April So Far

This month of April has been a bit of a slow one. Most of the expected migrants started coming early on, but once the middle of the month arrived, it was almost like migration stopped. Very few new arrivals showed up, and many species from earlier in the month (Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow) were still around. Around April 20th, many spring overshoots began to show up, starting with a few Summer Tanagers and a Blue Grosbeak that I stumbled upon. This month was also full of rarities, such as Wilson's Snipe, Seaside Sparrow, and Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. My year list (and photo year list) has been slowly increasing up until a few days ago, when many more species started to arrive. Migration is just starting to heat up now, and I'll write more about the last days of April very soon.

March Wrap Up

March was a very interesting month indeed, but was really slow most of the time. Worst of all is that many birders (including myself) failed to find any American Woodcock this year, a very dismal result compared to the bounty last March. In addition, some of the early spring migrants didn't arrive in small numbers until the end of the month. Phoebes, for example, usually arrive around March 15th, but didn't arrive this year until March 30th. In this extension of winter, I spent a week in Palm Beach County, Florida. While I didn't see as many species there as last time, I did add about 6 or 7 species to my state life list. I also got plenty of photos, and as a result, my current NY county year list and photo year list are actually the same right now at 70 species! Of course, with the arrival of many more migrant species later in the month of April, I doubt my photo year list will even come close.

Anyway, I would say March 30th was the only "good" day in March that I was out. I saw my first Palm Warbler, Ospreys, and Chipping Sparrows of the year. In addition, an American Bittern made an appearance in a tree at Tupelo Meadow. It was nice to have such great views of this cryptic species I had seen only once before in Central Park. Now it's April, and a whole host of new migrants will arrive. I'll provide more posts of my April adventures soon, as well as a selection of my photos from Florida.

The Search For Iceland Gull

An elusive species for many birders this year was Iceland Gull, an uncommon gull in New York City. Many look for it time and time again without success. I had only seen my first one less than two weeks ago in Montauk. My first attempt this year was going to Roosevelt Island in late January to search for a young bird reported earlier in the day. No luck. On Thursday, I looked for another young bird reported on the Reservoir. No luck. On Monday, an adult was reported on the Reservoir a half hour before I got there. No luck. However, with the frequency of reports, I pledged to check the gull flock on the Reservoir every day until I found one. That brings me to Tuesday. I looked among the gull flock at the north end of the dike, carefully scrutinizing each gull, until one came to my attention. This gull was different. It was sized midway between Herring and Ring-Billed Gulls, nearly all white, with white wingtips and a black bill. An Iceland Gull! Finally after all of this searching I had found one! Unfortunately, the gulls were moving around very frequently, and I quickly lost it in the flurry of birds. This is a great bird for my year list, my first county lifer of 2018! I also added Northern Mockingbird to my list as well. Now to see if I can find any more rare gulls of the Reservoir...

February so Far: Not Much Going On

Not much has happened this month. I added just two species so far to my year list, which were Horned Grebe (rare) at the Reservoir on the 7th, and driveby Brant on the East River on the 21st. Oddly enough, I also had a driveby Horned Grebe at the same time I saw the Brant! Anyway, on the 18th, I went on a trip with the NYS Young Birders Club to Montauk Point at the very tip of Long Island. We has many great birds, the best being a lingering PINK-FOOTED GOOSE that allowed all to see it. A few birders also had a Little Gull, but I unfortunately wasn't able to get on it. I still added the following lifers to my list:

-Black, White-Winged, and Surf Scoters
-Boneparte's Gull (a lot)
-Iceland Gull

I also added Sanderling to my photographic year list. It was way too windy to photograph much else there.

January Wrap Up

I haven't posted in a while, so here's what happened during the rest of January"

Jan 12: I added an American Kestrel flying near my apartment to my year list

Jan 22: I added Brown Creeper (photographed) and Cooper's Hawk to my checklist in Central Park. Golden-Crowned Kinglet was also photographed there. I then went to Roosevelt Island where I unsuccessfully searched for Purple Sandpipers, but added Red-Breasted Merganser (photographed), Double-Crested Cormorant, and Gadwall (photographed).

Jan 30: I successfully chased a Great Cormorant at the Reservoir. It was originally distant on the central dike, but flew towards me and turned about 10 yards away, offering amazing views. I also added Peregrine Falcon to my year list (photographed). Bufflehead and European Starling were also photographed.

