BUTTERFLIES!

Red Admiral - Central Park -- 8/6/06

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

Gary Aspenberg reports on 5/4/12:

For any butterfly watchers out there, I just want to note that today(Friday) was Red Admiral day in Central Park, at least in the North. Actually,the first one I saw was at the corner of 89 St and 2nd Ave. There were hundreds, all over the place. And they like to sun on the sides of trees, so they're easy to get a look at. Also saw several Commas, American Painted Ladies and (regular) Painted Ladies.

a haunting bird song yesterday and today's report

Whip-poor-will sleeping in Central Park --4/20/07

Photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK - http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

At around 8 pm yesterday I received a phone call from fellow birder and friend Rebekah Creshkoff. She was at the Great Hill in the north part of the park, listening to a Whip-poor-will singing its familiar eponymic song [well, it's actually a call]. She held up her cell phone and I heard it too, quite clearly: whip-poor-WILL, whip-poor-WILL whip-poor-WILL. Thrilling.

Here's Chris Cooper 's report, via eBirdsNYC, of TODAY'S bird sightings:

A third great day in a row, if one waited out the dawn thunderstorm. Highlights from 5:50-9:45 AM were the continuing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW on Falconer's Hill/the croquet field, already mentioned in Phil's post and found yesterday by Anders Peltomaa; and a CERULEAN W at the Captain's Bench (thanks to to Al Levantin for spotting it once we got there, and to whoever first found the bird and spread the word), later reported at the Azalea Pond/Gill area. But the whole Ramble was alive with singing birds, with many multiples of nearly everything one would expect to see this time of year.

OTHER NOTABLES (not in taxonomic order)

N Parula BLACKBURNIAN W (at least 5 scattered throughout) Yellow-rumped W Prairie W (the Humming Tombstone) Yellow W Black-throated Green W Black-throated Blue W Chestnut-sided W Magnolia W Blackpoll W (heard only) Am Redstart Black-and-white W Nashville W Canada W (the Swampy Pin Oak) HOODED W (vicinity of the Swampy Pin Oak, moving a lot and staying relatively high for a Hooded) C Yellowthroat (many, finally) Ovenbird N Waterthrush YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (the Azalea Pond) Warbling Vireo Blue-headed Vireo RC Kinglet Wood Thrush Veery Great Crested Flycatcher Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole E Towhee Swamp Sparrow Also reported: Bay-breasted W (Strawberry Fields, by Paul Szabo), Yellow-breasted Chat (Maintenance Field, by Morgan Tingley), Worm-eating W (general vicinity of Humming Tombstone, multiple observers)

Another good day

Woodthrush -- Central Park, 9/19/2005

Photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK -- http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

Joe DiCostanzo [www.greatgullisland.org] of the American Museum of Natural History, took his morning group [7-9 a.m.] into the Ramble today in spite of a threat of rain. It didn't start raining until 9 and they had a rewarding time:

Highlights included:

Great Crested Flycatcher (vicinity of Upper Lobe)
Yellow-throated Vireo (as above)
Bue-headed Vireo (6+)
House Wren (singing birds)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Gray Catbird (many in now)
Blue-winged Warbler (singing birds by Upper Lobe and Azalea and a male between
the Tupelo Meadow and the Maintenance Meadow)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (all over)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler (many)
Worm-eating Warbler (northeast of Upper Lobe)
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager (2 males north of Azalea Pond)
Chipping Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (pair east of Tupelo Meadow)
Baltimore Oriole

Pale Male news!

Pale Male and Zena on Fifth Avenue nest -- Sunday, 4/29/2012

Photo courtesy of PaleMale.com

Just had a call from Rik Davis at the Hawk Bench. It looks like Pale Male is a proud father once again. The female at the Fifth Avenue nest [generally called Zena] is feeding newly-hatched chicks at the nest.

Take a stroll today

Kentucky Warbler -- New York -- 5/123/1`1

Photo by DAVID SPEISER - www.lilibirds.com

A message from Tom:

For this last day of April 2012, migration certainly has kicked up a notch or three... and N.Y. City is already "closing in" on having 30 species of wood-warblers distributed around its five boroughs/counties, with a reliable report of a Kentucky warbler singing in a part of Prospect Park which may require an admission fee (zoo). More later as further sightings accumulate and more sites are looked at. It could be a good late-day to have a stroll in your favorite "patch" if in the city... or just rest & get ready for the first weekend of May which holds good promise, as it often can.

Good luck,

Tom Fiore,

Manhattan