Couch's Kingbird to Close 2014!!!

Today I went to the West Village to try to find a rare Couch's Kingbird that has been hanging around there for about a month, only first reported about a week ago. This bird from Texas and Mexico would be a first state record. I have previously looked for it twice with no success (I did get to meet the director of A Birder's Guide to Everything, though). When I got to the spot that the bird was being seen on W 11 st and W 4 st (the West Village is confusing) I came across a few people looking at the bird. I got great views of it. Just a few minutes later it flew away and came back a few minutes later. After over 20 minutes of waiting it was reported at Abbington Square, where it was actively flycatching on Bank St. About 5 minutes later, it flew down Bank St and around the corner onto Greenwich St, where it went out of sight. I soon refound the bird on my own at Washington and Jane St, the original site of the bird's discovery. The bird was not reported there for the last few days, so this was quite a surprise. The paparazzi and I then chased it to Abbington Square and then W 4 st. After a few minutes there it went back to the spot at Bank St, where it stayed for at least a half hour. It often hung out on fire escapes (or terraces at Washington and Jane) and hunted for insects there. Despite the cold weather, the insects seem to still be somewhat active, as the bird caught several of them. I also saw it using a technique in which it would glean the windowsills for insects, with some success. The bird also ate berries from a small tree for about a minute before resuming hunting. Shortly after noon, I left the kingbird to get lunch. What a great way to end the year!

Bird of the Week #11

This week's bird of the week is Bufflehead!

Buffleheads are small ducks. Males have a head that's black in the front and white in the back, black wings, and a white belly. Females are all brown with a white cheek patch and belly. They prefer to live in lakes as well as saltwater bays and estuaries. They dive underwater to find food such as insect larvae and small fish.

Bufflehead breed in Canada and Alaska and winter over much of the United States and Mexico. In New York City, they can be regularly found from October through April. One of the best places to find them is the Central Park Reservoir, where flocks sometimes congregate.

Christmas Birdwalk

I went on a birdwalk in Central Park on Christmas Day. At the Point, we found a few Wood Ducks, Black Ducks and a Hooded Merganser resting on some logs. We then went to the feeders, where we found 3 species of woodpecker (Downy, Red-Bellied, Sapsucker) that visited the same feeder as well as a few House Finches. Nearby we found a Carolina Wren and a Fox Sparrow. When we went to Turtle Pond, we found a few Buffleheads and a pair of Hooded Mergansers there. After that, we went to Triplets Bridge to see if anything might be bathing there. We were surprised to find a very late RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET foraging for insects there. Quite a few were seen on the Christmas Bird Count just a week and a half prior, so it seems likely there could be a lingering bird or two. At the Reservoir we saw the usual waterfowl, the highlight being a single Gadwall there. After that, I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk as I went to lunch.

Species: 35

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Coot
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
RUBY CROWNED KINGLET (1, Triplets Bridge)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Throwback Thursday #3: Barnacle in Canada (Geese)

On December 23rd, 2012, I went to Van Cortland Park with my dad to chase a Barnacle Goose there. This rare vagrant lives in Greenland and Scotland, but occasionally a bird may stray into the Northeast. This bird was reported consistently over the past month. When we got there we saw thousands of geese on the ball fields. Much closer to us, there was a flock of about 50 geese and 2 birders. At first it was hard to pick out the Barnacle Goose from the Canadas because they never kept their heads up. I then tried to look at the bodies to see if I could find one that looked different. This made it very easy to find the goose. It was much smaller than the other geese, so much that some people had mistaken a rare Cackling Goose there for the Barnacle. I also noticed it being chased around by the larger subspecies (they vary a lot in size) of Canada Goose. This chase was a success.

Central Park CBC Results

I was a participant in the 115th Central Park Christmas Bird Count on December 14th. My sector was the Ramble Sector, in which there were more than 30 other people. It includes all of Central Park between 72nd and 79th st. We saw about 35 species in our sector. I was not able to see Winter Wren, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, and Pine Siskin. Here are the highlights of the count. There were about 55 species seen in the park that day. The biggest miss of the day was Pied-Billed Grebe.

Highlights/Surprises

Ring-Necked Duck ( 4 continuing birds at the Reservoir)
Great Blue Heron (1 flyover first seen at the north end landing at Turtle Pond. Not seen every year)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (1 late migrant at the Great Lawn)
Winter Wren (1 in the Ramble seen by a person outside the group)
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Several seen, including 3 in the Ramble. Not seen every year)
Hermit Thrush (Several, including one seen in Strawberry Fields)
Purple Finch (Rare, 1 late migrant seen at the north end)
Pine Siskin (Rare, 1 in the Ramble seen outside of the group and 1 at the north end)

Bird of the Week #10

This week's Bird of the Week is Tufted Titmouse!

Tufted Titmice are about 6.5 inches long. They are close relatives of chickadees and have a bluish-gray back, wings and crest, a white underside, orange sides, and a black forehead. They live in forests and eat mainly insects in the spring and summer and mainly berries, nuts and seeds in the fall and winter. They also are attracted to birdfeeders and sometimes can be hand-fed.

Tufted Titmice can be found throughout most of the eastern half of the United States year round. In New York City, they can be found year round but are much more common in the winter. They can be found in nearly every green space in the city in winter, especially in Central Park. The titmice there were much more common than usual 2 years ago, then were basically nonexistent then next winter. No one knows why it happened, but they are about as common as they normally are

CBC Announcement!

