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