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 to be like 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 choose a great place for a metropolis. Location, location, location – we’ve got mentioned it earlier than.
Would birds really feel the identical manner because the enterprise traveller in his aluminium tube with wings? Nearly actually not, as a result of birds head for Central Park, not the airport. So, sneaking away from Local weather Week I spent just a few hours searching for feathered migrants within the park.
Vibrant-eyed and bushy-tailed rats (also referred to as squirrels) welcomed me to The Pond and Hallett Sanctuary on the morning time. 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 least some floaters was not too dangerous. 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 stay longer than just a few years this will effectively have been my earlier acquaintance’s son or grandson (be aware: gender decided by dimension and presence of testis). It’s good to see a well-known 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 pal Phil, and I obtained some actually good details about the 2 greatest parks within the metropolis. Each Prospect Park and Central Park are nice in autumn. Migration might be something however most typical warblers are the American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Frequent Yellowthroat, and Black-throated Blue Warbler. With visitor appearances by Pink-eyed Vireo, Wooden and Swainson’s Thrush. The NYC Chook Alliance web site has a list of birding hotspots all around the metropolis, together with Central Park. The park gained’t be exhausting to entry whilst you’re in Manhattan. You’ll be able to 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 instructed to check out “a good 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 a substitute. Name me a wimp, name me European, however even I’ve boundaries.
The day was nonetheless younger, so I explored just a few 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 might pull it off – the Lycra look – others had been much less profitable. Then there was a man in inexperienced camouflage dishevelled trousers, carrying suspenders and binoculars… I simply wish to say, who am I to evaluate? It took me some time to determine the distribution map of the numerous humanity and avifauna. Fundamental 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 would like this achieved 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 discovered 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 chicken. 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 submit. 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 chicken among the many American Robins. Earlier than I might 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 obtained up and crawled/ran up the slope. I appeared 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 bathroom 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 chicken 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 avoid wasting the planet from impending doom. It had been tough birding however persistence had paid off.
Subsequent time I ought to most likely search for Birding Bob. Birding Bob (and associates) leads chicken walks in Central Park… the identify alone makes me assume this man is a personality. He organises often scheduled walks for $10 USD which might be listed on the calendar on his web site. He has been criticised up to now for enjoying chicken calls which has put some birds in hurt’s manner. 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 a superb popularity for understanding the hotspots and species. And he has been endorsed by the New York Occasions nonetheless! There are previous US leaders that didn’t obtain that honour.
Outdoors Manhattan, in Brooklyn, there’s Prospect Park. Taking all the pieces manner too severe as solely correct New Yorkers do, they even have an Audubon chapter. You will have to cross the river to get to the park. From Manhattan, one can trip the B, F or G subway line to Prospect Park or simply take a taxi or trip share. Google maps is fairly good with subway line instructions and occasions.
A fast test on eBird instructed me there have been far 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!