I am happy to say that I was one of the many participants in the 115th Central Park Christmas Bird Count. Many great species were seen. Just giving you a heads up. And yes, I did see the Ring-Necked Ducks at the Reservoir! I will post about it this weekend

Throwback Thursday #2: Spring Seabirds

On April 15th, 2012, I went on a seal watching trip in NY harbor. As we went out of Jamaica Bay, I saw thousands of Brant and my first Laughing Gull of the year. The weird thing is that something told me to scan gull flocks for Northern Gannets. I kept thinking to myself why I would find a gannet there. Against all the odds, I managed to spot one in a small flock of Great Black-Backed Gulls as it spread its wings. As we scanned around the harbor islands we eventually found a Grey Seal. It was bobbing in the water next to an island with some rusted metal. We also spotted breeding colonies of hundreds of Double-Crested Cormorants on one of the harbor islands. As we headed back, I spotted a small, brown bird with a white rump about a quarter mile off Coney Island. It was flying up and down slowly, close to the surface of the water. Storm-Petrel! It all happened so fast that I was in shock. Any storm-petrel would be rare in the spring. I talked to some other birders on the boat and they all agreed that I saw a storm-petrel.

Bird of the Week #9

This week's Bird of the week is Ring-Necked Duck!

Ring-Necked Ducks are about the same size as a Northern Shoveler. The males have whitish bodies and the females have brownish bodies. Both sexes have black heads and chestnut necks, hence their name. Their blue, ringed bills have led some to think that it should be called ring-billed duck, due to it being more prominent on the birds. They feed on aquatic plants as well as insects, worms, and crustaceans.

Ring-Necked Ducks breed in Canada and the northern states and winter over the southern two-thirds of the United States all the way south to Central America and the Caribbean. These ducks are not very common around New York City. The best time to see them is in fall. They are fairly rare in Central Park, but have been reported with increasing regularity in the past few years, especially at the Reservoir. Currently there are 3-4 birds at the Reservoir. They are pretty easy to spot in the southwest corner where they often hang out.

Throwback Thursday #1!!!

I am going to start a new segment called Throwback Thursday. It will feature trips and rare sightings I have had in the past.


I went to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas in Mid-April. Despite being a resort, there were still some birds there. I saw several native species just by chance, such as Red-Legged Thrush, Loggerhead Kingbird, and Black-Faced Grassquit. White Crowned Pigeons were common and fed on the non-native date palms. Also common were Bannanaquits. Northern and Bahama Mockingbirds existed side by side. Quite a few warbler species were seen there, the most numerous being Cape May Warblers. I once saw a flock of Ruddy Turnstones taking advantage of fish scraps at one of the shark tanks. Also, I saw a spotted sandpiper foraging along the shore of the stingray exhibit. The most common bird was probably Eurasian Collared Dove. On the last day I was there, I saw a Peregrine Falcon.

Bird of the Week #8

As migration has finally stopped, I will cover winter species for the next few months. This week's bird is Northern Shoveler!

Northern Shovelers are slightly smaller than a Mallard. Males have green heads, black and gray wings, a white belly, and chestnut sides. Females are mostly tan and brown. The feature that sets them apart from other ducks is their shovel-shaped bill. They use it to stir up water plants and insect larvae by dragging it through the water and spinning around.

Northern Shovelers breed in Canada and the central United States and winter over the southern half of the country as well as along the Eastern Seaboard. These birds can be found in NYC from October through early May. Large flocks of up to a few hundred birds are nearly always at The Lake or The Reservoir.

Cassin's Kingbird Makes An Appearance!

On November 16th, a Cassin's Kingbird was seen by a single observer at Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn. This would be only the 2nd record of this species in New York State. A week later the bird was refound and had been seen by dozens of birders in the days following. On Sunday, I decided to go there with my dad to try to find the bird. The bird is usually seen at the Community Garden, not far from the visitors center. Once I got there, we ran into several birders who were looking at the kingbird. It took me a minute to find it due to there being tons of poles, structures, and fences there. When I saw it, it was unlike any other bird I have seen before. It was clearly the Cassin's, due to its grayer chest than a Western Kingbird. It constantly flew around and flycatched so much, that I actually went around the whole garden just chasing the bird! At one point, I was able to get within 20 feet of the bird when it landed on a fence on the end of the garden and was able to take a blurry picture that clearly shows a yellow-bellied kingbird. I can see why it chose the Community Garden and not the more natural bird areas in Floyd Bennet Field. There were literally hundreds of perfect perches to scan for insects from in the garden, most of them being poles or fences. If you want to try your luck with this bird, it still frequents the Community Garden and was still being seen today
(Dec. 5) . This bird is sometimes not be found there, especially in the evening. when it roosts outside the garden. I wish whoever tries to find this bird good luck!

P.S. The only other notable birds I saw were 2 Song Sparrows.

First Rare Bird of the week! BOTW #7

Sorry that I took a break from Bird of the Week last week. This one is good though. This week's bird is Cassin's Kingbird!

Cassin's Kingbirds are around 8-9 inches long. They have a grey head, back and chest, yellow underside, a white chin, black wingbars, and a white-tipped tail. Their tail and beak as well as a more grayish chest can help distinguish it from the closely related Western Kingbird. They make a "quaeer" sound when calling. They can be found in open fields and farms.

They breed in the Southwest U.S., Mexico, and the Rocky Mountains. Almost all of them head to Mexico in the winter. This bird is a very rare vagrant to New York State, with only one prior record in 2007 to one currently being seen at Floyd Bennet Field. Today I went there to see if I could find the bird. I will let you know next week whether I found the bird or not.

Fall is over

Yesterday I did a quick sweep of the Ramble and Reservoir. There was mostly just usual birds settling in for winter, such as titmice, nuthatches, and goldfinches. I also found a single Song Sparrow at the feeders. When I do a sweep of the rest of the "fenced-in triangle", I often find at least 1 Song or Fox Sparrow. The only other notable bird seen was a quick glimpse of a Field Sparrow. This one is pretty late in the season, since the only migrants left that are being seen regularly are small numbers of kinglets and Pine Siskins. At the south end of the Reservoir I only saw some very distant gulls and Ruddy Ducks on the other side, as well as several Mallards, 2 American Coots, and a male Bufflehead near the southern pumphouse.

Novembird or Not?

Not much happened last Sunday. Unfortunately, the Purple Finches seemed to have finally left the feeders.There were mostly the usual birds. Highlights were several Red-Winged Blackbirds at Evodia Field (I also saw a flock of 50+ migrating outside the window at my friend's apartment today) with a Fox Sparrow out in the open. I also discovered a Swamp Sparrow at the Swampy Pin Oak. That is all. No checklist due to there being no real excitement or uncommon species.

Bird of the Week #6

This week's Bird of the Week is Pine Siskin!

Pine Siskins are about the size of a goldfinch. They have streaked bellies and brownish backs and gold wingbars. They're call is a rising "zhreee". They usually feed on conifer seeds, but will sometimes come to birdfeeders.

Pine Siskins are another irruptive winter finch. They can be found year round in Canada and the northern states, and in fall and winter can be found over most of the country, including NYC. These birds can be found across NYC conifers and around birdfeeders. In irruptive years like this one, they are much more common then normal. Evodia Field and most stands of coniferous trees are good places to look for them in Central Park.

Gray-Cheeked or Not

On Sunday I made a quick pass at Central Park to see if anything was there. Once again, there were Purple Finches at the feeders, 3 this time. A few birders told me that they had a Gray-Cheeked Thrush not far away a few minutes ago. I followed their directions and came across a Hairy Woodpecker. Just up the path I saw a thrush. It looked good for Gray-Cheeked and was very tolerant of me as it foraged in a bush. I then realized that it also looked alot like a Hermit Thrush, and I still have no clue which one it is. After that, I went to the Upper Lobe, where I found a Red-Tailed Hawk at eye level eating a rat. I also saw a Winter Wren there.

Species:19

Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-Tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker (heard)
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
European Starling
White-Throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
PURPLE FINCH
House Sparrow

Bird of the week #5

I'm sorry I'm late on this post. Choosing birds can be very difficult sometimes. I was deciding on a 3 species and had to dismiss the Winter Wren and Pine Siskin. Which leave us with our fifth bird of the week: Yellow-Rumped Warbler!

This bird is one of the larger warblers. They are also known as "Butterbutts" due to their plumage. There are two subspecies that look very different: the Myrtle and Audubon's Yellow-Rumped Warbler. The Myrtle Warbler is the subspecies found around NYC, so that is the one I will be talking about. This bird changes plumage throughout the season, In the spring it is blue with yellow patches on its head, flanks, and rump (hence the name) with a streaked white belly. In the fall the blue turns to brown, otherwise they look the same throughout seasons. These birds have many foraging habits, including feeding on berries in the winter, insects in the trees in the spring and summer, and insects and berries on the ground in the fall.

Myrtle Warblers can be found over much of the country. They breed in Canada. Because they often eat other foods besides insects, they are able to winter as far north as Massachusetts. They winter over much of their range and can be common even on Long Island. These birds can be found in numbers across the 5 boroughs from October through early-May. In the winter, they are usually only seen along the Long Island Coast, despite being common there. Myrtle Warblers can often be found in fruiting/flowering trees in the spring, and in some clearings in the fall.

That's it for this bird of the week. I hope you enjoyed it!

Why are These Wrens Pretending To Be Each Other's Species?

This post doesn't fit in the schedule, but it is a bit interesting. Winter Wrens are one of the smallest songbirds in America. For some reason, the wrens I've seen in Central Park are always House Wrens and the ones I've seen in other parks are always Winter Wrens. The last 2 parks I went to were Cal Shrautz (please correct me on spelling), where I got most of the common fall species, and a large playground in Battery Park City, where I only saw a few common fall species. The Winter Wren at Cal Shrautz was under a bush next to a bench, and the one at the playground was on a path next to a rock formation. I don't know what it is, but is it something with the birds, or am I just lucky?

UPDATE 11/7: Found a very cooperative wren in the garden in front of my building. Came within a few feet of me a few times. At one point I viewed the bird from above. Surprisingly, it was another Winter Wren! What is up with me and these birds?

Another Irruptive Species Appears!

On October 26th, I went birding by bike in the ramble. As I rode in I saw an Eastern Towhee and my friend, Ryan. He told me that he had seen several notable species in the park that day.
These were:
Purple Finches at the feeders (less than 100 feet away from where I was, Probable)
Lincoln's Sparrow at the Great Lawn (little chance of finding)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch at the Pinetum (possible)
Flock of Pine Siskins at Shakespeare Garden (possible)

The chase was on! My first target, the Purple Finch, was at the feeders waiting for me. There were actually 2 of them together! There was also a House Wren there as well. My next stop was the Pinetum, where Red-Breasted Nuthatches have been seen for the last several weeks. I didn't find them, but I did get a Brown Creeper and a flock of Palm Warblers as consolation. I decided to skip the Lincoln's Sparrow and go straight to the siskins.

 As I went Shakespeare Garden, I ran into a birder who told me they are currently being seen in a hemlock grove from the terrace there. When I got there, there were a few other people there looking for the birds. They only had glimpses of the birds in the half hour that they were there. These birds seemed to be really seclusive. But that was not our only problem. There were more that half a dozen species that looked exactly like them from a distance (Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Black-Capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, etc.). Time kept passing as we picked up our binoculars and confirmed that every bird we saw in the hemlocks wasn't a siskin After about 20 minutes, I was about to give up when I saw 5 birds fly up near the top of the hemlocks. Pine Siskins! One of the birds gave us great views as well. After a few minutes, they disappeared into the hemlocks again and I decided to call it a day.

Species List:30

Red-Tailed Hawk (3 together, flyover)
Gull Sp.
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (Pinetum)
House Wren (Evodia Field)
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Palm Warbler (Pinetum)
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow (Maintenance Field)
Song Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Common Grackle
House Finch
PURPLE FINCH (2 at Evodia Field)
PINE SISKIN (5 at Shakespeare Garden)
House Sparrow

Bird of the week #4

Our bird of the week is a big one that has been crossing paths with me for a while: Purple Finch!

Purple Finches are about the size of a Song Sparrow. The males have brown backs and purplish-pink faces and undersides, while females can be told apart from the related House Finch by their grosbeak-like faces. Otherwise, both types of female finches look very similar with their speckled bellies and brown backs. These birds can usually be found in fruiting trees as well as bird feeders. They also tend to flock together.

Purple Finches breed in Canada, the northeast U.S and along the Pacific Coast, where they are year-round residents. They winter there as well as the eastern half of the country. Population in many areas may vary, as many more finches move south than usual in some years due to less food being available further north. New York is no exception to this rule. These bird can be found in late fall and early spring in open woodland areas across the five boroughs. They can also occasionally be seen in winter. In irruptive years like this one, flocks of Purple Finches can often be found in places where there are lots of fruiting trees, such as Strawberry Fields. Evodia Filed is usually an easier place to find them, though there are usually only a few birds there. Let's hope that they won't be the only irruptive finch at the feeders this fall!

Bird of the Week #3

Our Bird of the Week is the Hermit Thrush! It was either this or Eastern Towhee to get into the Halloween spirit, but I had to choose the Hermit Thrush because it seemed more significant.

Hermit Thrushes are one of the smaller types of thrushes, about the size of a towhee. The can be told apart from other thrushes due to their reddish tail contrasting greatly with their tan body. Like other Cathurus thrushes, it has a tan belly with black speckles. It also frequently bobs its tail. They usually forage on the ground or in undergrowth and are usually the easiest thrush to find in their range. Their song is a bunch of musical phrases similar to a Wood Thrush.

Hermit Thrushes breed in Canada, the Appalachians, and the Rockies. They winter mostly in the southern half of the United States and Mexico. In New York, they are mostly found from early March
to late April, and from late September through late November, Sometimes they can be found during the winter, and often a few hang around. Hermit Thrushes can usually be found without much trouble in a small clearing or a patch of bushes. Around now they are very easy to find, and are the only thrush around.

That's it for this addition of Bird of the Week. I am happy to announce that next week's bird will be a more uncommon species than will be in most of these posts. Stay tuned!

A Few Late Birds and a Few Interesting Ones Too!

My birding route and the birds seen on Sunday weren't that different from the week before. There were a few late migrants that came in though. I saw a Black-and-White Warbler in Tupelo Field and heard a singing Red-Eyed Vireo at the field near 79 st. At nearby Maintenance Field I saw a Field Sparrow while sifting through the mixed flocks of other sparrows. I also heard from birders there that Purple Finches had been reported at the feeders. I supposed it was worth a go and right when I arrived, there was a female Purple Finch there.

Species List:35

Canada Goose
Mallard
Accipter Sp.
Red-Tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
RED-EYED VIREO
Blue Jay
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Black-and-White Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
PURPLE FINCH
House Sparrow

2nd Bird of The Week

This is the 2nd Bird of the Week post so far. This week's bird is the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet!

Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are some of the smallest songbirds in the United States, even smaller than warblers. They are olive with gray bellies and large eye rings. Males have a red crown on their head, which gave the bird its name. They are also able to raise the crown when they are agitated or aggressive. Ruby-Crowned Kinglets forage in the trees, but sometimes are also seen in the undergrowth and on the ground.Their song is usually  a "tsee tsee tsee" followed by some twittering and chipping.
Ruby-Crowned Kinglets can be found across North America. They breed mostly in Canada and the Rockies, and winter in the southern U.S, Mid-Atlantic, and along the Pacific Coast. In New York City, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are usually found from early April to mid-May and from mid-September through November. Ruby-Crowned Kinglets are often not hard to find in Central Park, and are quite tame. Often you may be able to walk right up to them without them flinching.

In case you were wondering, next week's bird will unfortunately not be Halloween-themed, due to lack of Baltimore Orioles. I think it might get a spot another time.

Irruptive Tendencies

On Sunday, I went to the park as usual not knowing what to expect. As I was walking to get breakfast at the boathouse, I spotted three starlings chasing an accipter. Fortunately, its tail was not spread so it was easy to see that it was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. That was an unexpected start to the day!

After I ate, I went into the Ramble and went to the bird feeders. I went there because I was hoping that Tufted Titmice returned there. They were absent last winter and no one knows why. Then one appeared at the seed feeder. And then another. I then went to Tupelo Meadow, where the flocks of White-Throated and Song Sparrows were so large that I thought something might be hidden in there. Despite a lot of searching, I was unable to find anything in the flocks. When I spoke with birders there, they said that they found Swamp and Field Sparrows earlier, but nothing now.

We then directed our attention from the ground to the trees. There was already a Blue-Headed Vireo waiting up there, along with a Blackpoll Warbler and a Northern Parula. A few minutes later, a few Yellow-Rumped Warblers and a female Black-Throated Blue Warbler came into some low branches right above us. As I left, I spotted a Brown Thrasher foraging at the end of the meadow.

