When the opportunity to bird New York City’s central park with friend and co-worker Missy came about this past holiday weekend, I could hardly pass up the opportunity. Making the ~2hr trip to the city via car and metro train, I arrived in the city Sunday night to spend the night with Missy and her sister (Lori) who she was visiting. Fortunately Missy’s sister lived fairly close to Central Park, so an early morning arrival to the famed park was rather easy come Monday morning.

After a quick morning Routine, Missy, Lori, and I arrived in the southern end of Central Park by 730am, and were quickly greeted with the expected Rock Pigeons, European Starlings, and House Sparrows that one would expect to find in any given city park. However, Missy’s sharp eyes soon found our first warbler species of the day- an OVENBIRD foraging on the open ground. Putting my bins on this olive-backed, orange-crowned, thrush-like warbler I was pleased to see this species since it was my first in 3 years, but I felt a twinge of confusion: watching warblers in Manhattan?…what a concept! But the strangeness of the situation quickly faded as the birds kept coming, and the good times unfolded.

Making our way towards the southeast corner, the three of us arrived at “The Pond” and Hallet Nature Sanctuary finding our first AMERICAN REDSTART of the day. We tried to get Missy’s sister on this sprightly female, but with her quick foraging actions it was just a little too difficult. Fortunately, more redstarts were to follow, some of which were more cooperative. Despite not being a “birder”, Lori did a great job of finding “little birds” for us, and held a smile the entire time, showing the enjoyment she had. She in fact probably found more birds than I did, something her and her sister will forever have over me on this day…good for them!

Our next destination was “The Lake” and “The Ramble”, a place that I was told by several to be the best birding spot in the park. Taking the east side of the park’s drive we quickly made our way up to the Lake, the Ramble, and the best birding of the morning. Arriving into the Ramble we were quickly greeted by a nice male American Redstart, and our first BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER of the day that Missy quickly found and identified. Also in the vicinity of our entrance into the Ramble were a single RED-EYED VIREO and several orange-brown WOOD THRUSHES that Missy found foraging 35 meters off of the trail.

Many of these species that we observed in the park were the first that I had observed this year (and in 3 years!), and who could imagine a better way to see them than with two wonderful women in such a wonderful section of the park! Other birds found in the Ramble included single LEAST and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER and a rather bright WARBLING VIREO. One birder who appeared to be local actually got us on the Warbling Vireo proclaiming he might have had a dull-plumaged Philadelphia Vireo (similar in appearance to a bright Warbling), however the placement of yellow on the vireo in question was restricted more to the flanks, and with the presence of a white throat, I (and Missy) felt confident in calling it a Warbling. I guess having banded several Warbling Vireos in the past few months probably helped too!

After leaving the Ramble, we made our way towards the west side of the park and walked by several other popular destinations in the park including Belvedere Castle, Turtle Pond and the Pinetum. By this time in the day birding was slowing down, but the latter areas still held a few new birds for us including COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, CHIMNEY SWIFT and singing EASTERN WOOD-PEWEES. And before exiting the park around 77^th street, I was fortunate enough to have my best find of the day, a single NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (NOWA) foraging along a stream that also held more redstarts, and some mallards. This finding in fact came only moments after Missy had mentioned finding a NOWA in this region of the park only the day before. This was probably my favorite bird of the day since it is a species I have only observed on one other occasion despite hearing it several times over the years.

All in all, it was a fabulous day to be out birding. The weather was about as perfect and comfortable as one could ask, and the company was just the same. It actually has been my best day of birding since arriving back home to NY, and so far my favorite. I want to thank Missy’s sister Lori for her hospitality allowing me to stay at her place with her and her husband. And most importantly I want to thank Missy for giving me the opportunity to bird with her and her sister even while she was on vacation getting away from birds. Being in NY, I sorely miss Missy and the others I have come to know in CA while working over there with PRBO, so it was great to have the opportunity to be around one of them once again. Thanks for the memories.

Good Birding,

~Chad (09/05/2006)

Birds Observed:

1. Mallard
2. Ring-billed Gull
3. Rock Pigeon
4. Morning Dove
5. Chimney Swift
6. Red-bellied Woodpecker
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Northern Flicker
9. Eastern Wood-Pewee
10. Least Flycatcher
11. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
12. Eastern Phoebe
13. Warbling Vireo
14. Red-eyed Vireo
15. Blue Jay
16. American Crow
17. Black-capped Chickadee
18. Tufted Titmouse
19. White-breasted Nuthatch
20. Carolina Wren
21. Wood Thrush
22. American Robin
23. Gray Catbird
24. European Starling
25. Chestnut-sided Warbler
26. Black-throated Blue Warbler
27. Black-and-White Warbler
28. American Redstart
29. Common Yellowthroat
30. Northern Waterthrush
31. Ovenbird
32. Northern Cardinal
33. Red-winged Blackbird
34. Common Grackle
35. House Finch
36. House Sparrow