Central Park - May 12th

After not coming in during the week despite reasonable migration motion, Saturday was at least sunny so I took in more spring migration in Central Park.  I netted 19 species of warbler in a typical mix of species.  Most noteworthy was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that I saw fly out of Maintenance Field and somehow managed to track on two successive hops before making the ID.  Thankfully others also got on the bird.  A close second best were two Bay-breasted Warblers seen on the bridle path that parallels the south side of the Reservoir - a good place for Bay-breasted and Cape Mays in recent years.  Despite hearing one Cape May I could not catch sight of it.  Other new-for-year birds included common ones: Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Blackpoll Warbler.  I also saw 4-5 different Blackburnian Warblers, including a female - I rarely see these.  There was also an anomalous Great Blue Heron headed north at high altitude over the park - it's long past the point where these should be nesting.

Some signs of less than epic volume included a lack of Catharus thrushes - I saw a grand total of 3.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher 
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler  (heard)
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler  (several)
Prairie Warbler (heard)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Eastern Towhee 
White-throated Sparrow  - a few remain
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak