Big Weekend 2016

On Saturday I went to do a big day in Central Park. A big day is simply trying to find the most species of birds in a day. I was hoping to beat my previous total of 74 set on the 9th. I ended the day with 68 species, including 17 warbler species. Top birds were 2 Yellow-Billed Cuckoos at Maintenance Meadow and Azalea Pond, 2 Olive-Sided Flycatchers (FOY) at Summit Rock and Azalea Pond (self-found), 3 Cape May Warblers at Summit Rock, and my FOY Eastern Wood-Pewee (heard), Blackpoll Warblers, and Canada Warblers (several of each). The next day, I did another big day with some teen birders of the park, who were Ryan, Adrian, and Isaiah. We had nothing really rare, but we had some good stuff, including a Common Nighthawk (lifer!) at the Great Hill, 2 Spotted Sandpipers (FOY) at the Lake and the Reservoir, and a Mourning Warbler (FOY) that gave great views at Oak Bridge. That day, I had 75 species, and 2 of the teens reported 82 species. A very big weekend indeed!