away. There were also lots of Cabbage Whites flying around the park. Near where I saw the dark swallowtail I noticed a Herb-Robert in bloom. I later came across a good size group of this pretty little wildflower member of the geranium family on another trail.

Herb-Robert                                                                                    © Joseph DiCostanzo

Finally, getting to the birds - there were still a lot around, if perhaps not as many as the last couple of days. However, it was hard to make a fair comparison with the weekend since I went in to the park a few hours later than on the last two mornings and was in for a much shorter time. Even with that smaller effort I recorded 49 species, including 12 warblers. I did not get any new species for the year. The most unusual bird was a late Dark-eyed Junco feeding on one of the roads. on the ridge.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco                          © Joseph DiCostanzo

Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow

Inwood Hill Park - May 11 - Another flight

Deep blue skies, instead of the days of fog and overcast this morning. The fog had produced some memorable birding the last few days. The clear skies continued the string of birdy mornings. It actually felt along the ridge that there were more birds than yesterday in terms of actual numbers of individuals, but the diversity of species was somewhat reduced. Yellow-rumped Warblers were easily the most abundant warbler. It was one of those May mornings where you looked at lots of "Myrtles", as Yellow-rumps were called when I started birding, looking for other species. And other species were to be found. I tallied 19 species as part of my total of 68 species during about a 3.5 to 4 hour walk. At one point James Knox called me on my cell to say it had come across a termite hatch and the warblers were all coming in to feed. A few of us hurried over and were rewarded with a nice male Bay-breasted Warbler at below eye level. This was not far southeast of the toll plaza and not far from where James and i had seen a Bay-breast (perhaps the same one) the day before. The west side of the ridge between the meadow overlook and above the toll plaza seemed to have the biggest numbers of birds this morning, though birds could be found everywhere. Earlier, James and I heard a singing Tennessee Warbler near the east overlook above the Indian caves and also found my first Yellow-billed Cuckoo of the year near here.

Before giving my complete bird list for the morning, I want to mention a few plants in bloom. The large lilac bush by the meadow overlook is now in full, fragrant bloom.

Lilacs                                                                                                          © Joseph DiCostanzo

Also, now in bloom are some of the Horse Chestnut trees scattered around the park.

Horse Chestnut                                                                                  © Joseph DiCostanzo

I had to cut short my morning because Ann and I had to go to Brooklyn due to a family matter, but my total bird list for the weekend was 84 species with 22 warblers. Following is Sunday's list of 68.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1, east side of ridge (see above)
Chimney Swift - now back in numbers
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee - my first ones of the year were singing on the ridge
Great Crested Flycatcher - 2
Eastern Kingbird - 3
White-eyed Vireo - 1, neat the east Indian caves overlook
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery - 2
Swainson's Thrush - 3
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird - not as many as the other day, but still common

Ovenbird running along path                                                                     © Joseph Dicostanzo

Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler - 15
Tennessee Warbler - 1, (see above)
Nashville Warbler - 2, singing on ridge
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart - 15, this and the next two warblers were everywhere
Northern Parula - 20
Magnolia Warbler - 20
Bay-breasted Warbler - 1, male (see ablve)
Blackburnian Warbler - 1, female on the ridge
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 4, singing males on the ridge
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 50, an underestimate
Black-throated Green Warbler - 10
Canada Warbler - 1, male near where the top of the Clove road
Wilson's Warbler - 1
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow - 1, with White-throats on the ridge
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow - 1, also with White-throats on the ridge
Scarlet Tanager - 2

Scarlet Tanager                                                                           © Joseph DiCostanzo

Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 6
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird - 7, on the soccer field
Orchard Oriole - 5
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow