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!
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| 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.
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| The spectacle markings were always obvious on the Swainson's Thrushes we saw |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| One of the easier flycatchers to ID! |
