Hi All,
Here is Birding Bobs Central Park Report for 11/05/07
Subject: Birding Bob Newsletter for the week of 11/05/07
> CP Birds 11/04/07
>
> It was another amazing day—once more, a dramatic change in weather
> conditions from one day to the next, this time featuring a low-flying
> Cooper's hawk soaring directly over the dock and Turtle Pond to start
> the morning, but the Bird of the Day must surely be the hummingbird we
> ended with at the Oven several hours later.
>
> The walk about itself began, naturally, with a Total Dearth of Flying
> Things immediately upon leaving the dock—I took the opportunity to
> remind folks this /was, /after all a Prof Bob Birdwalk—but then a
> Northern flicker drew attention to itself in the Locust Grove and after
> a few others we discovered ourselves surrounded in the Pinetum. There
> sapsuckers began the entertainment, but focus quickly shifted to a
> Golden-crowned kinglet and then a Confusing Fall warbler that will no
> doubt remain forever undefinitively diagnosed, but which I decided (by a
> sort of acclamation) was most likely a pale Yellow rumped warbler, even
> if every time it showed its back it made sure to keep its wings folded
> neatly over the eponymous spot. A hawk swooped by occasioning more
> controversy. As I saw it sweep down and land in a distant tree my first
> thought was 'Red-tail' but catching sight of parts of it in the tree I
> saw the upper parts of a striped tail and a small patch of the lower
> abdomen which bore horizontal rufous striping like a Cooper's hawk.
> Despite Sandra's valiant efforts no clear or good view was ever obtained.
>
> The Reservoir featured Ruddy ducks and not much else and we turned down
> towards Sparrow Rock—totally barren—and then through Shakespeare Garden,
> over the Castle and into the Ramble. Findings were modest, though
> everywhere we went we found Hermit thrushes and heard White-breasted
> nuthatches (though they weren't letting themselves be seen very
> readily). We did, however, find the Very First Blossoms of Winter
> jasmine on the arch of the bridge on the West Side Drive near Tanner
> Spring. The Maintenance Field, despite some House and Goldfinches kept
> us solidly in the category of finding nothing but a trip around Azalea
> Pond caught up with Red-breasted nuthatch and Brown creeper. A tour
> around the Feeders gave more nuthatches and the predictable chickadees,
> Downy woodpecker and titmice.
>
> As we headed toward the Oven we were warned that Purple finch had been
> at the feeders just beyond just the moment before, but they were there
> now. We headed back to the Oven, found a couple of Purple Finch and then
> my eye was caught by a very tiny /something/ that sat ever so briefly on
> a bare branch just beyond the branches of the willow. Before I could
> properly register it—I found myself saying something like, 'No, it
> couldn't be, what else could it /be/?'—someone was calling out that
> there was a hummingbird* on a branch just to the left of where I'd first
> seen it. Lo and behold, it came back briefly to spot #1, then headed off
> forever, though not, of course, without having first given a fine end
> point to the day.
>
> * I will leave to others the business of diagnosing this bird. It was
> /not/ an adult male Ruby-throated or Rufous hummingbird. It had no
> discernible markings on the throat, the breast and belly were clear and
> light colored, the back appeared greenish and evenly textured, the tail
> when flashed had dark marks along its edges and pointed tail feathers.
> From what I understand Selasphorous hummingbirds are the most common
> vagrants in this area at this time and of those Rufous the most likely,
> immatures being in turn the most likely age group.
>
> *NB: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS*
>
> #1 The redoubtable *Emily Storrs* will again grace the stage of the
> Amato Opera House at 7:30PM on Friday, November 16^th , singing the role
> of Santuzza in Mascagni's /Cavalleria Rusticana/. As is traditional, the
> opera is paired with /Pagliacci/ (although Emilie's not in that one).
> Anyone interested in tickets/more info can go to http://www.amato.org/.
>
> #2 For good or for bad, or probably for both, I'll be in Central Park on
> *THANKSGIVING DAY* pretending once more to fill the shoes of Prof Bob
> DeCandido, this time on the special occasion of the Umpteenth Annual
> Holiday Birding Walk Extravaganza. In honor of the day I'll be awarding
> the GREAT PISHER certificate to the individual deemed by acclaim the
> most worthy (or as the case may be most unfortunate) who will in any
> case thereby be memorialized in perpetuity. Should the Professor himself
> make appearance, by the way, he will be ineligible for the award, though
> all and sundry can of course feel free to mock /ad libidum/.
>
> #3 We'll be meeting at the *BOATHOUSE* from now on. See below for
> directions. Look for us inside where it's warm, huddled over coffee, or
> at least munching on a bialy.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
>
> Good–Here are the details of the bird walks for this week:
>
> 1. *Friday, November 9^th :* 9:00AM—FREE! Central Park—Meet at The
> BOATHOUSE at 9AM. Our friends Howard and Anita Stillman, possibly with a
> guest appearance by Richard Lieberman, lead the free Friday Bird Walk.
>
> 2.* Sunday, November 11^th *: 9:00AM—$5. Central Park—Meet at The
> BOATHOUSE at 9AM. Randy Schutz will be leading this bird walk.
>
> 3. *SPECIAL EVENT*, Thursday, November 22^nd : *THANKSGIVING DAY*,
> 9AM*—$5. Umpteenth Annual BirdingBob Thanksgiving Day Extravaganza, with
> a PRIZE for the day's GREAT PISHER—Meet at the BOATHOUSE at 9AM.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
>
> /The fine print: /
>
> 1. *Fridays—*9:00AM—FREE! Central Park—Meet at the BOATHOUSE at 9AM. Our
> friends Howard and Anita Stillman, possibly with a guest appearance by
> Richard Lieberman, lead the free Friday Bird Walk. Info: Howard Stillman
> <>. The Boathouse is located at approximately 73rd
> street on the East Drive...at the southeast corner of the lake.
>
> 2. *Sundays—*9:00AM—$5. Central Park—Meet at the BOATHOUSE at 9AM. Randy
> Schutz will be leading this bird walk. Info: Randolph Schutz
> <>.
>
> The Friday and Sunday Bird Walks meet at the Boathouse. The Boathouse is
> located at the southeast corner of the Lake—if you walk EAST from
> Bethesda Terrace you will find it. Bathrooms are located inside and
> outside the Boathouse. We also end our weekend Central Park walks at the
> Boathouse at about noon where there are coffee, muffins and other
> goodies available from about 8AM until 6PM. Most bird walks last about
> two hours in autumn, but feel free to leave at anytime, we won't take it
> personally. If you want to contact the leaders of the bird walks for
> more information or better directions to the start of the bird walk,
> they are cc'd above.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
>
>
> *The List [32]
>
> *Mallard
> Ruddy duck
> Red-tailed hawk
> Cooper's Hawk
> Rock pigeon
> Mourning dove
> Red-bellied woodpecker
> Norther flicker
> Downy woodpecker
> Yellow-bellied sapsucker
> HUMMINGBIRD spp
> Blue jay
> Common grackle
> Black-capped chickadee
> Tufted titmouse
> Red-breasted nuthatch
> White-breasted nuthatch
> Hermit thrush
> American robin
> European starling
> Brown creeper
> Ruby-crowned kinglet
> Golden-crowned kinglet
> Yellow-rumped warbler
> Purple finch
> House finch
> Goldfinch
> Song sparrow
> White-throated sparrow
> Dark-eyed Junco
> Northern cardinal
> House sparrow
>
> *Others*
>
> Monkshood
>
> Hyacinth spp, in the Locust Grove
> Winter jasmine in first flower
> *
> *
>
>
>
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