Well, my county year list total is 49, less than the previous two years, but this is in part to my rigorous education schedule, and it should hopefully clear up soon. Most winter species can afford to be missed for some time, with notable misses including Brown-Headed Cowbird and Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, which are guaranteed to be seen many times. As for my photographic year list, I have photographed 31 species, 29 of which were in New York county. I'm quite surprised by this total, which includes some species I didn't expect to photograph, such as Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Common Loon, and Peregrine Falcon. February should bring some more year birds to the table, but I'll just have to wait and see.

First Week of January: Expanding the Photographic Year List

I haven't been birding much, mainly due to the continuing wild weather and a mountain of homework. I only added one new species for my county year list, an American Robin in front of my building on January 3rd. The photographic list, on the other hand, has been increasing more rapidly. On January 6th, I added several new birds to the list, which were White-Throated Sparrow, Ring-Necked Duck, American Black Duck, Herring Gull, and Great Black-Backed Gull. The remaining ice helped a lot with getting these birds up close.

A chilly White-Throated Sparrow at the Reservoir

Ring-Necked Duck male (left) and female (right)

The next day, I was able to add two more species at the Reservoir, which were American Coot and Song Sparrow. 

American Coot

 My list now stands at 22 species photographed, just over half of the species on my county year list. I'm confident I will photograph many more by the month's end.

Day 1 of 2018

One of the pros of New Years Day being in winter is that you get to oversleep because the bird diversity will be the same throughout the day. I didn't look for anything until 1 pm, when I went up to my roof. My first species was not unexpected at all, a Ring-Billed Gull. A nice surprise is what followed, a VERY distant Turkey Vulture, about a mile and a half to the southwest. I will see this species later this year, but it can be a toughie in January. I then headed to the Reservoir in Central Park in search of a Common Loon and a trio of Common Mergansers found today. I also added Rock Pigeon and Herring Gull along the way. When I got to the Reservoir, I found the Common Loon right away, and was able to get a blurry but distinguishable photo, my first species of my photo big year!

Blurry Common Loon, but it'll have to do.

It took a while to spot the Common Mergansers, but I found them along the dike in the middle, and were too distant to photograph. I then began walking around the entire Reservoir, adding species after species to my year list, including a trio of Ring-Necked Ducks.

This young Red-Tailed Hawk was also at the Reservoir

After the numerous good birds at the Reservoir, I decided to go to the Ramble to get some of the more regular passerines and woodpeckers. After finding nearly all of them, I recieved a report of a Rusty Blackbird at Laupot Bridge. I searched all around the Gill, finding no Rusty Blackbird. However, I did spot a Golden-Crowned Kinglet there. These guys have stayed much later than normal this year (with several on the Christmas Bird Count), and I wondered if I would get one of these today. I then started to head past Laupot Bridge, when a bird suddenly flies up from under the bridge onto a log. The Rusty Blackbird! This is a really good bird for January, with only a few showing up in the winter.

Rusty Blackbird at Laupot Bridge

I then headed to the Pond just so I could add the continuing Northern Pintail and Great Blue Herons to my list, which wasn't hard at all.

Northern Pintail and Wood Duck at the Pond

In total, I have spotted 40 species today, a record high for me on New Years Day. I photographed 15 of those species. A lot of common species I neglected to photograph because of the cold, so my photography list will greatly increase this month. Stay tuned for more birding!

Looking Forward to 2018

2018 will be a very unique year for me. For starters, I cannot do a standard year list, as I will only be at home for about 8 months before I have to go off to college. While I will keep a year list, I want to do something different as well. I am going to start a photographic year list using just my iPhone. While it may seem crude (and it is), pictures taken through binoculars with phones can turn out surprisingly well. That is how the Hooded Warbler in the previous post was taken, and below are a few more examples of photos I took this way:

Winter Wren taken in September at Maintainance Meadow
Red-Tailed Hawk taken in November at Mugger's Woods
Song Sparrows taken in August at The Pond

For a bird to be countable it must be photographed with my phone and be identifiable. The exception would be if I could narrow a bird down to species complex. For example, if I took a photo of a bird that deduced it between a Willow and Alder flycatcher, and I identified it by call, I would still count it.I hope to take many more photos like these in 2018. I am aiming for preliminary goal of 100 species, as I have never done this before. I'm hoping to have lots of fun doing this and bringing many more photos to the blog. And if you're wondering, yes, I will be going out into the icebox that is NYC tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Reflections on 2017

