New York Trip Report (21st May-30th May 2015) - Photo Gallery

New York Trip Photo Gallery

American Redstart - Prospect Park (23rd May 2015)

American Robin - Central Park (21st May 2015)

Baltimore Oriole - Central Park (22nd May 2015)

Black and White Warbler - Central Park (22nd May 2015)

Black Duck - Jamaica Bay (29th May 2015)

Black Skimmers - Plumb Beach (24th May 2015)

Black Vultures - Doodletown (24th May 2015)

Blackburnian Warbler - Prospect Park (23rd May 2015)

New York Trip Report (21st May-30th May 2015) - Species List and Locations

Day 1 – Central Park

American Robin – 21^st May – Central Park (Near entrance on south side). Numerous throughout

Blue Jay – 21^st May – Central Park (Near West Drive). Numerous throughout

Northern Cardinal – 21^st May – Central Park (Near Umpire Rock). Numerous throughout

Baltimore Oriole – 21^st May – Central Park (Near Umpire Rock). Plentiful

Chipping Sparrow – 21^st May – Central Park (Near Umpire Rock). A handful seen

Swainson’s Thrush – 21^st May – Central Park (Near Umpire Rock). Plentiful

Cedar Waxwing – 21^st May – Central Park (Near the terrace). Numerous throughout

House Finch – 21^st May – Central Park (On the path towards Bethesda fountain). Male showing well and gathering nesting material. 5 seen in total – all males.

Chimney Swift – 21^st May – Central Park (Flying overhead). Numerous throughout

Cape May Warbler – 21^st May – Central Park (In pines near East Drive). Female feeding in pines. Only one of the trip.

Magnolia Warbler – 21^st May – Central Park (In pines near East Drive). Male feeding in pines. All males seen – plentiful.

Warbling Vireo – 21^st May – Central Park (In trees near East Drive). Two singing in trees behind the path. Several individuals seen throughout.

Common Grackle – 21^st May – Central Park (On field near East Drive). Numerous throughout

Mourning Dove – 21^st May – Central Park (In trees near East Drive). Numerous throughout

Downy Woodpecker – 21^st May – Central Park (In tree next to the lake). Several seen throughout

Blackpoll Warbler – 21^st May – Central Park (In trees at front of lake path). Males and females seen – plentiful.

Gray Catbird – 21^st May – Central Park (In flight near the lake). Numerous throughout

Song Sparrow – 21^st May – Central Park (On grassy patch by the lake). A few seen throughout.

Red-winged Blackbird – 21^st May – Central Park (Flying near the lake). Numerous throughout

Common Yellowthroat – 21^st May – Central Park (Under trees near Robert Wagner Cove). Males and females seen – numerous.

White-throated Sparrow – 21^st May – Central Park (Near lakeside edge of Robert Wagner Cove). One of two seen on the trip.

Swamp Sparrow – 21^st May – Central Park (Near lakeside edge of Robert Wagner Cove). One of two seen on the trip.

Canada Warbler – 21^st May – Central Park (In trees at edge of lake near the ladies pavilion). One of three seen on the trip.

Chestnut-sided Warbler – 21^st May – Central Park (In trees at edge of lake near the ladies pavilion). One of three seen on the trip – males and female seen.

Northern Flicker – 21^st May – Central Park (The Ramble). One of several seen throughout.

Ovenbird – 21^st May – Central Park (The Ramble). One of four seen on the trip.

Red-tailed Hawk – 21^st May – Central Park (The Ramble). One of several seen throughout.

   

Also: House Sparrow, Starling, Canada Goose, Feral Pigeon

Magnolia Warbler

New York Trip Report - Day 10 (Central Park)

Day 10 -  Saturday 30th  May 2015

Our final day in New York dawned and after a great week and a half in this amazing city it was finally time to head home. Enjoying a final croissant from the bakery next door (and being given several sachets of delicious grape jelly to take back to Britain from the diner across the street) we went for a final spot of New York sightseeing, saving the best till last and heading up the fantastic Top of the Rock for breath-taking views of the city below.

An absolute must for anyone going to New York, we enjoyed unbeatable views of Central Park below, getting a birds-eye look at this ultimate green oasis, surrounded by skyscrapers and where we had delighted in our first American birds just over a week ago. Simply stunning.

With a couple of hours to spare before our taxi to JFK, we sat in Central Park to enjoy a final afternoon of New York City birding. Several Wood Ducks clustered around the bread being provided by a family at the water’s edge around the pond, jostling with the Mallards for scraps and providing the best views of this species all trip, being just a few metres away from the edge. 

Wood Duck - showing fantastically!

New York Trip Report - Day 2 (Central Park)

Day 2 -  Friday 22nd May 2015

With our jet lagged internal clocks still operating 5 hours ahead in UK time, we were able to get out bright and early the next morning ready for a dawn start on what was our second day in the Big Apple. With news that my most sought after species (Blackburnian Warbler) had just been spotted at a part of Central Park called Cherry Hill, we rushed out to try and catch up with what could potentially be a difficult warbler to add to our trip list.

It was immediately obvious that there had been a small fall of migrants during the night – we had barely gone a few metres in to the park when the chattering of birds in the entrance trees at Artisans Gate distracted us. Two Red-eyed Vireos were moving stealthily through the leaves at height, quite elusive but occasionally giving good enough views for us to clearly see that bright red eye that gives them their name. Luckily, this was one of the commonest Vireo species we saw in New York, and we had great views on almost every day of our trip. Interestingly, they seemed to be instantly attracted to Alex’s pishing noise – something to bear in mind the next time one is reported in the UK!

The red eye that gives the Vireo its name was clearly noticable even at a distance!

