Four warbler day and a PS

Louisiana Waterthrush

Palm Warbler
Photos by David Speiser www.lilibirds.com

He writes:

Hi Marie,

Four warbler species on April 10th.

1. Pine

2. Palm

3. Louisiana Waterthrush

4. Yellow-rumped

Not too bad. Along with many Brown Creepers and Hermit Thrushes, it looks like we are off to a great start.

Best,

David

PS Still waiting at the Fifth Avenue nest. This weekend look for many hawkwatchers, film-makers and photographers at the model-boat pond.

Birds pose for David

While looking for spring migrants, David Speiser [www.lilibirds.com] had a few sittings with local residents and winter transients:
Cedar Waxwing
Downy Woodpecker
White-throated Sparrow

PS The Western Tanager is still being seen at his old spot near Winterdale Arch.

Pale Male & Lola

Lola and chicks, May 2002
Courtesy of PaleMale.com


Lola has been incubating, with Pale Male's regular help, since March 10th, give or take a few days. According to my calculations, between now and April 18th, the eggs might hatch. Mai Stewart summarizes the general feeling:

Anticipation is building, all eyes on 927! Can't wait.

An Urban Legend is born

Turkey Vulture

Project Safe Flight, under the auspices of the NYC Audubon, is concerned with birds that have collided into Manhattan's reflective skyscrapers. Its volunteers rescue birds that have been injured and get them to a rehabilitator, or they pick up dead birds and make them available for various scientific purposes. Patrick Harty, one of Project Safe Flight's long-time volunteers, sent the following e-mail to many birders who were part of the network, and one of them forwarded it to me. Everyone believed it, myself included, even though the writer gave a big fat hint at the end.


Hi,
Just as I was quitting for the morning I found what I thought was a dead Turkey Vulture at Javits. Wrapped it up as best I could and headed for the subway.
Would you believe that while on the subway the bird came back to life!! Panic soon spread thru the train car, while I tried to subdue the bird. At the next stop there was a police officer who was not very interested in project safe flight!!! While trying to explain myself the bird started to get loose and pandemonium broke out!!!! The bird's all right but I'm going to be facing a few charges. Fortunately for me it all happened on April 1st.

Spring arrivals--avian and other

Oppossum

Judy Rabi reports [on ebirds] an amazing sighting on Sunday April 6:

Anne Lazarus, Taeko Tsujimoto, Louise F. and Pearl Broder saw an opposum in the Maintenance Field this morning.

Note: This may be a first for Central Park.


David & Liliana Speiser report on Saturday, April 5:

A first for the year: Blue-gray Gnatcactcher was singing by the East drive close to the statue of Sir Walter Scott. David's new website:
www.lilibirds.com

Judy Rabi reports another Sunday sighting:
At about 5:30 p.m. Yellow-rumped Warbler, female on the ground, hanging
out with the White-rumped Sparrows, near the feeders (or what's left of them) in the Maintenance field. I would have expected a male, at this somewhat early date.


Chris Karatnytsky writes to ebirds on Sunday, 4/5/08:

There was a large, gorgeous wild turkey walking in The Loch, not far from the bamboo, when I left. It's much bigger than the one that hung around Riverside Park a couple of years ago.

Last but not least, Alan Margolies reports that the Western Tanager was back in its usual spot near Winterdale Arch on Sunday.