After that I didn't see that many birds at all. I checked Maintenance Meadow, Willow Rock, and Azalea Pond;  After a long while. I decided to check Maintenance Meadow again. I met up with a few birders there, who said they were hearing Purple Finches. Purple Finches are annual in the park in varying numbers. This year, there were alot About a minute later, two finches flew into a distant tree. They looked like they could be Purple Finches, but we weren't sure. After a few minutes, the birds flew out low enough to see that one of them was completely purplish-pink. Then they flew out of sight. My life Purple Finch was seen for just a few seconds. It seems like star birds don't always stay in the spotlight!

Bird List:40

Canada Goose
Mallard
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
Gull sp.
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-Headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Black-and-White Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-Throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee (Many)
Song Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-Winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
PURPLE FINCH
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Bird of the Week #1!!!

I am happy to announce this new thing I'm doing on the blog called Bird of the Week. This will be a regular series of posts at the beginning of each week for about a year. They will describe a "Bird of the Week", which will be a bird specially chosen by me that seems fitting for the week. The birds can be chosen because of their appearance, significance, or other reasons. The posts will also cover basic information about the birds and where they can be found in New York City. Note that only birds that can be seen in New York County will be on here. This does not exclude rarities.

Without further ado, the first bird of the week is Palm Warbler!

Palm Warblers, like many other warblers, change plumage in the spring and fall. In spring they are yellow with streaked chests and bellies. They also have tan backs and a chestnut cap. In the fall, the bird turns all gray except for some yellow on the underside.It keeps the streaking but loses the chestnut cap. Its song sounds like a buzzy"swee swee swee swee swee swee swee". Palm Warblers like open woodland and often are found around shrubs and dead leaves.
The eastern population breed in the boreal forests of Canada and the northern U.S and winter in the Southeast U.S, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The western population breads in central and western Canada and winters on the pacific coast. In New York City, Palm Warblers can be found from late March to early May and from late September to early November. A spot that was very reliable for Palm Warblers this year was a large pile of dead leaves gathered by park staff. The decay of the leaves attracted insects, which attracted the warblers. It was like an early spring termite hatchout.

This was the first Bird of the Week post. I hope you liked it.
Here are birds that will probably have their own week if this keeps up:

Pine Warbler
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Wood Duck
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Fox Sparrow

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet will be next week's bird

Tennessee in New York?

On Sunday I went to Central Park to go bird watching. I started at the boathouse and took a slightly different path than usual. I wanted to try my luck. I was rewarded with a Brown Thrasher and several Northern Parulas. I then went to The Point, but it was empty. As I was about to try another area, another birdwatcher ran into me and told me try my luck at Strawberry Fields. He said Brown Thrasher, Blue-Headed Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and the hard-to find Tennessee Warbler were all there. I went there and there were already a few birders there looking for the Tennessee Warbler. One of the birders was keeping a year list of 242, with Northern Wheatear and Clapper Rail in Plumb Beach, Brooklyn being his latest additions. This warbler was one of the species he needed.

Here is why Tennessee Warbler is so hard to get. It is secretive and very hard to identify. 1 or 2 have been reported for the last few weekends at Strawberry Fields. I don't think they are lingering birds, but just migrants that keep turning up there. Anyway, after a couple of minutes, we spotted two warblers in a patch of trees. On was quickly identified as a parula. The other we weren't so sure about. It looked like it could be almost any type of warbler. Eventually we eliminated some of the possibilities, such as Blackpoll and Orange Crowned. After about 20 minutes we lost the bird and we gave up. We started paying more attention to the flickers and pewees that were also here. We also found a Blackpoll Warbler. Not long after, 3 accipters flew over, one of them being a Cooper's Hawk. Then the mystery bird flew over and revealed itself to be the Tennessee Warbler we were hoping for. No one else saw it but me. Later, we saw a bird perched in a tree that was a Tennessee Warbler that I think is the same one from earlier.

After we celebrated our victory, the birders told me that the Pinetum was reported to hold good birds such as Pine Warbler, Golden Crowned Kinglet, and Red-Breasted Nuthatch. I went there and found a spot that seemed like it would be good. Almost immediately, I spotted a flock of several Pine Warblers flycatching, including some beautiful adult males. I also saw singles of Golden and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets together. I turned around and there was a Palm Warbler looking back at me! Also there was a White-Breasted Nuthatch there too! This day was really a success!

Species:35

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk
Accipter sp.
Red-Tailed Hawk
Gull sp.
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Black-and-White Warbler
TENNESSEE WARBLER
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Sparrow

Just a Quick Announcement

I will constantly be updating my 2014 year list every time I add a new bird. So check back regularly! That is all.

Bad Migration Situation

Migration has been so slow this fall!

During a time when it is normal to get over a dozen warbler species in a few hours, most people are getting half that or even less. When someone would see a Black-and-White Warbler or American Redstart and shrug it off, they now cherish it. It seems like the only exception to this '2014 migration rule' is the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, which seems to be coming in good numbers and is almost certain in Central Park's Upper Lobe. Until yesterday, my best birds of the season for Central Park were Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Yellow Warbler, and not many others. On Sunday however, birds seemed to be showing themselves a bit more than usual. At The Oven, I saw a Magnolia Warbler followed by a glimpse of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher and then a flyover by a Scarlet Tanager. As I was leaving The Oven, I flushed a House Wren.

 After that, I saw mostly nothing (apart from a grosbeak in the upper lobe) until I got to Maintenance Field. Several birders there told me that there had been many sightings of Bald Eagles and Ospreys migrating overhead. As if on cue, we spotted a Bald Eagle high up in the sky, followed a few minutes later by a Red-Tailed Hawk and an Osprey flying together. I guess maybe I was wrong about grosbeaks being the only migrants in normal quantity. I also had a quick glimpse at a Prairie Warbler in flight there.

 I then went to Turtle Pond with a couple of other birders in search of a Canada Warbler (cherished due to lack of warblers) there. When we got there, we saw a few Gadwalls on the pond and I spotted 2 small birds in the tree above us. One was the Canada and we thought the other one was a Magnolia. As if it was furious that it was identified wrong, the second bird came down from the tree and landed in a smaller tree 10 feet from us so that we could see the Magnolia was actually a Northern Parula, which was much scarcer than most warblers this year. This day was better than most. 30 species was a good score considering it would normally be 50!

Species List: 30

Gadwall
Mallard
OSPREY
Falcon or Accipter sp.
BALD EAGLE
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
White-Breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Thrush sp.
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
House Finch
House Sparrow

One Birder's Day at Jamaica Bay

During the last week of August, I decided to try to visit Jamaica Bay. I went into the visitor's center and then went onto the East Pond Trail. At the start I saw a family group of kingbirds (new breeding species?) and an empidonax-type flycatcher. When I got to the pond I saw no sign of any shorebirds there, just some swans and a few Mallards and Black Ducks. I decided to try my luck at the west pond at the breach caused by Hurricane Sandy.

It was apparent that there were a lot more birds there. The breach entrance was lined with oystercatchers and a probable Willet was mixed in with them. Several small flocks of Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers were on the mudflats, along with a large flock of starlings that tried to mimic their feeding and flying formations there too. Also there were some terns and skimmers hanging out there as well. The highlight was a Little Blue Heron very far away on a distant mudflat. I also saw several Great Egrets there, and mockingbirds seemed to have took over the Osprey nest(I didn't see any Osprey that day). At the visitor's center I finished the day off with an Eastern Towhee in the center's birdbath. It was a good day

No bird list since all notable birds were previously mentioned besides an unidentified 'ground' warbler

P.S. I got bitten all over by the mosquitoes!

NYC Rarity Round Up (Part 1)

Hey guys! This post contains short summaries of all my rarity chases/ unexpected finds. They could be extremely hard to find birds like Cerulean Warbler, state rarities such as Painted Bunting, or ABA rarities such as Barnacle Goose. Without further ado, here is part one of  my Rarity Round Up!


 Barnacle Goose
December 23 2012
Van Cortland Park, Bronx

This bird was the third Barnacle Goose of the season and had been here for about a month. I made a trip up there to find it, most of it trying to find the ball fields where the geese were. Fortunately, the goose was in a flock of less than 50 birds not far from us. I saw birders there, but they left as I got there and I had to look for a minute before I found it being pushed around by the larger subspecies of Canada Geese. A wild goose chase I won't forget.

Red-Necked Grebe
March 23 2014
Central Park Reservoir, New York

This bird was the second of three of the spring (and second in 30 years!) in Central Park. I traveled around the entire reservoir scanning around the countless waterfowl for it. Then I ran into a guy at the south end who was looking at the bird sleeping and gave me a look. I would have missed it if it wasn't for him, due to it looking like a goose from a distance.

Western/Clark's Grebe
July 2011
East River, New York

One day during my first month of middle (summer) school on Roosevelt Island, one of my class mates spotted an odd bird in the water and wanted me to take a look. I thought it might be a cormorant as I was walking to the window, but I was astonished that I didn't know what this black and white bird was. I looked it up later to find out I was looking at a rarity, but the bird was probably gone.

 Storm-Petrel sp.
April 15 2012
1 mile off Coney Island, Kings

Although common just offshore in summer, this bird was seen much earlier than that. As we were headed back to Jamaica Bay on a seal-watching trip in New York Harbor I spotted a small, brown bird feeding near the boat with a white rump. The bird was seen within sight of Coney Island. When I described what I saw to some birders of the boat, they agreed that it was probably a storm-petrel.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
May 11 2014
Azalea Pond, Central Park, New York

Ran into a group of birdwatchers from the walk I was on looking at the bird in a tree. Very rare in the park and presumably fallout from the storm the previous day. It was one of the star birds of the day.

Glossy Ibis
April 12 2014
Shakespeare Garden, Central Park, New York
On a bird walk when we saw an ibis soaring overhead. Common in Jamaica Bay, but flyovers in Central Park are rare.

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

Gull Identification Challenege

Usually these challenges happen in the winter when there is a larger variety of gulls, but I saw a challenging bird at a beach club in New Jersey that may be a Lesser Black-Backed Gull. The bird was about the size of a Herring Gull and had dark grey wings, but not as dark as an adult Great Black-Backed Gull. It had no brown on it except for a few streaks on the neck. The bill seemed to be all black and the legs looked yellowish. The bird was about as timid as most of the other gulls, allowing me to approach up to 10 feet from the bird. Any suggestions of what it may be?

(UPDATE: Realized it was just a young Herring Gull with abnormally dark wings)

Updated Northeastern Lifelist

Just felt like today would be a good time to update my Northeastern Lifelist mentioned in another post. This includes all birds seen in New England, as well as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Also, a few species have been removed because I am uncertain of their identity.

Snow Goose
Brant
Barnacle Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Blue-Winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Bufflehead
Ring-Necked Duck
Scaup sp.
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-Breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-Billed Grebe
Western Grebe
Red-Necked Grebe
Wild Turkey (CT)
Common Loon
Red-Throated Loon
Greater Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
Double Crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican (NJ)
Glossy Ibis
Great Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron
Green Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret (NJ)
Black Crowned Night Heron
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Broad-Winged Hark
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
American Oystercatcher
Willet
Solitary Sandpiper
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-Backed Gull
Least Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern (NJ)
Black Skimmer
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Monk Parakeet
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
Black-Billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Long-Eared Owl
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker (MA, PA)
Olive Sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow/Alder (Trail's) Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great-Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Cassin's Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird
White-Eyed Vireo
Blue-Headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-Eyed Vireo
Yellow-Throated Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow (PA)
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Herimit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-Winged Warbler
Golden-Winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Connetucut Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-Sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-Throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-Breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Black-and-White Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-Breasted Chat
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Nelson's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Nelson's Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow
Dark Eyed Junco
Scarlet Tanager
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Red Winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark (NJ)
Common Grackle
Boat-Tailed Grackle
Brown Headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
Purple Finch
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Species: 192 and counting (150 in 2014, 54 in 2014)
186 were seen in New York

A few possibly seen species:


Grasshopper Sparrow
American Bittern
Iceland Gull

Camp Birding

Hey Birders! When I went to my summer camp in Pennsylvania for 4 weeks it was an awesome experience. I noticed what a woodland environment looks like without the "Central Park Effect". I also noticed that birds stared to sing less and less as summer progressed. During the first week I heard Red-Eyed Vireo, Red-Winged Blackbird and several species of warblers frequently. But near the end, I only heard the occasional vireo, blackbird, and goldfinch. Targets for this trip were Bald Eagle, Purple Martin, several species of warbler, and a few species of flycatcher.

The first was not a problem, as there was a nesting pair around camp and their chattering could constantly be heard around the lake. The Martin wasn't found. Other swallows were abundant and their presence seemed to follow a pattern. Tree Swallows in the morning, Barn Swallows nesting in a building and hanging around there all day, and Rough-Winged Swallows in the late afternoon/evening. We also had resident kingbirds, Red-Eyed Vireos, and even a wandering Green Heron. Here is my bird list for the period I was there.

Species: 44

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (heard)
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-Eyed Vireo
Blue Jay (heard)
American Crow
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Black-Capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Thrush sp. (heard , likely Hermit Thrush)
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (heard)
Chestnut-Sided Warbler (heard)
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Black-and-White Warbler
Ovenbird (heard)
Common Yellowthroat (heard)
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal (heard)
Red-Winged Blackbird
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole (heard)
American Goldfinch

2014 NYC Year List

I have made a year list and it went well. I have 146 species and only 11 were seen outside New York County. Consider the fact that I have hardly ever birded in Brooklyn and Queens at all this year and this looks really impressive. This is more than any other year I've birded. Like most year lists, rarities helped me get to this milestone ( Red-Necked Grebe, Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Red-Headed Woodpecker).

Anyway, here is my Year List

*= Not seen last year

**= Life Bird!

Bold= Rarity

Brent

Canada Goose

Mute Swan BX (Pelham Bay Park)

Wood Duck

Gadwall

Black Duck

Mallard

Shoveler
Ring-Necked Duck (Most Recent Addition 12-14 Reservoir)

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Red-Breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Red-Necked Grebe** (Reservoir)

Double-Crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron (Upper Lobe)
Little Blue Heron (JBWR)

Great Egret

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Yellow Crowned Night Heron** (Azalea Pond)

Glossy Ibis** (Shakespeare Garden Flyover)

Turkey Vulture (Battery Park)
Osprey (* for NYC)
Bald Eagle*

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-Shouldered Hawk** (Shakespeare Garden Flyover)

Broad-Winged Hawk** (Shakespeare Garden Flyover)

Red-Tailed Hawk

Kestrel

Merlin*(Matinence Meadow)

Peregrine Falcon

American Coot

American Woodcock**
American Oystercatcher (**for NYC,JBWR)
Large Shorebird Sp. (JBWR Definitely New)

Solitary Sandpiper*BX (Bronx Zoo)
Least Sandpiper (JBWR)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (** for NYC,JBWR)

Laughing Gull

Herring Gull

Ring-Billed Gull

Great Black-Backed Gull
Common Tern (* for NYC,JBWR)
Black Skimmer (** for NYC,JBWR)

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Black-Billed Cuckoo**(Azalea Pond)

Long-Eared Owl**

Chimney Swift

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Headed Woodpecker** (Near Warbler Rock)

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow Bellied Flycatcher**(Upper Lobe)

Willow/Alder Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Kingbird
Cassin's Kingbird** (Floyd Bennet Field)
Couch's Kingbird** (West Village)

White-Eyed Vireo*(Willow Rock)

Yellow-Throated Vireo** (Warbler Rock)

Blue-Headed Vireo

Red-Eyed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Barn Swallow

Northern Rough-Winged Swallow (Turtle Pond)

Tree Swallow (Turtle Pond)
Black-Capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse BX (Bronx Zoo)

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Winter Wren

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird*

Veery

Swainson’s Thrush

Wood Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Blue-Winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler** (Strawberry Fields)

Nashville Warbler BX (Bronx Zoo Parking Lot)

Parula

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-Sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-Throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-Throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler*

Pine Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Palm Warbler

Bay-Breasted Warbler (The Ramble)

American Redstart

Black-and-White Warbler

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush (The Gill)

Mourning Warbler (Matinence Field)

Common Yelowthroat

Wilson’s Warbler

Canada Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow**

Savannah Sparrow (Randall’s Island Salt Marsh)

