Migration wave, Central Park, May 3rd

It is approaching the peak season of  May 5th-12th, and today's birding showed that despite challenging viewing conditions with dark overcast.  I left the camera at home - a rarity for me - and ranged further afield, starting at the North End which already had interesting reports by the time I reached the park.  I found one of these birds - a Tennessee Warbler - fairly quickly.  The Tennessee was literally belting its song out, although it was a lot easier to hear than see and I only got mediocre views.  For quite a while it was singing semi-continuously.  There were also a lot of other singing birds, particularly Nashvilles and Yellows.  I found Yellow-throated Vireo by song, and saw at least two up there.  Blue-headed Vireo was especially numerous.  I also found Blackburnian by song, and finally tracked down a Blue-winged when I was searching for the elusive "Lawrence's" (Blue-winged x Golden-winged).  I also had a fleeting glimpse of a tantalizing bird - something that by size and particularly color was either a female Summer Tanager or a female Blue Grosbeak, but which was extremely uncooperative and I had to leave that unidentified.  I didn't even wander off the Great Hill, such was the activity.  There was also a Least-ish Empidonax flycatcher hunting low on the south slope of Great Hill, but did not sing for confirmation.

Eventually I headed south toward the Ramble.  I found Prairie Warbler near the Tennis Courts, American Redstart at the nw corner of the Reservoir, and about 100 yards south I stopped to listen to something that sounded somewhere in the range Hooded-Magnolia Warbler song.  It wasn't full-fledged Hooded and I suspected Magnolia for a while because a second bird was answering it.  The west side of the Reservoir is not really Hooded Warbler territory being mainly trees with little understory.  A  surprise, then, when this second bird turned out to be a male Hooded Warbler, and the first male Hooded showed itself after they'd taken a break from singing at each other.

Nothing was happening at the Upper Lobe at the Ramble, despite Bay-breasted being reported there earlier, but I did pick up Hermit Thrush and my first Wood Thrush nearby.  Toward Azalea Pond there was a good mix of warblers present, with two Magnolias and  Black-throated Blue Warbler also being new for the year.  Down at the Gill there was Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula (one of many heard all day) and another year-first: Canada Warbler.

On my way out of the park I picked up two Great Crested Flycatchers and a single Veery, bringing my new-for-the-year additions to a grand total of twelve and a total of twenty warbler species for the day, with Tennessee and Hooded the best of those.

American Kestrel
Empidonax sp.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo  (many)
Warbling Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler (many)
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler (several)
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole (several)

Central Park 4/24 - good migration

On about as good a migration day as I've seen as early April 24th, a warm day following a wet day filled the park with migrants. Most of the migrants were Black-and-white Warblers (all male) and Yellow-rumped Warblers, but I did come up with 12 warbler species by the time I left around 1pm.

In the Maintenance Field things started off slowly, with two Brown Thrashers, Common Yellowthroat and Chimney Swift (first-of-year for me). Then Hermit Thrush and Northern Flicker put in an appearance and I had a brief look at Northern Parula flitting from tree to tree. Around Azalea Pond things were more active with multiple B+W Warblers and Yellow-rumped. My only Palm Warbler for the day passed through. Then I found by chance a silent Yellow-throated Vireo, for the longest time my only vireo of the day but I was to add Blue-headed Vireo later on. Northern Waterthrush was singing at Azalea Pond and there were several around including a very vocal one at the Upper Lobe. Near the Upper Lobe I also found a very mobile singing Yellow Warbler along with silent individual Blue-winged Warbler and Great Crested Flycatcher. Over at Sparrow Ridge (Sparrow Rock) near Tanner's Spring I found two Field Sparrows, a Black-throated Green Warbler and located a vocal Baltimore Oriole. Then up in the small flat area between Shakespeare Garden and Belvedere Castle I saw both the reported Hooded Warbler (first year male, by appearance) and tracked down the first year male Orchard Oriole by its chatter. The final hurrah for the day was a singing Black-throated Blue Warbler in the Oven.

Looking at the sightings logs I keep online, the Yellow-throated Vireo was by far my earliest one - previously May 1st was my early date. But the Black-throated Blue was more or less on time (my early date for that is the 20th). But there's still a lot of spring to come.

First of year birds in the following list are marked with FOY.

Red-tailed Hawk
Chimney Swift (FOY)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo (FOY)
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Blue-winged Warbler (FOY)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler (FOY)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (FOY)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler (FOY)
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird (FOY)
Northern Waterthrush (FOY)
Hooded Warbler (FOY)
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole (FOY)
Baltimore Oriole (FOY)

May 15th-16th, Central Park

As luck would have it the two best spring days have been Fridays that I can't make the park: April 30th and May 14th. May 14th was probably the biggest day of spring, but Sat May 15th wasn't too bad although Sunday was a lot slower.

Highlights Saturday were Bay-breasted Warbler and Blackburnian Warbler at Tanner's Spring, Mourning Warbler in the Maintenance Field, heard Yellow-throated Vireo at Delacorte Theater and a Philadelphia Vireo at the edge of Evodia Field. Additionally Canada Warbler and Least Flycatcher were first-of-year for me. Sunday was slower with two female Cape May Warblers at the south edge of the reservoir being the best birds I found. 18 warblers aggregated over two days was acceptable but Sat was almost certainly a 20 warbler sp day if I hadn't spent too much time at Tanner's Spring and was carrying the camera.

Least Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Central Park May 1st and 2nd

Although April 30th was probably the most numerous day (I was at work), May 1st and 2nd in the park were good migration days and signalled a rapid switch from early to mid spring migrants. The species mix was different on the two days, with many Black-throated Greens on Sat and none on Sun. Best birds on Saturday were multiple Hooded Warblers, Worm-eating Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo amongst a lot of new-for-year birds. On Sunday an early Bay-breasted Warbler (last year I had one on Apr 26th), Blackburnian Warbler, a few Blackpolls, and a Prairie Warbler. There were multiple termite hatch-outs at before 10am in the Ramble on Sunday under very humid conditions. 19 warbler species aggregated over two days with others (Cape May and Cerulean) at least reported.

May 1st:

White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Waterthrush
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

May 2nd:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Kingbird
Blue-headed Vireo
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole

Spring migration - Central Park - May 13th 2008

Migration ramp-up continues even in the absence of favorable winds, not least of all shorebird migration with Spotted, Solitary and Least Sandipipers all found at the Lake's Lower Lobe (aka Wagner Cove). Least Sandpiper is pretty uncommon in the park, but certainly not unprecedented. While the warbler list wasn't spectacular I still found 14 species, including a Prairie Warbler at Strawberry Fields. Other notables were Indigo Bunting and Yellow-throated Vireo - both singing males. Late in the day a somewhat unusual immature Broad-winged Hawk was hunting near Tanner's Spring, moving through the woodland with notably greater speed than the local Red-tails.

Migrant list:
Broad-winged Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wood Thrush
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Swamp Sparrow
Indigo Bunting