Bird song report

The chorus is growing stronger.

This one was singing this morning.
Song Sparrow [photographed 4/2/07]


This one will be singing soon.
Fox Sparrow -- photographed 3/15/06

2 photos by Lloyd Spitalnik
http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

Jack Meyer's report of singing birds, as sent in this morning:

Brown Thrasher
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Finch

Jack (not singing)











Singers this morning included:
Brown Thrasher
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Finch

Jack (not singing)

Phoebe time

Eastern Phoebe -- Central Park -- April 10, 2008
Photo by Lloyd Spitalnik http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

A member of the Flycatcher family, a notable tail-flicker, and Central Park's first spring migrant, the Eastern Phoebe usually arrives a week or two before the vernal equinox.

On March 10, 1909, almost exactly 100 years ago, ornithologist Ludlow Griscom, then working at the American Museum of Natural History, walked across the street into Central Park and saw his first Phoebe of the year . In 2000 I beat Griscom by a day, spotting my first spring Phoebe on March 9. But most years the first Phoebe report is about a week later, and my bird calendar has many Phoebe entries on March 15, 16 and 17.

Happy Phoebe hunting!

Snow Day

New York's school kids got the first snow day in five years on Monday and many of them made a beeline for for Central Park. So did photographer MURRAY HEAD, to check out the birds and a couple of mammals.