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Thursday, May 12
We bravely decided to travel light for our birding trip to
Central Park – no checked bags. This was a challenge because
one bag was camera and birding gear, and rain was in the
forecast. As well we wanted to take some food to prepare
breakfasts and lunches. So, wearing our waterproof hiking shoes,
raingear and backpacks and pulling two carry-ons we headed for
the airport for an early afternoon flight. Our cream cheese and
becel was confiscated (gels!) but we got through.
A half hour cab ride from La Guardia got us to Central Park Apartments on
73rd St. W in the Upper West Side near Central Park
As planned, we set out right away for the closest Visitor Centre in the park, Belvedere Castle, to get a map and information. As the Centre closed at 5pm, we hustled, soon discovering that park access is limited to a few points and the park trails are in a complex network. With help from a few New Yorkers, we just made it. Having a map in hand gave us more confidence, but we still got lost several times each day. As birds are everywhere, this didn’t really matter.
We quickly found the Ramble with its stunning azalea pond, and had some amazing bird sightings: Green Heron, Gray Catbird (dozens), Black-throated Blue Warbler (common), Blackburnian Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo.
A birding couple told us to be sure to go the
Point, another birding hotspot, so we put that on our list. We
spotted a massive obelisk on the east side of the park and hiked
over to investigate. Cleopatra’s Needle was carved in 1600
BC (not in the USA!).
A simple dinner at “The Utopia” got us into the NY
spirit. We watched streams of people at the subway stop near our
apartment and were awed by the risky driving manoeuvres of the
little yellow cabs everywhere.
Although our studio apartment was tiny, it had the essentials,
including a fridge, microwave and coffee maker. We added some
American beer to the fridge (and sampled some).
Friday, May 13
Friday, we celebrated our anniversary with an early breakfast and
a very long hike (several kms) to the starting point of an 8:30am
birding hike with Birding Bob at the Conservatory Garden at the
north end of the park. We were part of the early morning crowd
– in the park this was joggers, bikers and dog walkers. Very
lively!
Birding Bob guided 22 of us around for about four hours. Only $5 each! Major sightings were: Northern Parula (common), Blackburnian Warbler, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler (common), Black and White Warbler and Common Yellowthroat.
We enjoyed our picnic lunch in the Conservatory Garden,
surrounded by beautiful flowers and joined by a female Common
Yellowthroat.
We continued to explore the park and find some birds on our own.
A very helpful naturalist/birder tipped us off how to get good
looks at both the Northern and Louisiana Water-thrushes. His
advice was to sit by the stream and wait patiently… and they
will come. We also saw Black and White Warbler, Common
Yellowthroat, and Great Egret.
Late afternoon we headed back to our apartment for a soothing
bath (hot feet!) and a change. We enjoyed a very special dinner
of three courses, at an Italian restaurant, ArteCafé, nearby.
After dinner we decided to hike to the Hudson River nearby and
enjoy the sunset there.
Saturday, May 14
Saturday, we went birding at 7:30am with Starr, a tiny energetic 71
year old with amazing ears for bird sounds. This was a group of
15 birders, including some New Yorkers and some other Americans.
Her rate was $8 for the whole morning. Another amazing value. She
also led her tour in the northern section of the park.
Some good sightings were: Gray Catbird
(common), Black-crowned Night-Heron, Brown-headed Cowbird, Cedar
Waxwing, Magnolia Warbler and Wood Thrush.
The two of us birded together all afternoon. Sightings: Blackburnian Warbler, Canada Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Ovenbird, Ruddy Duck and Northern Flicker.
Another treat was watching wedding parties –
it was a beautiful sunny day for wedding pictures.
We discovered the Point and were lucky to see several good birds
by the shore of the lake: American Redstart, Wilson's Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Northern Flicker and Black-crowned
Night-Heron.
On the way back to 73rd St., we passed Strawberry Fields and a
memorial to John Lennon.
We stopped at a simple café for a pleasant dinner.
Sunday, May 15
Finally, we made good use of our raingear! We joined Birding Bob
at the Turtle Pond dock Sunday morning but quickly took shelter
at a nearby building with an awning. After the downpour, the
robins came out in force. We headed for the Ramble. Sightings:
Bay-breasted Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern
Flicker, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Scarlet Tanager.
A trip to the Point was not as productive as Saturday, but we did
get some good shots of a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and
Red-bellied Woodpecker.
There was a huge AIDS walk in the park with over 40,000 people -
a carnival atmosphere. We joined Bob and a young Birder from
London, England at the Boathouse for coffee/beer for a quiet time
away from the crowds.
As we toured about in the morning, Barbara spotted the
Shakespeare Garden, so we returned to enjoy the spring flowers
and the poet’s verses.
As well, we had some good bird sightings on a path
through Strawberry Fields (John Lennon memorial area), Baltimore
Oriole, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Ovenbird.
As we hiked back on Amsterdam St., Bill enjoyed an ice cream
cone. He spotted a local Turkish restaurant where we returned
later for a fine dinner.
Monday, May 16
Monday was rainy most of the day. Starr sportingly arrived at her
meeting spot at Hunter’s Gate near the American Museum of
Natural History at 7:30am. A few brave birders joined us and we
started out, taking shelter as necessary in little pavilions.
Sightings: Warbling Vireo, Black-crowned Night-Heron and Northern
Parula.
Mid-morning she decided to call the tour, so we
birded on our own again, enjoying our time in the Ramble.
Fortunately we found a covered area for our picnic lunch (and the
last of our beer!). Our cameras were acting up in the dampness,
so have few photos of the good birds we saw: Northern Parula,
American Redstart, Tuffted Titmouse, Ovenbird.
In the afternoon we visited the museum gift shop. We had spotted
an open tourist bus with a sea of white raincoats, so we
appreciated our inside time.
Then we joined the NY rush hour to head out to La
Guardia.
Sightings Report
Ducks and Swans
Canada Goose New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Gadwall New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Mallard New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Ruddy Duck New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Cormorants
Double-crested Cormorant New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Herons
Great Blue Heron New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Great Egret New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Green Heron New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Black-crowned Night-Heron New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Falcons and Caracaras
Merlin New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Waders
Greater Yellowlegs New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Gulls
Ring-billed Gull New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Herring Gull New York 16/05/2011 Central Park
Great Black-backed Gull New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Pigeons and Doves
Rock Pigeon New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Mourning Dove New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Swifts
Chimney Swift New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Hummingbirds
Ruby-throated Hummingbird New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Woodpeckers
Red-bellied Woodpecker New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Downy Woodpecker New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Northern Flicker New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Tyrant Flycatchers
Eastern Kingbird New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Vireos
Blue-headed Vireo New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Warbling Vireo New York 16/05/2011 Central Park
Red-eyed Vireo New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Crows, Jays and Magpies
Blue Jay New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
American Crow New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Swallows and Martins
Purple Martin New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Tree Swallow New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Northern Rough-winged Swallow New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Bank Swallow New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Barn Swallow New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Tits and Chickadees
Tufted Titmouse New York 16/05/2011 Central Park
Wrens
Carolina Wren New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
House Wren New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Thrushes
Veery New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Swainson's Thrush New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Wood Thrush New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
American Robin New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Mockingbirds
Gray Catbird New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Starlings
European Starling New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Wood-Warblers
Tennessee Warbler New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Nashville Warbler New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Northern Parula New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Magnolia Warbler New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Black-throated Blue Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Yellow-rumped Warbler New York 12/05/2011 Central Park
Blackburnian Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Bay-breasted Warbler New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Blackpoll Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Black-and-white Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
American Redstart New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Worm-eating Warbler New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Ovenbird New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Northern Waterthrush New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Louisiana Waterthrush New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Common Yellowthroat New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Wilson's Warbler New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Canada Warbler New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Tanagers
Summer Tanager New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Scarlet Tanager New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Sparrows and Buntings
Song Sparrow New York 16/05/2011 Central Park
Lincoln's Sparrow New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
White-throated Sparrow New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Cardinals and Grosbeaks
Northern Cardinal New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Rose-breasted Grosbeak New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Indigo Bunting New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Orioles
Red-winged Blackbird New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Common Grackle New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Brown-headed Cowbird New York 14/05/2011 Central Park
Baltimore Oriole New York 13/05/2011 Central Park
Finches
American Goldfinch New York 15/05/2011 Central Park
Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow New York 12/05/2011 Central Park