Central & Prospect Park in migration
New York, NY
Friday 29 April 2022
55 °F
I managed to get out twice this week despite a packed performance schedule. Unfortunately, we have been deadlocked by northerly winds and cold temps, so migration isn’t as wild as it can get in April, though I suspect there will be a large push of birds with the next southerly winds.
I scootered over to Central Park on monday morning since there were reports of decent birds like White-eyed Vireo and Prairie Warbler on sunday afternoon. Upon arriving to the Loch, I got my first-of-the-year YELLOW WARBLER:
SWAMP SPARROW:
BLUE-HEADED VIREO:
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER:
PINE WARBLER:
The biggest surprise of the day was this high-flying migrating COMMON LOON over the park. You have to wonder if these birds notice the peculiar Manhattan landscape as they migrate over — in some form, this bird must have, considering how high it was flying (thousands of feet up), probably to avoid skyscrapers. Honestly, Manhattan must be like a mountain range for migrating birds to navigate through. 
It was awesome to get my first NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH of the year at the edge of the “Pool:”
Then, some birders alerted me to the fact that there were Prairie Warblers up on the Great Hill by the blockhouse. Honestly, I am usually just too lazy to hike up the Great Hill, but it certainly paid off as I quickly found two beautiful male PRAIRIE WARBLERS, also an FOY bird for me! It was great to get a target bird, made even better by the fact that they were extremely responsive to spishing and came right in for great views. 
My first OVENBIRD of the year was also nice to see:
GRAY CATBIRD:
Female EASTERN TOWHEE:
Bird-of-the-day for monday definitely goes to the Prairie Warblers with runner-up to the Common Loon. One aspect of Manhattan birding that I love compared to Chicago birding is that the first few real pushes of warblers occur 1-2 weeks earlier in the spring. In Chicago it seems like they take forever to appear and then always pass through in a couple hectic days in mid-May.
Today, thursday April 28, I was alerted to the presence of a Black-throated Gray Warbler in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, so…you know the drill! Finish class, subway, chase bird. An interesting tidbit about Prospect Park is that it is just a couple blocks away from where my grandparents on my dad’s side grew up. One of these days I will walk by the particular house in which my grandma grew up.
Black-throated Gray Warblers are native to shrubby habitats of the inter-mountain west, so they therefore qualify as a vagrant to New York. I have seen them before in California and Idaho so it would be just a New York lifer if found.
The warblers were high in the canopy today so it was a lot of warbler neck for the hour I was there. BLACK-AND WHITE:
YELLOW-RUMPED:
PINE:
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET:
My first WARBLING VIREO of the year was great too:
Unfortunately, the Black-throated Gray Warbler never materialized while I was there, so I will have to leave the bird-of-the-day to a heard-only WOOD THRUSH on my way back, my first-of-the-year. That song is unmistakable. You win some, you lose some. Onward to May! The good news is that I will be much freer for birding and herping starting May 3.
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 1129 Species
AS always, wonderful photos. Good to see Prairie Warblers. WE had nearly 50,000 birds migrate over our county last night-Wow! Blustery weather today could mean interesting stop-overs at our reservoirs.
by Mary McCutchan