Central Park, Sept 14th and 15th (total 19 warbler sp + chat, BB Cuckoo)

I think the whole radar migration prediction thing is over-hyped as a useful tool for local birding, so I tend to use the standard method of wind direction and temperature.  So after arriving back in NJ from CA to 94 degree afternoon heat, the alarm bells went off when the highs over the weekend were in the low 70's, backed by a north-west wind.  More-or-less ideal conditions.

Bit of a shock, therefore, when I entered Strawberry Fields and there was barely any chipping.  30 minutes later and it was alive with migrants and in a hour I accumulated what is a very good day's warbler list (16 sp.) including Tennessee, Bay-breasted and Blackburnian.  Black-billed Cuckoo, two Olive-sided Flycatchers and a Chat in the Maintenance Field made for a pretty good day.  However I missed the Connecticut Warbler by scant seconds, and someone didn't look up enough and missed the expected large Broad-winged Hawk flight.

Sunday was quieter, but still many good birds in Strawberry Fields including Bay-breasted Warbler foraging in the grass right in front of me (along with Black-throated Greens).  A change in the mix of warbler species indicated that the second flight was new birds arriving.

Overall I netted 19 warbler species in two mornings, some decent birds (Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was a year bird), and finally saw some Broad-winged Hawk migration on the Sunday.  Conspicuously missing were any Kinglets or any sparrows (excl House), it's still ramping up.

Broad-winged Hawk (Sun)

Osprey (Sun)

Black-billed Cuckoo (Sat, Maint)

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (several both days)

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Olive-sided Flycatcher (two in Maint on Sat)

Least Flycatcher (Sat, poss Sun)

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Sun in SF)

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue-headed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

House Wren

Carolina Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Swainson's Thrush

Veery (Sat)

Wood Thrush (Sat)

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher (Sun)

Cedar Waxwing (large flocks both days)

Ovenbird (only 1, both days)

Black-and-white Warbler

Tennessee Warbler (3+, both days)

Nashville Warbler (1, Sun, SF)

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Cape May Warbler (1, Maint, both days)

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler (both days, very cooperative in SF on Sunday)

Blackburnian Warbler (SF, Sat)

Yellow Warbler (SF, Sat)

Chestnut-sided Warbler (Sat)

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Pine Warbler (3+ in SF on Sat)

Black-throated Green Warbler

Canada Warbler (SF)

Wilson's Warbler (SF on Sat)

Yellow-breasted Chat (elusive, Maint on Sat)

Bryant Park on Nov 6th

I decided to pursue the Yellow-breasted Chat at Bryant Park in the city on Sunday morning, staying clear of Central Park because of the NYC marathon. The main body of Bryant Park is full of pop-up micro stores hoping to make it big for the holiday season and an ice-skating rink sponsored by Citibank, which makes it all the more remarkable that the park was loaded with White-throated Sparrows. Also there: one American Robin, one Ovenbird (my new late date for Ovenbird), a few Hermit Thrushes, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I finally found the not-especially-tame Yellow-breasted Chat out front of the library at the same location as the previous year's Prothonotary Warbler. But it did not pose for pictures like the Prothonotary did and was singularly obsessed with hunting down food. This has been an outstanding year for the normally rare Yellow-breasted Chat in NYC but it's also interesting that Bryant Park hosted another Chat in 2002 which put it on the map for birders.

Unfortunate footnote to this trip was finding three dead Red-winged Blackbirds - all males - on the sidewalk just west of Bryant Park. Probably window strikes.

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 Oct 1st

With favorable conditions for migration I made it to Central Park via the absurdly early 0612 train out of Princeton Jct and was rewarded by a pretty decent movement of warblers in Strawberry Fields where I racked up 9 species in the space of half an hour. There was an obvious good movement of Blue Jays with me seeing over a hundred in various flocks during the day.

Most other areas were quiet, but the Maintenance Field held a Yellow-breasted Chat that was mostly skulking, and also was a good observation point for a decent hawk migration - mostly Sharp-shinned Hawk (10+) but also several Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, Osprey, Peregrine and one likely Merlin. Gadwall and Solitary Sandpiper were on Turtle Pond.

The Chat was the first one of the year for me (and likely the last).

A lack of Kinglets and Sapsuckers made me think that there was a decent amount of fall migration still to come, even if it was October 1st.

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Gadwall
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Solitary Sandpiper
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Empidonax sp (Acadian-ish and Yellow-bellied-ish)
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
House Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Oct 2nd: Better morning

Strawberry Fields was loaded with migrants at 6:50am, although nothing actually rare amongst them.  A small flock of Chickadees was the first invasion migrants I'd seen in a while.  A relatively subtle Bay-breasted Warbler was the best of the bunch.  In the rest of the park - or at least the parts of it I visited - there were some birds but not in anywhere near as great numbers.  Nevertheless it finally added up to 16 warblers with the assistance of a Yellow-breasted Chat that was shy even by Chat standards - I saw only it's head.  A Rusty Blackbird in the Maintenance Field was a nice find in a place you don't normally find them.

Double-crested Cormorant (two V-flocks flyover)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (many)
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (1)
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Black-capped Chickadee (a few groups)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rusty Blackbird (Maintenance Field)

Central Park, Sept 13th

A warm and slow day in the park had a few redeeming features. Finding nothing much at Strawberry Fields (Rose-breasted Grosbeak) or the Lower Lobe (Green Heron), I found a few Gadwall on the Lake on my way to the Upper Lobe where things were a little more interesting. While photographing a flock of Cedar Waxwings coming down to feed on pokeberry, a Yellow-breasted Chat popped up. This wasn't an easy bird to re-find, although Tony Lance saw it about 45 minutes later. There was also a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding nearby and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher vocalizing over our heads. The warbler count was low in species and numbers - a Palm Warbler in the Maintenance Field was the most interesting one.

Green Heron
Gadwall
Cooper's Hawk
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole