25 June 2021
Bird Notes: For the remainder of June and all of July, there are only SUNDAY morning bird walks at 7:30am and again at 9:30am. Starting in August we will go "full-time" again on Fridays through Mondays as the fall (southbound) migration begins - and yes there can be many migrants in NYC Parks starting in August! We might add a Saturday trip here or there to Jamaica Bay (Queens) and/or NYBG (the Bronx!) See the SCHEDULE page of this web site for the most up-to-date info for bird walks and meeting locations/times.
Our apologies for postponing this Saturday's (26 June) proposed trip to Jamaica Bay in Queens. Deborah spent much time there this past Wednesday (June 23), and came away disappointed. Many of the trails out from the Visitors' Center were closed/diverted due to construction within the Refuge; and she did not see any significant shorebirds on either pond...so we will wait a bit to see how things "shake out" as they say.
We are just back from the bogs of very northern Minnesota (near International Falls) where Deborah was getting more images for her book - the purpose of this trip was to obtain fine Connecticut Warbler photos (above, and additional below). This required us to be up and out by 4:30am each morning...but she did well with CoNw, as well as Mourning Warblers (photo just below), Chestnut-sided and Blackburnian (see video below) Warblers. In addition she added Spruce Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Trumpeter Swan...and at the other end of the spectrum, Alder Flycatcher and Boreal Chickadee. We also had nice looks at Moose and Great Grey Owl.
Mourning Warbler (male) in Koochiching Co., Minnesota on 9 June 2021 Deborah Allen
In this week's "Historical" Notes, we send just a few brief articles on the fall migration of Connecticut Warbler (CoNw) and Mourning Warbler (MoWa) in Central Park. Our experience has taught us to look for Mourning Warblers in the first week of August - they can be fairly common, and hatch-year birds are especially responsive to chip notes. By comparison, CoNw is much less common (rare fall migrant), and is most often seen in early to mid-October in Central Park. In Note (a) we present two articles about the migration of Mourning Warblers in August 1908/1932; in (b) we send one brief note on the September migration of CoNw in Central Park in 1908.
(Video below) Blackburnian Warbler (male) in Koochiching Co., Minnesota on 15 June 2021 Deborah Allen
Bird Walks for Late June to mid-July 2021
All Walks @ $10/person
x. Saturday, 26 June. NO BIRD WALK!!!!
1. Sunday, 27 June at 7:30am and again at 9:30am. Bird Walk. Boathouse Cafe; 74th street/East Drive $10. If you do the 7:30am walk, you get the 9:30am walk for free.
x. Saturday, 3 July. NO BIRD WALK!!!!
2. Sunday, 4 July at 7:30am and again at 9:30am. Bird Walk. Boathouse Cafe; 74th street/East Drive $10. If you do the 7:30am walk, you get the 9:30am walk for free.
x. Saturday, 10 July. NO BIRD WALK!!!!
3. Sunday, 11 July at 7:30am and again at 9:30am. Bird Walk. Boathouse Cafe; 74th street/East Drive $10. If you do the 7:30am walk, you get the 9:30am walk for free.
x. Saturday, 17 July. NO BIRD WALK!!!!
4. Sunday, 18 July at 7:30am and again at 9:30am. Bird Walk. Boathouse Cafe; 74th street/East Drive $10. If you do the 7:30am walk, you get the 9:30am walk for free.
Call (718-828-8262) or Email us with questions: rdcny@earthlink.net
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The fine print: Our walks on weekends meet at 7:30/9:30am at the Boathouse Restaurant (approx. 74th street and the East Drive). Please note: the Boathouse is not one of the buildings that surround the nearby Model Boat Pond - people make this mistake all the time! Fridays we meet at Conservatory Garden; Mondays at Strawberry Fields - check the "Meeting Points" page of this web site for exact meeting location.
Our home phone is 718-828-8262...and Deborah's cell is: 347-703-5554. Email is (rdcny@earthlink.net). If you are lost and trying to get to the bird walk, call Deborah's cell phone...but remember on weekends there will be 2-3 other people calling who are also lost - please be patient. If in doubt about whether a walk will take place or not the morning of the walk: check the main landing page of this web site as well as the "Schedule" page - if the walk is cancelled, information will be posted there by 6am the day of the walk, and usually by 11pm the night before. If still confused and as a last resort, call us at home - if no one answers it means we left for the bird walk. We end all our Central Park walks (except Fridays) near the Boathouse at about noon; you can get a cup of coffee and a muffin there (around $6 total) - though the Boathouse is closed right now and will re-open in April 2021 according to the owners. Walks last about 3 hrs (less if hot or rainy), and you can leave at anytime - we won't be offended. If you need directions/help to your next destination, just ask someone on the walk - we aim to please.
Blackburnian Warbler (male) at Lake Co., Minnesota on 11 June 2021 Deborah Allen
Here is what we saw last week (brief highlights):
Sunday, 20 June (Boathouse Restaurant at 7:30am/9:30am): Well it is June so if one has reduced expectations compared to any bird walk in May, one could argue we had a good day today. Best late migrant found was a singing male Northern Parula Warbler on both walks in the Ramble. By the second walk, though we could bring the warbler very close to us, it only wanted to be in the shade...On both walks we also managed to lure Barry Barred Owl into the open at the very top of a Tupelo Tree in the Ramble, and even encouraged a few calls from her on the earlier walk. Four White-throated Sparrows remain in the Ramble, coming in quickly to their calls from my tape. A pair of Great Crested Flycatchers is in the west Ramble and will likely nest in the area of the Summer House. We also found a Red-bellied Woodpecker nest (thank You Armando), and Northern Flickers are also nesting in the Ramble, as well as a pair of Eastern Kingbirds at Turtle Pond. The number of pairs of Warbling Vireos in the park is noticeably down these last two years...and it seems we have lost Eastern Wood Pewee as a breeding species in the park possibly as the result of spraying to kill mosquitoes (West Nile Virus).
Deborah's List of Birds for Sunday, 20 June 2021: Click Here
Mourning Warbler (male) in Koochiching Co., Minnesota on 9 June 2021 Deborah Allen
HISTORICAL NOTEs
Mourning Warbler [1908] – Central Park
Miss Crolius and I watched a female of this rare warbler for over an hour on August 6 [1908]. It was very shy and spent its time in thick clumps of rhododendrons, occasionally walking on the ground and stretching up to pick insects off the lower leaves. While feeding, it gave a whispered sip, as if it were talking to itself. When alarmed, it uttered a sharp chuck, very much like the call-note of the Water Thrush in quality. Once or twice it flew up to a branch about fifteen feet from the ground and sat perfectly still watching us.
After a time it would fly down again into the bushes and resume its feeding. This is the first fall record of this warbler for the Park, and, indeed, I believe it is very rare at this season in the neighborhood of New York City.
Ludlow Griscom
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For Central Park [1932], Mr. Griscom reported 8 Mourning Warblers (Oporonis [Geothlypis] philadelphia) between Aug. 14 and 29, 1932.
Connecticut Warbler (male) in Koochiching Co., Minnesota on 16 June 2021 Deborah Allen
Connecticut Warbler [1908]
Ludlow Griscom
A young bird of this species was seen by Miss Anne A. Crolius and Mr. Stanley V. Ladow, September 22 [1908] in Central Park. I have also seen it twice in the immediate vicinity of the city.
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Deborah Allen and Robert DeCandido PhD
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