Late August Big Day

On Saturday, I participated in the NYS Young Birders Club Big Day. Instead of one team, we all do our separate big days and combine the results into one big total. I birded in (where else?) Central Park for the day. At first, things seemed quiet, but gradually, things started to improve, starting with a Mourning Warbler at Azalea Pond. I then went to Laupot Bridge, when I started hearing a call of a nuthatch that sounded like a Red-Breasted. Suddenly, a small bird flew onto a log over the Gill. It was obviously a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (Year Bird #149)! Ever since that bird (which the call was not coming from), I've seen several Red-Breasted Nuthatches in the park. It looks like it is going to be a big year for them. Anyway, I birded some more, and heard a report of a Solitary Sandpiper at the Upper Lobe. With a bit of searching and some help, I was able to locate the bird (Year Bird #150), which gave great views. Another year bird was seen 2 hours later in Tupelo Meadow. This was a Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher (#151). The best spot that day was the Pinetum. Despite many people there, I was still able to find many redstarts and empids, a Black-and-White Warbler, 2 Black-Throated Green Warblers (FOS), 2 Great Crested Flycatchers, a few pewees, and another Red-Breasted Nuthatch. On a side note, I also found a few Laughing Gulls (can be tricky) on the Reservoir. I got 49 species in total that day, and 4 were unique to me (Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher, Solitary Sandpiper, Mourning Warbler, and Black-Throated Green Warbler). In total, the NYSYBC spotted 137 species. A very big August day indeed!