Show off CHAT

Yellow-breasted Chat - 1/25/08

photo by DAVID SPEISER http://www.lilibirds.com

At 8:32 this morning Irene Warshauer reported [on eBirds] the appearance of a rarely seen Yellow-breasted Chat in Central Park's Maintenance Meadow. As usual the word of a chat spread quickly. At 1 pm today the following report was posted on eBirds:

I went up to Central Park on my lunch break and, with three other birders, observed the previously reported Yellow-breasted Chat at the west side of the Maintenance Meadow at just after noon (brief but good looks). The other birders said it had been showing off and on since it was reported.

Good Birding,
Corey Finger

Good or not-so-good migration?

Black-capped Chickadee -- 10/3/05

photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

Tom Fiore reports to nysbirds-L@cornell.edu on the general migration picture today:

Labor Day, 6 Sept., 2010

I would point out that in the NYC area there have been some bird reports suggesting relatively little migration in the past several days (while there are also simultaneous reports from NYC locations indicating fairly good migrant passage & stop-over). In fact, my understanding is that there has been tremendous southward migration lately and that a great deal of that has been nocturnal and of such duration that many birds have sailed past the NYC region to points south. This is supported at least somewhat by voluminous various reports from sites in southern New Jersey, Pennsylavania, Delaware, and elsewhere in the region just south of New York (and from personal bird-related messages from others in the field). Interesting are the numbers of Black-capped Chickadees migrating in some areas (including smallish numbers moving through at Central Park, NYC) & of course, the ongoing movements of Red-breasted Nuthatches, rather widely reported and observed recently.

Mystery ducks on Lake

Murray Head sent the two photos above and the following query yesterday:

Hi Marie, I espied this graceful pair of (?) gliding swan-like about The Lake. Interesting markings... perhaps he is wearing a yarmulke? Could you identify them? TIA, Murray 9/4/10

The first challenge: what does TIA mean? Thanks In Advance is my best guess, though I've never heard the acronym before.

Now on to the ducks. Well, they must be some kind of domestic duck, I figured, and headed for the Internet . It never fails. There, at a site for Kintaline Farm in Argyll, Scotland, I found a fairly close match: a magpie duck, they call it, a breed that seems to produce a lot of eggs and plump meat. But how did those Scottish ducks get to Central Park? That's the next mystery.

PS There is much variety among domestic ducks..

Discovery at The Point

Murray Head writes:

Hi Marie, This IS news! I found the place in The Park where Fall begins!


Also at The Point... warblers. A sampling:
American Redstart -1

American Redstart -2


Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1

Black-throated Blue Warbler - 2


Black-and-white Warbler


Photos by Murray Head -- 9/1/10

It's just 20 minutes from Grand Central

Bird's eye view of the Visitor Center
just before opening --April, 2004
Carol Capobianco, Editorial Content Manager at the The New York Botanical Garden [Bronx] sent me the following note today. Central Park birdwatchers might be interested in taking a short subway ride to the Bronx to take advantage of the opportunity Carol writes about:

Hi Marie,

I hope your summer is going well. I just wanted to let you know about today’s blog post, which may be of interest to your readers.

Every Saturday at 11 a.m. throughout most of the year, [ beginning next Saturday] a few dozen people gather at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center with binoculars and high hopes. They’ve come to go on a walk in search of the birds that live at the Botanical Garden either year-round or temporarily during migration period. The tour leader, Debbie Becker, who this season marks her 25th year conducting bird walks at the Garden, knows all the nooks and crannies, and all the favorite spots of many of the 200-plus species that have been recorded in the Garden over the years. In other words, if someone wants to see a particular bird—say, the resident great horned owls or the aberrant white-winged crossbills—Debbie can deliver.

Read more…http://www.nybg.org/wordpress/?p=6852

How to get there:

Public Transportation

By Metro-North Railroad

Take the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station. Walk across Kazimiroff Boulevard to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance. Just 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan! Also convenient from other locations.

By Subway

Take the B, D, or 4 train to Bedford Park Blvd Station. From the station exit:

• Take the Bx 26 bus east to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance.
• OR walk eight blocks down the hill on Bedford Park Blvd to the end (approximately 20 minutes). Turn left onto Kazimiroff Blvd and walk one block to Mosholu Gate entrance.

For schedules and maps, visit the MTA Web site.

Driving Directions

From Manhattan (West Side)

West Side Hwy North to Henry Hudson Pkwy North to Mosholu Pkwy (Exit 24). Continue to the end. Turn right onto Kazimiroff Blvd. At the third traffic light, turn left into the Garden.

From Manhattan (East Side)

FDR Drive North to Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triboro Bridge) to Bruckner Expwy East (I-278) to Bronx River Pkwy North to Fordham Rd (Exit 7W). Merge onto Fordham Rd and stay in right lane. Turn right onto Kazimiroff Blvd, and continue to the Garden entrance on the right.