My 201st bird for Central Park was a Lark Sparrow today. It had been found yesterday afternoon, and was seen again this morning. It was then refound by Kellie Quinones in the afternoon. Rare on the east coast, and especially rare for Central Park, it was a fantastic bird to see as it ate grass seeds by a soccer goal. It was hanging out with two Dark-eyed Juncos. The fun was interrupted by an American Kestrel on the hunt. Luckily, none of the birds we were watching became a meal.
On Saturday, a very cooperative Tennessee Warbler was easily photographed in the Wildflower Meadow in the North End of Central Park. What a stunning warbler! (The video is at half speed to make it easier to watch the warbler.)
A Grasshopper Sparrow was at the Oven in Central Park’s Ramble today. It is a bird normally found in grasslands, and rarely seen in the park. It either gave birders great looks or was very difficult to see. I was lucky to get some great views of the bird.
I’m finally catching up with processing images I took last weekend. Here is a Clay-colored Sparrow south of the Great Hill in Central Park.
Madison Square Park had a Sora this afternoon. Lots of rare birds are showing up in small city parks this week!
A Virginia Rail was found by Roy Tsao on Saturday in Abington Square Park at 12th Street and Eighth Avenue in New York City. It alternated between being totally hidden to roaming the park looking for worms. In the video, you see two earthworms being consumed. This is a rare bird for Manhattan and to have it in a very small pocket park was highly unusual. These little parks continue to amaze us with what they can attract during migration.
