[nysbirds-l] Central Park Sightings, evening of 5/1
A belated report on my May Day evening walk in Central Park with NYC Audubon. We walked from Strawberry Fields along the Lake and through the Ramble down to The Point. As Tom Fiore noted, there was a good influx of migrants, especially Gray Catbirds. The Catbirds were all over the place, especially high in flowering trees, which seemed unusual to me (they are typically in the undergrowth when they're on territory). I kept thinking I had spotted an oriole when I had a bird nectaring way up in a flowering Tulip Tree or Black Cherry, but they kept turning out to be Catbirds. Other highlights were numerous [presumed] Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, which were also flying high and fast. I wonder if this is typical of migratory passage as well? They weren't feeding, just zipping by around the tree-top level. I spotted at least 4. We had a singing Warbling Vireo, and many singing Wood Thrushes (I would estimate 4 or 5) in the Ramble. Warbler activity was light, with some Yellow-rumps and Palms and a singing Yellow being about the extent of it. There were a bunch of icterids about as well; I didn't see or hear any orioles, but did have singing Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. A Brown Thrasher in the Ramble gave us an unusually good view, sitting on a log in the open catching some last rays of sun for at least ten minutes. I also agree with Tom that the trees are way ahead of schedule leaf-wise, and this makes warbler-watching more of a challenge. I'm not so sure it doesn't adversely affect the birds as well: I believe caterpillars time their emergence to the leaf growth, and it may be harder for migrating songbirds to find caterpillars among larger leaves. I have no evidence for this, it just sounds plausible. Has anyone studied this? Cheers, Gabriel WillowNYC Audubon -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
[nysbirds-l] Central Park Sightings, evening of 5/1
A belated report on my May Day evening walk in Central Park with NYC Audubon. We walked from Strawberry Fields along the Lake and through the Ramble down to The Point. As Tom Fiore noted, there was a good influx of migrants, especially Gray Catbirds. The Catbirds were all over the place, especially high in flowering trees, which seemed unusual to me (they are typically in the undergrowth when they're on territory). I kept thinking I had spotted an oriole when I had a bird nectaring way up in a flowering Tulip Tree or Black Cherry, but they kept turning out to be Catbirds. Other highlights were numerous [presumed] Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, which were also flying high and fast. I wonder if this is typical of migratory passage as well? They weren't feeding, just zipping by around the tree-top level. I spotted at least 4. We had a singing Warbling Vireo, and many singing Wood Thrushes (I would estimate 4 or 5) in the Ramble. Warbler activity was light, with some Yellow-rumps and Palms and a singing Yellow being about the extent of it. There were a bunch of icterids about as well; I didn't see or hear any orioles, but did have singing Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. A Brown Thrasher in the Ramble gave us an unusually good view, sitting on a log in the open catching some last rays of sun for at least ten minutes. I also agree with Tom that the trees are way ahead of schedule leaf-wise, and this makes warbler-watching more of a challenge. I'm not so sure it doesn't adversely affect the birds as well: I believe caterpillars time their emergence to the leaf growth, and it may be harder for migrating songbirds to find caterpillars among larger leaves. I have no evidence for this, it just sounds plausible. Has anyone studied this? Cheers, Gabriel WillowNYC Audubon -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