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

White-Crowned Sparrow*(Tupelo Meadow)

Dark-Eyed Junco

Summer Tanager**(Belvedere Castle)

Scarlet Tanager

Cardinal

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Red-Winged Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird (Azalea Pond)

Common Grackle

Brown-Headed Cowbird

Baltimore Oriole

Orchard Oriole*(Turtle Pond)

House Finch
Purple Finch (Evodia Field)
Pine Siskin (Shakespeare Garden)

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Species 145 and counting (134 for New York County)

Woody Woodpecker Sighting

On Saturday morning I went on Bob's bird walk. It was so quiet that most of the people on the walk were newbies and few people other than me were regulars. We went into The Ramble. For a long time we saw almost nothing except for some Northern Flickers and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. As we were walking to Warbler Rock, one of the birders yelled, "It's a red-belli- no wait it's a red-headed!" Wait, wait, what? I was so shocked that it took a while for me to get my binoculars straight. This is among the time you would LEAST EXPECT this species. Red-Headed Woodpecker is an occasional fall migrant and winter resident in Central Park with a few records a year. This year was a very good year for them with some being sighted into late-May in The Bronx and Brooklyn. When I put my binoculars on the bird (somehow the last one to do it) I was as shocked as everyone else. It was an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER! Unfortunately, we weren't prepared for this and therefore bought no good cameras! We had a scope, but it would take a while to set up. A while wasn't enough for this bird, and it left a few minutes after we first spotted it, showing its distinctive wing patches. Our guide tried to call it in twice, but it didn't work. We then checked a few other empty sites and then went to see the Peregrine Falcon nest near the south end of the park. One of the two eyasses fledged Wednesday and left, but the other was still there. We watched it hop and flap but it didn't fly. This walk was not very good besides the Red-Headed Woodpecker, but that bird shows that you should always expect the unexpected in Central Park. 

By the way, I don't think the bird is twitchable, but if you want to find it, go to open woodlands in and around The Ramble, like Warbler Rock or the Swampy Pin Oak and look on the trees. Please note that the bird was only seen by our group and no one else and is an extremely late record. I'm not going to post a bird list due to all of our species being either common (Warbling Vireo, Red-Bellied Woodpecker) or in the post.

Birdmania

On May 10th, 2014 there were a few severe thunderstorms in the area and some birds were grounded. Good migration weather followed it, and it lead to birds being everywhere the next day. I got to the park an hour early on the 11th because I had high hopes for the day. I ran into my guide, Deb Allen and went birding/traveling to meet the birders with her. In less than 10 minutes, I saw many good species around Evoidia Field, such as Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Least Flycatcher, and several species of warbler. Along the way to our destination we were about to go through Tupelo Meadow when a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW hopped out of a bush and onto the path, as if it wanted us to see it. After we saw that, I ran into a birder I had met at a festival named Chris, who was in the amazing film, The Central Park Effect. He told me he had a Lincoln's Sparrow a minute ago but we were not able to find it. Fortunately, this was my only big miss of the day and the birds were so abundant, we had to start ignoring more common species.

When we reached Turtle Pond to meet up with the group, the birds were not more abundant than normal there, with just a Great Egret, and a few warblers. We then  left for the walk and headed to Shakespeare Garden. It was strangely quiet there, with only one Common Yellowthroat to be seen. Then we heard a report of a SUMMER TANAGER near Belvedere Castle. We went there and sure enough, the bird was really showy in its brilliant red plumage. We also found an Eastern Kingbird and Eastern Wood-Pewee there. The walk's leader, Birding Bob, then decided to split the group up between him and Deb. I went with Bob's group, which was partially my choice and partially because he wanted to drag me along.

We were headed for the Upper Lobe lookout point but stopped every 30 feet to look at flocks of colorful warblers swarming around us. The unique thing about today is that many uncommon species of warbler were everywhere, such as Canada and Wilson's. When we finally arrived at the Upper Lobe we heard a report of a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO there. It wasn't there and we waited for a bit. I found that several Wilson's Warblers were feeding in shrubs rather than the trees and some even could be seen at close range on the path. After about 5 minutes the cuckoo appeared in a low tree above us and we realized why it was not high up in the canopy. It was feeding on a caterpillar nest in this tree and wanted to stay here for a while. Bob tried calling it in unsuccessfully but instead attracted a second cuckoo and they both gave us great looks.

 A little while later we found ourselves at Azalea Pond and ran into a lady who told us she saw a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, which is the rarer of the two. Bob played the tape and we got lucky as it flew in and showed itself. Later we made another pass at Azalea Pond and ran into Deb's Group and Chris. They told us they were observing a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGH HERON! This bird only comes to the park once every few years. Fortunately for us, this bird is mainly nocturnal and we were able to get great views of the bird. This was an amazing day, with almost 60 species spotted including 16 species of warbler. An Orange-Crowned Warbler was seen later but I decided to relax. These are the days that birders crave the most and are hard to come by.

Species:57 (+1)

Canada Goose

Mallard

Double-Crested Cormorant

Great Egret

YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
Red-Tailed Hawk

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (2!)

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO

Chimney Swift

Downy Woodpecker

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax Sp.

Eastern Kingbird

Warbling Vireo

Blue Jay

House Wren

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Veery

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Wood Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

\

Warblers

Canada

Wilson's

Yellow

Magnolia

Blackpoll

Black-and-White

Black-Throated Blue

Black-Throated Green

Blue-Winged

Prairie

Chestnut-Sided

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Parula

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Eastern Towhee

Swamp Sparrow

White-Throated Sparrow

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

SUMMER TANAGER

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Red-Winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Baltimore Oriole

House Sparrow.