Twitch: Painted Bunting

Central Park, NYC

Wednesday 19 April 2023 49 °F

TUESDAY, APRIL 18:

Finally, after a too-long hiatus from birding due to schedule constraints, a notification on my phone for a vagrant female Painted Bunting in Central Park spurred me on to take my trusty scooter to the north end of the Park!

Soon enough, I was at the Loch in search of my lime-green target bird. Looks like it would be very well-camouflaged today!

WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS abounded:

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER:

Apparently, the Bunting was hanging with Goldfinches so I scoured the large flocks of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES in the area:

My FOY NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was cool!!

Then, I shouted to the other birds “I got it!” and I was soon able to get the other birders on this beautiful PAINTED BUNTING that was hopping in and out of the shrubs on the other side of the Loch. It was pretty shy but I was able to snap this one photo!

I had to get back to rehearsal, but on the way out, a few other birders pointed out to me a unique new resident of the North Woods: the escaped Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Flaco that was released from the Central Park Zoo by vandals MONTHS ago and has sustained itself on its own since then by hunting NYC rats and chipmunks!

A fantastic local twitch with an added bonus! Bird-of-the-day to the Painted Bunting (New York County lifer) with runner-up to the uncountable but still-cool Eurasian Eagle-Owl.

Good birding! Migration is here!
Henry
World Life List: 1150 Species

Posted by skwclar 21:34 Archived in USA