From David Kaufman, Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon:
BRSS Audubon May 6th Central Park Bird Walk: 7:30 AM
Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Central Park West and 77nd Street at the Humbolt Bust statue across from Museum of Natural History. We will be entering the park through the nearby “Naturalists Gate”. We’ll be looking for spring migrants including warblers, vireos, and grosbeaks. To arrange car pooling from Westchester, please contact Doug Bloom, the fieldtrip coordinator: [larchowl@aol.com, 914-834-5203 (evenings)]
Spring Warbler Migration
May is the best time for seeing some of North America’s most beautiful birds, the warblers. At this time of year, these tiny, brightly colored, insect-eating birds begin to return to their North American breeding grounds from Central and South America where they spend the winter. Their journeys may involve non-stop flights covering more than a thousand miles at a time, so when they finally touch down they have expended much of their energy and must feed constantly to refuel. Warblers fly in flocks—sometimes called “waves”—of several species, and their arrival creates a spectacle of brilliant colors. In addition, many male warblers sing high-pitched songs during migration, making them even more conspicuous. So grab your binoculars and your Stokes Field Guide to Birds and go out and enjoy the show!
On a particularly successful day, when a good “warbler wave” has arrived, if you are lucky and in the right place, you can see over 15 different kinds of warblers. Flamboyantly colored in their breeding plumage, many are often easy to identify.
Where to See Warblers
Look for warblers in isolated areas of trees, especially in green spaces within cities or at the northern edge of large bodies of water. Such places attract warblers like an oasis in a vast desert, since budding trees harbor swarms of insects, which they eat.
David M. Kaufman
BRSS Audubon