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

Central Park Oct 2nd

A repeat performance on Sunday morning showed signs of much slow migration. In particular the surface winds had shifted toward the east, and I only had 3 warbler sp. in Strawberry Fields when I started there an hour later than Saturday. The flight of Blue Jays was replaced by a small one of Northern Flickers and the hawk flight was minimal in the contrary winds.

The Maintenance Field was again the best place, with the continuing Chat and other warblers bringing it up to a total of 12 sp although in lower numbers than Saturday and there was also a visit by a Yellow-billed Cuckoo - I've actually seen more Black-billed than Yellow-billed this year.

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Empidonax Flycatcher sp. (Yellow-bellied?)
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Central Park 9/16

Although 9/15 was perhaps the better day I had a (yet another) dental appointment so went into the city on the 0537 on 9/16 instead. The conservancy, bless them, have closed the lawn on Strawberry Fields making it difficult to bird there but there was still a decent movement of warblers. They always seem to drift north through Strawberry Fields in what's presumably a reflection of the local habitat. Best bird there was a Bay-breasted Warbler. In the Ramble birding was patchy - at times Azalea Pond (Ruby-crowned Kinglet) was hot, at times the Tupelo Tree. In the Maintenance Field it was slow but high quality - Yellow-billed Cuckoo doing a double fly-by, Ruby-throated Hummingbird harassing a Magnola Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Least Flycatcher and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

The Kinglet, Sapsucker and fairly numerous Thrashers signaled a subtle but perceptible species shift over the previous weekend.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Maint. field)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Hernshead)
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Central Park, May 10th

Although May 10th is often a high-volume day in spring migration, this particular day was pretty slow, and for a long time I had about 5 species of warbler, mainly Magnolia. Eventually the quality picked up with a Prothonotary Warbler on the Point, a Least Flycatcher, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird male and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (the latter two at Azalea Pond). Still, I only barely made it into double digits for warbler species. In the afternoon I drove back home via Bull's Island State Park, where I added the fairly reliable Acadian Flycatcher and Cliff Swallow to my year list.

Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Least Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Field Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting