The Early Birders

In June, 1995, at the end of the "Fledge" party marking the successful launching of Pale Male and Mom I's first nestlings, a mild depression took over many of the gathered hawkwatchers. It had been an exciting few months, waiting for the eggs to hatch, then watching the babies grow, and waiting for them to fly. A real community had formed during that time, and now it seemed to be over. That's when regular birdwatcher Dorothy Poole and I came up with an idea. Why not go on to the other birds of Central Park? And that's when the Early Birders was formed, an informal early morning bird walk for birders of any ability level.

At first the Early Birders met at the Hawk Bench at the Model-boat Pond. After a few years, because so many of the group lived on the West Side, the meeting place was changed to Strawberry Fields directly across the park.

This is the Early Birders' eleventh year.We meet every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to about 9, all year round. A few of the members have been coming from the very start. Others have joined in over the years. Here is this morning's report:

site = Central Park
date = 9/14/05
observers = "Early Birders":  Marie Winn,  Irene Warshauer, Alice
Deutsch, Joyce Hyon, Eleanor Tauber, Naomi Machado, Deborah McMillan,
Kathleen Howley, Ardith Bondi
Reported by =  Ardith Bondi



Black-crowned Night-Heron (Turtle Pond)
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (eclipse male, The Point)
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Maintenance Field)
Veery (several)
Swainson's Thrush (Maintenance Field)
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird (The Point)
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (Waterfall, Azalea Pond)
Blue-winged Warbler (Strawberry Fields)
Yellow Warbler (Strawberry Fields, Hernshead, Lower Lobe, The Point)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler (several)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (several)
Black-throated Green Warbler (Hernshead)
Black-and-white Warbler (several)
American Redstart (several)
Ovenbird (Strawberry Fields, The Point)
Northern Waterthrush (several)
Common Yellowthroat (several)
Wilson's Warbler (Lower Lobe)
Canada Warbler (The Point)
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Maintenance Field)
Common Grackle
House Finch
House Sparrow