One Spring morning at NYC’s Central Park

Author: Ravi Kailas

Having missed several opportunities to get the best of Spring migration birding when I lived in the US in the early 2000s, I was very keen to experience at least one hotspot, when I visited in April this year. Sadly, I could only dedicate a couple of hours one early April morning at NYC’s lovely Central Park (a reputed hotspot for song birds during migration) in Manhattan.

Information online suggested that the Ramble – essentially natural woodland, replete with streams and all, in the hilly centre of the park, is the prime spot for song birds within the park. So one cool (coldish) April (the 6th to be precise) morning we entered close the the northwest of the park (the place to enter the park to access the Ramble as directed by Google Maps, while coming from the Financial District – so please take this with a pinch of salt). As soon as we entered the park, around 7 AM, even the much visited open areas of the park was filled with bird sound and we knocked off species like Dark-eyed Junco, European Starling, Blue Jay, Palm Warbler, Common Grackle and White-throated and House Sparrows with relative ease (while weaving through Cherry Blossoms, myriad flowering bushes, joggers, walkers, amblers, ramblers, pets taking their hosts for a walk …). Tracing our way Southeast, we stumbled onto the Ramble, and it’s narrow wooded paths. The woodland thickets were filled with bird sound, and us with anticipation as we ticked off Hermit Thrush (?), Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Double-crested Cormorant in addition to those recorded earlier. We came across a couple of birders who egged us on to look for a resident Long-eared Owl and a zoo escaped Great-horned Owl – but we did not have time for either. Oh there were Grey Squirrels aplenty as well, and a Northern Racoon from a very brief visit to the premises the previous evening – admittedly neither are birds, I think I can safely say with controversy. An enjoyable couple of hours of birding for sure, but alas, too early to catch the best of songbird Spring migration, as it turned out. What a treasure Central Park is though, for nature loving visitors to this among the most engrossing of world cities!