Finally…Central Park!
New York, NY
Friday 17 September 2021
81 °F
Well, it has certainly been a whirlwind of a month. I caught a cold just before flying to NYC, received negative covid test results less than half a day before flying (whew!), made it to the city, and within a week developed a sinus infection right as classes and auditions were starting. Not to mention that I am taking seventeen credits this semester (one under the limit), so to say that I am busy is an understatement! Regardless, it is great to be back and I am truly blessed. I have been extremely careful with Covid since arriving since the Delta variant is surging across the country, so I am avoiding public transit. That means my birding for the time being is limited to walkable locales.
Luckily, the north end of Central Park is a twenty-one minute walk from the Manhattan School of Music at my brisk pace. I finally made it over to the park on my first free day which was this past sunday. Unfortunately, the Ramble is a bit too far of a walk most days but luckily the north end of Central Park is just about as good of birding, and less of a zoo in terms of humans, too. I made a beeline for the Ravine which is a beautifully wooded stream in the north end, near the skating rink. Warblers were evident in numbers as I expected, including this CHESTNUT-SIDED (note they lack actual chestnut sides this time of year):
Female/imm. male AMERICAN REDSTART:
GADWALL with CANADA GEESE. Gadwall are one of those strange species that are not common at all in most of the area for a large chunk of the year but for some reason seem to hang around the north end of Central Park all year. Strange — but I’m not complaining.
Female/imm. male COMMON YELLOWTHROAT:
NORTHERN FLICKER:
VEERY:
Female BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER:
SOLITARY SANDPIPER with Red-eared Slider:
MAGNOLIA WARBLER:
Male AMERICAN REDSTART:
NORTHERN PARULA:
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER:
Another look at Central Park’s resident (but nonnative) herp, the Red-eared Slider:
Female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER:
Another Redstart, the theme of the day:
And another Chestnut-sided:
It was great to finally get out again! Bird-of-the-day to the Black-throated Blue Warbler, with runner-up to the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1125 Species