This Hooded Warbler is me 70% of the time

(taken in September at Tanners Spring)

I haven't posted here in a while, so here's the rundown on what happened in 2017

1. I saw a total of 171 species in New York County this year (my last was Red-Shouldered Hawk on 12/12).
2. I participated in the Central Park Christmas Bird Count this year, finding American Woodcock for the count. I was also able to add Northern Waterthrush at the pond the next day, a very late count week addition!
3. I went to ABA's Camp Colorado, finding over 130 species, including specialties such as White-Tailed Ptarmigan, American Dipper, Clark's Nutcracker, Chestnut-Collared Longspur, Burrowing Owl, and many more.
4. I led a birdwalk in Central Park for the New York State Young Birders Club on 9/17, finding a amazingly high variety of birds on what was a slow day for many others, including Red-Headed Woodpecker and Yellow-Billed Cuckoo.
5. There was a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER in Central Park from late November to early December. This is a species normally found in the west, and has only been recorded in New York State twice before. I saw it a total of four times, and additionally was the last person to see it on 12/12.
6. I traveled a lot this summer in the northeast, mostly to look at colleges, so I added species for my Massachusetts (a LOT), Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (a LOT) lists.

I'll follow up on this shortly with a 2018 post.

May Highlights

Highlights from May

May 16th: The winds overnight were forecast to bring very little migration, but during that morning, the trees were dripping with warblers. During the time I birded in the morning and the afternoon, I saw 23 warbler species, a new record!

I saw a Mourning Warbler feeding on late termite hatchout in a tree on May 28th with others. Also added Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher that day

Very cooperative Kentucky Warbler at Washington Square Park

Very cooperative Blue Grosbeak at Battery Park

2 Summer Tanagers in Central Park

Managed to get Purple Finch singing in the spring on the first of May.

Not highlights

Missed Spotted Sandpiper quite a few times, even one by seconds! Also do not have Willow Flycatcher.

First Few Weeks of May Highlights

Here is my list of highlights from last last few weeks in taxonomic order:

Eastern Whip-Poor-Will: Seen on 5/7 at the Hallet Sanctuary. Lifer!

Common Nighthawk: Seen on 5/8 at Summit Rock and 5/9 in the Ramble. Both sleeping.

Least Sandpiper: A flock of them were seen on Governors Islamd on 5/7

Red-Headed Woodpecker: One at feeders in beginning of May

White-Eyed Vireo: Heard-only at Belvedere Castle

Yellow-Throated Vireo: One during the month

Worm-Eating Warbler: About 4 seen

Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 on 5/16 at Laupot Bridge

Tennessee Warbler: 1 seen at Turtle Pond early in the month

KENTUCKY WARBLER: Washington Sqaure Park on 5/12. Lifer!

Hooded Warbler: few

Bay-Breasted Warbler: Several

Blackburnian Warbler: Several

White-Crowned Sparrow: Maintenance Meadow beginning of May.

SUMMER TANAGER: female on Sunday at Maintenance Meadows, excellent views of male at Azalea Pond today (5/17)

BLUE GROSBEAK: Battery Park 5/9. Lifer!

Orchard Oriole: 2

Transitioning to May

On Thursday, April 27th, a new wave of migrants finally started to arrive. In Mugger's Woods I added House Wren and Black-Throated Blue and Green Warblers. At Tupelo Meadow, I added Veery, and at Evodia Field, I added a beautiful Scarlet Tanager. The next day, I added a pair of Solitary Sandpipers hanging around several large puddles at the Compost Heap (this is at the north end), several newly-arrived Grey Catbirds, and a Great Crested Flycatcher and Baltimore Oriole at Evodia Field. On April 29th, I added a whopping 15 species to the year list. These included 9 warbler species, including Hooded Warbler (FOY for park) at Strawberry Fields and Evodia Field, Tennessee Warbler at the Upper Lobe (and likely Bethesda Terrace), a few Blackpoll Warblers (early but here for some reason), and a Cape May and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER around Tanner's Spring. Other nice species were Yellow-Throated Vireo at Humming Tombstone and White-Crowned Sparrow at Tanner's Spring. The next day, an extremely rare LEAST BITTERN appeared high up in a tree above the Gill, and I got manageable views of this elusive heron.

May Arrives!

On May 1 (Monday), I headed to the Pool for a Lincoln's Sparrow. It took a minute to find it, but it provided great views. As I was walking to the Ravine entrance, I heard a weird song that sounded like a mix between a Warbling Vireo and a House Finch. I was able to locate the singer, which was a Purple Finch, a new year bird for me! In the North Woods, I was able to locate a reported Hooded Warbler, and FINALLY added Winter Wren (a little late) in the Loch. I then went to the Ramble, where I found a beautiful Orchard Oriole at Evodia Field. On Tuesday, I was able to add Tree Swallow at the Reservoir and two male Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks at the feeders. On Wednesday, I added Northern Rough-Winged Swallow at the Reservoir, a few Magnolia Warblers, and a Red-Eyed Vireo at Maintenance Meadow. Now at 135 species for the year, I'm looking forward to Sunday, which seems like it will be an amazing day. Coincidentally, the first day of the second week of May last year was also great, producing one of the most amazing birding days in Central Park that anyone can remember. Will lightning strike twice?

April Migrants + RARITIES!!!

Since my last post a week ago, birding has felt really strange. The park has been less active, with less migrants being added than this time last year, but rarities make up most of that. My first year addition from this new wave of migrants was on Thursday, April 20th, when I went to the Point hoping for a Yellow Warbler that had been seen that morning. I heard the bird (#90) sing, but it took me a while to actually find it. The next day, it became pretty quiet like the rest of time through today. I did however, spot a previously reported Belted Kingfisher (#91) at the Point.

Now to get to the first rarity: Wild Turkey. On Thursday evening, a turkey was spotted in the Loch by one person and wasn't refound. Then on Friday evening, it was spotted roosting in the Ramble. Then on Saturday it was seen near the Boathouse and later near Falconer's Hill. That's when I decided to look for it. Since it seemed to be moving south, I searched the entire southern third of the park to no avail...until I went back to Falconer's Hill. The Wild Turkey (#92) was right there in the open! It's times like this that birding makes you go in circles, but this time it paid off. Also, I went to the Upper Lobe and saw a previously reported Northern Parula (#93) in a mixed flock.

On Sunday, I added a Green Heron (#94) in the Oven after missing it the past few days, and then searched for an Orange-Crowned Warbler that has been sighted all around the western half of the Ramble. Right when I was about to give up, it was reported near Bow Bridge. When I got there, it (#95) was surprisingly up in a tree, not the typical understory habitat you expect to find one in!

On Monday, a fellow birder named Kai told me about a few birds he saw, including a singing Warbling Vireo by the MET museum. I went over there, saw nothing, and was about to give up when I heard a familiar sound. I followed it and located the vireo (#97) in a cherry tree. Then, I went to Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island to search for a pair of recently reported Purple Sandpipers, a very rare species in the county. During my first scan on the rocks they were typically on, I did not see any sandpipers. After a bit of scanning the river, I decided to do a second "mercy" scan, and surpisingly, I picked up two shorebirds feeding on the rocks. Purple Sandpipers (#98)!

On Tuesday, I went for a brief chase for a White-Eyed Vireo and Blue-Winged Warbler at Sparrow Rock. There was almost nothing in the park, so I tried for these two uncommon, but expected species. I went there, but only found the Blue-Winged Warbler, which offered great looks just above my head. The next day, I decided to go Sparrow Rock for the vireo, as well as the Rustic Shelter for a BARRED OWL (last one was in 2013) that was reported. I ran into Kai just after I entered the park who said he just had a Laughing Gull on the Reservoir, which wasn't that hard to pick out (#99). I then went to Sparrow Rock, I found Kai looking at a pair of male Indigo Buntings (#100)! Unfourtunately, there appeared to be no vireo, and I went down to the Ramble for the owl. The Barred Owl (#101) was awake and provided great views. I had only seen this species in the park in 2013, where one hung out at the Pinetum for months.

I have finally breached the 100 species mark! I am not far off from last year, being only a day late. Despite the seemingly silent period of what was a time of plenty last year, I am still confident that I can make up lost migration with the coming month.

