The end is near [the end of migration, that is]

Photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK

When the migration began, back in wintry March, the earliest warbler to appear is usually the Pine Warbler and the PalmWarbler. Not long afterwards comes the Black-and-White Warbler.

The bird pictured above is also black-and-white, but its markings are different. It is a Blackpoll Warbler. While the B&W Warbler has black and white stripes on its head, the Blackpoll has a black cap and white cheeks. And just as the Black-andWhite is one of the earliest, the arrival of greater numbers of Blackpolls signals that the end of the migration is near. Soon the warblers will all be gone -- no warbler species nests in Central Park. We'll now turn our attention to the birds that do nest here - Baltimore Orioles, Catbirds, Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song-sparrows, and quite a few others.