There’s hardly a extra magnificent spectacle than flying into LaGuardia Airport at evening. Coming in for the touchdown over the East River one appears left to a cityscape of epic proportions, lit up like a fairytale mountain vary. I’m solely saying, the Dutch know find out how to decide a great place for a metropolis. Location, location, location – we’ve got mentioned it earlier than.
Would birds really feel the identical method because the enterprise traveller in his aluminium tube with wings? Virtually actually not, as a result of birds head for Central Park, not the airport. So, sneaking away from Local weather Week I spent a number of hours searching for feathered migrants within the park.
Shiny-eyed and bushy-tailed rats (also referred to as squirrels) welcomed me to The Pond and Hallett Sanctuary on the first light. Exercise was surprisingly low – I actually had had excessive expectations – however I needed to accept Frequent Yellowthroat, White-throated Sparrow, Home Sparrow, American Robin, Gray Catbird (with an atrocious {photograph} to show it – this have to be a low level even for me), Frequent Starling, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove with Mallard and Canada Goose on the pond. The larger Central Park Lake didn’t have waterfowl in any respect, so getting at the very least some floaters was not too unhealthy. A bright-eyed and naked-tailed rat (also referred to as rat) greeted me close to the sanctuary – at precisely the identical spot I noticed a rat in 2017. Since rats don’t reside longer than a number of years this may increasingly properly have been my earlier acquaintance’s son or grandson (observe: gender decided by measurement and presence of testis). It’s good to see a well-recognized face in an odd metropolis!
Nonetheless, I felt a tinge of disappointment. My intel had been so good. Birding buddy Laura had reached out to her New Yorker buddy Phil, and I acquired some actually good details about the 2 greatest parks within the metropolis. Each Prospect Park and Central Park are nice in autumn. Migration could possibly be something however most typical warblers are the American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Frequent Yellowthroat, and Black-throated Blue Warbler. With visitor appearances by Purple-eyed Vireo, Wooden and Swainson’s Thrush. The NYC Hen Alliance web site has a list of birding hotspots all around the metropolis, together with Central Park. The park received’t be exhausting to entry when you’re in Manhattan. You possibly can seize a practice uptown fairly simply, and Columbus Circle is likely one of the greater stations within the metropolis and steps away from the park. I used to be additionally advised to check out “an honest sizzling canine stand” with Sabrett sizzling canine apparently being “iconic and the GOAT of the recent canine world”. The sight of minced meat in a pores and skin, in a bun, lined by mustard, at daybreak, turned my abdomen – so I had an almond croissant and a espresso as an alternative. Name me a wimp, name me European, however even I’ve boundaries.
The day was nonetheless younger, so I explored a number of extra locations within the southern a part of the park. Joggers and canine walkers had been omnipresent at any time when I’d get near the primary thoroughfares within the park. Some joggers may pull it off – the Lycra look – others had been much less profitable. Then there was a man in inexperienced camouflage saggy trousers, carrying suspenders and binoculars… I simply need to say, who am I to evaluate? It took me some time to determine the distribution map of the various humanity and avifauna. Most important roads: a mob of joggers and other people screaming of their telephones (held in entrance of their faces like a jam-covered scone). “I’m telling you NOW. I need this completed TODAY. No EXCUSES. TODAY. NOW.” The actually quiet spots: hammocks with homeless folks. The in-between spots: birds. Northern Cardinals had been in all places however exhausting to see till I found out that they had been hiding from the squirrels, rats and New Yorkers – beneath overhanging leaves.
I noticed my first lifer of the day, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, which is a really good-looking fowl. The {photograph} was taken by Charles J. Sharp and downloaded from Wikimedia Commons. It’s so fairly I ought to have headlined the picture to get you to learn this publish. Too late now.
One other lifer: Brown Thrasher on my approach to Strawberry Area. Extra a pilgrimage than birding I used to be buzzing Working Class Hero however then: a thrush-like fowl among the many American Robins. Earlier than I may get my binoculars to my eyes some Lycra-clad [expletive deleted] ran as much as me, jumped over the low fence and fell flat on his face within the mulch. Thrush gone. The jogger acquired up and crawled/ran up the slope. I seemed forward to see what had frightened him to the purpose he had ignored all signage and customary sense. The hardworking New York park folks had been cleansing the trail forward – nothing particular – with a watery resolution that smelled distinctly like recycled rest room water. Ah… I walked again and took the trail as much as keep away from being sprayed with subway juice. Rigorously scanning the bushes, I used to be fortunate: there it was, a Gray-headed Thrush. Identical fowl or one other one, did I care? No, this was lifer quantity three for the day. At this excessive, I returned to Local weather Week to save lots of the planet from impending doom. It had been tough birding however persistence had paid off.
Subsequent time I ought to in all probability search for Birding Bob. Birding Bob (and buddies) leads fowl walks in Central Park… the title alone makes me suppose this man is a personality. He organises repeatedly scheduled walks for $10 USD which are listed on the calendar on his web site. He has been criticised up to now for taking part in fowl calls which has put some birds in hurt’s method. There was a Gadwall Incident… Not in the identical league because the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact or the Sykes-Picot Treaty, however nonetheless. Bob appears to in any other case have an excellent status for figuring out the hotspots and species. And he has been endorsed by the New York Instances nonetheless! There are previous US leaders that didn’t obtain that honour.
Outdoors Manhattan, in Brooklyn, there’s Prospect Park. Taking every thing method too severe as solely correct New Yorkers do, they even have an Audubon chapter. You’ll need to cross the river to get to the park. From Manhattan, one can journey the B, F or G subway line to Prospect Park or simply take a taxi or journey share. Google maps is fairly good with subway line instructions and instances.
A fast examine on eBird advised me there have been way more warblers since my go to so I could have been too early. Local weather change maybe? Someone ought to do one thing about that!