Cleaning Up the Missed Migrants

I have continued to pick up more migrants since Thursday. The first new birds were on Saturday. I heard of a report of a Field Sparrow in a meadow near the upper lobe. Even though this report was hours old, I was still able to find the bird (#82). I soon received a report of a mixed flock in the Swampy Pin Oak that included a Blue-Headed Vireo. I found this bird (#83) without too much effort. On Sunday, I went up to the Loch to try to find a Northern Waterthrush. It took a while, but eventually, I located this slightly early migrant (#84). To top it off, I had a heard-only Hairy Woodpecker (#85) there as well. On Monday, I thought I would end up with no new birds, but at the Pinetum, I had a surprise flyover of an Osprey (#86). On Tuesday, I had a new sense of determination. Despite no reports that day, I decided to go to the Loch in search of Louisiana Waterthrush, which I saw (#87). I then went to the Grassy Knoll for Savannah Sparrows, where I had found just 1 Chipping Sparrow a few days before. Instead, I found a few Chipping Sparrows and 4 Savannah Sparrows (#88)! Just when I thought I was done, a Barn Swallow flew over at the Reservoir to raise my year list to 89 species. With virtually all bases covered, all I have to do is wait for the next wave of migrants to show up.

CATTLE EGRET + Mid-April Migrants

On Friday, I went looking for new migrants. I had no luck, until I stumbled across a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (#76) at The Point. I will certainly see hundreds of these birds this year. Just as I was about to exit the park, I thought I heard something that sounded like a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher by the Pilgrim Statue, and I found one (#77) hanging around the cherry trees there. This was about a week later than my first one last year, but this is the typical arrival time of these tiny insectivores. On Tuesday, a CATTLE EGRET was found on a residental lawn in Chelsea, which is the last place you would expect this first county record on land to be. Nevertheless, I took the C train over there and got great looks at this bird (#78) foraging on the lawn. Today I went looking for migrants after the good winds the night before. My first new migrant was a Yellow-Rumped Warbler (#79) at The Point, surprisingly a female. I saw several more today, all of which were males. After finding many of the usual migrants, I went up to The Loch to search for a reported Prairie Warbler, which is a bit early. When I arrived there, there were several birders looking at a large warbler flock featuring several Pine, Palm, and Yellow-Rumped Warblers. It took a while, but eventually I got great looks at the Prairie Warbler (#80). I still have not seen Louisiana Waterthrush, but likely will soon. My next year additions will likely be Savannah Sparrow, Black-and-White Warbler, and Blue-Headed Vireo, since reports of them are starting to come in.

First April Year Additions

On Saturday, I went out birding in the park. While migrants were basically the same as the week prior, I did add a Hermit Thrush (#72) to my year list at Tupelo Meadow, my first April addition, and one that I somehow missed in winter despite finding it multiple times in that season last year. Meanwhile, reports of Chipping Sparrows and Palm Warblers began to trickle in, and I was determined to find them for myself. On Monday I did just that, and found a pair of Chipping Sparrows (#73) with a junco flock at the Pinetum (along with a third at the Pinetum), and a Palm Warbler (#74) at Tupelo Meadow. On Wednesday, nothing really changed in terms of migrants, other than a few isolated reports of Louisiana Waterthrush and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (I will likely get both in the next week or so), but a Great Egret (#75) had finally made claim to Turtle Pond, and greeted a visiting pair of Ring-Necked Ducks. The egret typically arrives here at the end of March or the first few days of April, while the ducks are rare, but I saw a pair in February on the Reservoir and a male there in March.

The migrants I have been seeing include many phoebes and Golden-Crowned Kinglets, along with smaller numbers of Pine and Palm Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, and Hermit Thrushes.

April Targets

Here are my April targets. I expect to add around 40 species to my year list if not more, due to the rapid shift in migrants, especially near the end of the month. What's even stranger is that a few birds I got in March last year aren't on my year list yet, such as Winter Wren. However, I'm at a good pace with 71 species by the end of March. Migration has been a trickle, however, it will hopefully kick off again with the next good winds

Probable
Chimney Swift (later)
Great Egret (Turtle Pond)
White-Eyed Vireo (mid to late)
Blue-Headed Vireo (mid to late)
Warbling Vireo (late)
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Winter Wren
House Wren
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Hermit Thrush
Veery (later)
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird (later)
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush (later)
Blue-Winged Warbler (later)
Black-and-White Warbler (mid to late)
Nashville Warbler (later)
Northern Parula (later)
Yellow Warbler (later)
Chestnut-Sided Warbler (later)
Black-Throated Blue Warbler (later)
Palm Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Prairie Warbler (later)
Black-Throated Green Warbler (later)
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (later)
Indigo Bunting (later)
Baltimore Oriole (later)