Moving on to Cherry Hill, we immediately spotted the trees the Blackburnian had been reported in, and it was no easy feat trying to spot a small warbler at the top of these towering giants. A Canada Warbler flitted briefly through the leaves, while the bright yellow of several Magnolia Warblers caught our eye in the early morning light. Deciding that a row of smaller trees positioned in the sun may hold more birds, we headed over to keep watch for any warblers passing through. Several female American Redstarts hovered in search of prey, and whilst not in the same league visually as the fiery black and red males, it was still great to watch them as they foraged, their long and rounded yellow-patched tail distinctive.

A pair of Swainson’s Thrushes hopped along amongst the pine needles below (their spectacles again confirming that this was indeed the species we had seen the day before) while an extremely showy Gray Catbird foraged near enough under our feet. A flash of yellow and black caught our eye, and our first male Common Yellowthroat of the trip popped in to view.

The spectacle markings were always obvious on the Swainson's Thrushes we saw

Male Common Yellowthroats were not as numerous as the females

With no sign of any Blackburnians, my attention turned to a small, drab brown looking warbler skulking in the shrubs lower down. With a diagnostic white triangle on the wings, this could only be one thing – a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. While no comparison to the beautiful shimmering blues of the male, it was still a great addition to our list, and one of only a handful we saw all trip.

With the Blackburnian Warbler seeming to have moved on, we decided to make our way to the Ramble, one of the best spots in Central Park and an area guaranteed to get us some new species. A showy Red-winged Blackbird perched obligingly in a nearby bush as we passed the lake, while the high pitched calls of several Cedar Waxwings in the tops of a tree soon gave their presence away.

The view of Manhattan from across the lake

Exploring a small garden near Robert Wagner Cove, we encountered our first Red-bellied Woodpecker (bizarrely named as the belly is completely lacking any red colouring) showing incredibly well on a fallen trunk at the side of the path. With a gorgeous black and white chequerboard back, this was definitely one of the most attractive woodpeckers we saw in America, and we often spotted them creeping up the sides of the trunks.

Continuing on around the lake and along the road, amongst all the early morning joggers Alex noticed a large brown flycatcher perched in the top of one of the trees in Strawberry Fields. Having received a Twitter alert of an Olive-sided Flycatcher in the area, this could only be one thing. Getting good views through our binoculars, despite the distance across the road we could clearly see the well-marked olive brown patches on the sides, a great addition to our list and an uncommon bird in Central Park in some years.

One of the easier flycatchers to ID!

New York Trip Report - Day 1 (Central Park)

Day 1 -  Thursday 21st May 2015

Being a destination we had both been eager to visit and with Central Park well known as a migrant hotspot during the epic spring migration, we booked 10 days in what is perhaps the most well-known city in the world – New York.  Whilst this bustling hub of metropolitan life may not at first glance seem a typical birding destination, the parks attract an incredible array of species during spring and autumn migration, with over 20 species of warbler waiting to be found on a typical May morning. Also home to such iconic sights as the Empire State Building, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, as well as the natural wonder that is Niagara Falls being easily accessible through flights to Buffalo, New York was the perfect choice for our first journey in to American birding.

The famous view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline

Basing ourselves at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan for the duration of our stay, we were just 3 blocks from the entrance of Central Park, and with one of New York’s many tube stations situated right outside our hotel, the rest of New York was easily accessible to us via public transport, meaning we managed to explore 3 of New York’s 5 boroughs during our stay (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens). With a wealth of parks and wildlife refuges scattered through New York offering the many birds passing through a place to rest up during migration, a fantastic diversity of species can surprisingly be found living alongside the 8 million people that call the city their home, and without doubt, this was the best trip that both of us have been on to date.

Landing at JFK airport just after lunch, despite the 7 hour flight there was no time to rest. After checking in to our hotel 3 hours later (the border queues at the airport were huge!) we immediately took the 5 minute walk to perhaps what is the most iconic park in the world to begin our trip – Central Park.

The famous Sheep Meadow in Central Park

Having already familiarised ourselves with the species we should come face to face with and having tried to memorise the calls, along with our Sibley Guide we were well equipped to begin our adventure, despite neither of us having any experience with American birds apart from the strays and vagrants that make it across to Britain.

Completely artificially created and nestled within the towering skyscrapers, Central Park is an absolute mecca for birds during May, with the peak usually occurring during the second week. Luckily for us, migration this year was late, as we weren’t able to fly out until the 21^st, giving us the whole of the last week and part of the third to see what goodies we could unearth. With their bright colours, vibrant patterns, and often quirky names, warblers were naturally high up on our list and were the main focus during our time in New York’s parks.

Taking bets as to what the first new bird we’d spot would be (Alex thought Chimney Swift while I went for Great Blue Heron due to JFK being so close to the water) we were both proved wrong, with that honour going to the classic American Robin.

American Robin - our first new species in America!

Hopping around on the grass just a few feet from the entrance, we had our first American species in all its glory – much larger than I had expected and more similar in size and structure to a Blackbird than a Robin. I couldn’t resist stopping to take a series of photos (despite Alex telling me we had to focus on the rarer species on our first day and not get distracted by the common) although this was definitely justified as these initial shots proved to be my best of American Robins throughout the whole trip!

Dragging me away and heading in the direction of the Ramble, we soon racked up some of the commoner species. A Blue Jay taking advantage of some leftover bread was just as beautiful in real life as depicted in our books, while the bright red flash of a Northern Cardinal looked positively tropical in comparison to our normal backyard birds at home. Huge flocks of House Sparrows and Starlings also provided a touch of familiarity, having been introduced here and thriving in the urban landscape of Manhattan.

Blue Jays were relatively common

Northern Cardinals were also a regular sight