Bird Migration Update

Since my last migration update there has definitely been an uptick in the number of species seen around Brooklyn. The bad news is that strong East winds midweek seems to have put a sudden stop to any new movement and blown many birds out of the city.

Before meeting my group at Green-Wood Cemetery on Saturday morning I rode my bike into Prospect Park at around 5:30am. The nearly full moon and clear sky illuminated the dark paths in the Ravine. White cherry petals scattered on the pathways looked like constellations on the asphalt pavement. Robins and cardinals dominated the soundscape, but an Ovenbird blasted a resounding "TEAcher, TEAcher, TEAcher" from somewhere within the colorless, wooded hillside near the Ambergill. I met Heydi and Bob at the North end of the park at 6am and we spent the next 90 minutes together working our way South. We repeated this basic routine on Sunday, unfortunately Bob decided to sleep in. I say, "unfortunately", because on Sunday morning we had a couple of uncommon warblers drop into the park. They were Kentucky Warbler and Hooded Warbler. The hooded is not as uncommon as the kentucky as they breed North of New York City and are usually seen on migration. Kentucky Warblers, however, breed South of NYC and individuals seen here during migration are overshoots. I assume that, at some point, they turn back around and aren't usually seen during the Fall migration. Another overshoot seen this week was a Yellow-throated Warbler, which was spotted on Sunday and was seen around the edges of Breeze Hill until, at least, Tuesday.

Over the past week our species total for Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park was 92. The previous week it was 73. By early-May that total should be a bit higher and each specie's abundance should definitely be greater. Before getting too depressed, though, let's see what the weekend holds.

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Date Range: April 26, 2013 - April 30, 2013
Locations: Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park
Species: 92

Wood Duck
Ruddy Duck
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe
SAY'S PHOEBE
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Fish Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher

Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Common Yellowthroat
HOODED WARBLER
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler

Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch

Other common species seen (or heard):
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, House Sparrow