Possible
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (later)
Laughing Gull
Green Heron (later)
Osprey (flyover)
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Belted Kingfisher (lake or ponds)
Hairy Woodpecker
Merlin
Least Flycatcher (later)
Great Crested Flycatcher (later)
Eastern Kingbird (later)
Yellow-Throated Vireo (later)
Fish Crow (calling)
Bank Swallow
Carolina Wren
Purple Finch
Worm-Eating Warbler
Common Yellowthroat (later)
Hooded Warbler (later)
American Redstart (later)
Blackburnian Warbler (later)
Yellow-Throated Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Orchard Oriole (later)

Longshot
Horned Grebe (had last year)
Snowy Egret (flyover)
Black Vulture (flyover)
Bald Eagle (flyover)
Marsh Wren
Prothonotary Warbler

Finally!!! March Migrants!

On Saturday, March 25th, I went out looking for early migrants. There had been good winds the night before, and there had recently been a slight uptick in phoebes, along with the appearance of a few other migrants. My first migrant of the day was at Locust Grove, which came in the form of a Golden-Crowned Kinglet (#69). I passed through Shakespeare Garden, where I found another one, and then went to Belvedere Castle, where I scanned Turtle Pond for Eastern Phoebes, finding two (#70). I then headed to the Polish Statue where a Pine Warbler was reported, which I found (#71), along with around 8 Golden-Crowned Kinglets. In the Ramble, I saw more migrants, including several phoebes and another Pine Warbler. This was a great start to spring, and I can't wait for what April may bring!

Hudson River Loons!

Over the past week, there have been several reports of Red-Throated Loons on the Hudson River. Perhaps a movement of them. Whatever the case, I decided to go to some piers around West 24th street on Friday, where there have been some sightings. When I got there, I spotted two dark shapes just beyond the end of the pier. They were loons! I got a distant look at them, being pretty sure they were Red-Throated (#68), and then lost them. I went to the end of the pier to scan again, and they were not that far off the end, and allowed great views as they slowly drifted north up the river. They were a treat that I was not anticipating this month!

Woodcock Wonders!

One of my main targets for mid March was American Woodcock. On Monday, I was in the park hoping for an early phoebe or the reclusive woodcock. After finding nothing at Turtle Pond, a good phoebe spot, I went to a part of Tupelo Meadow that has some habitat that is favorable for woodcocks, but even there, the odds of finding one are low. When I arrived there, I saw nothing. But as I got closer, a cinnamon Mourning Dove-sized bird shot out of the ground. A woodcock (#65)!

On Wednesday, the day after a snowstorm came through, reports of several woodcocks in the Ravine came in, unusual for this time of year. The reason for this seemed to be that the snow covering the ground concentrates the birds around small streams, the only source of open ground available. I decided to head up to the Ravine that afternoon in search for as many as I could find. I didn't even get past the Reservoir before I saw my first woodcock flying over. After that surprise, I decided to briefly head over to the Pool to check for ducks. I found a Wood Duck, and right next to it on the shore was another woodcock! I then run into another young birder named Kai, who told me about woodcocks he had seen, as well as a Rusty Blackbird, Brown Thrasher, and Winter Wren in the Ravine as well. And as if on cue, another woodcock flew in and landed right next to us on the ice! When I went to the Ravine, I found just two woodcocks, but I could see why. 3 or 4 Red-Tailed Hawks were patrolling the area, and may have flushed many of the birds. A nice consolation prize came in the form of three Rusty Blackbirds (#66).

The next day, reports of numbers of woodcocks continued. A similar number of reports also came from the Ramble and Triplet's Bridge, where a Wilson's Snipe was also reported, so that's where I went that afternoon. At Triplet's Bridge, the snipe (#67 and a state lifer!) was gave good looks, along with four woodcocks and a Rusty Blackbird. It was interesting to compare the two species, as they were literally right next to each other! I then went to the Oven, where there were four more woodcocks (another also flew by), bringing the day total up to 9! On Friday, woodcock numbers seemed to have dramatically dropped, with me seeing just two at the Oven, and there were few reports this weekend (which is also the usual amount!). I believe this crazy Woodcockalypse was caused a combination of the birds being more visible and a large influx of the species, but we'll never know the exact reasons as to why this happened.