Late migration report

Great Crested Flycatcher [flycatching!]
Photo by Bruce Yolton -- http://www.urbanhawks.blogs.com



Jack Meyer walked in the park this morning from 7 - 10:45 with four other early morning birders. Here's his cheerful report of a typical late migration day:

Starting from Summit Rock, we birded slowly around Turtle Pond then down the west side of the lake and through Strawberry Fields. There were numerous Redstarts & Blackpolls, females predominating. We also saw Magnolia and Canada Warblers, and heard a Common Yellowthroat. There was a singing Chipping Sparrow at Sparrow Rocks. At Turtle Pond we watched a pair of House Finches feeding fledglings, and a Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by a horde of Grackles and one Red-winged Blackbird. There was a Great Crested Flycatcher at Summit Rock, and in Strawberry Fields we heard but could not find a Wood-Pewee. Despite the obvious slowing of migration, a satisfying morning.

PS from Marie: Like the Wood-pewee, the Great Crested Flycatcher is often easier to hear than to see, and when it's sighted, it's likely to be quite high in a tree. And since it usually shows up in late May when the trees are fully in leaf, it's hard to get a satisfying photo of this beautiful bird. Bravo Bruce for this dramatic [and rare] photo, taken in Central Park several years ago.