Spring birding in New York (1 Viewer)

[lostinjapan]

Dear all

Not sure if it is OK to ask, but I am planning a trip to New York next spring for a week and I wondered what period in May is most likely to give me the best chance of spring warblers, vireos and tanagers in Central Park.

I was also wondering if there are any sites within easy travelling distance (say 1-2 hrs) from the city that offer a chance to see spring passerines in good numbers.

Yours hopefully

Sean Minns

 

[jogresh]

Shopping visit with the missus eh Sean, shoes n handbags n that, Starlight Express perhaps.

 

[lostinjapan]

Hey Mike

Mentioned it to you before...one week birding and another birding in morning, with sightseeing etc. in afternoon and evening.

Sean

 

[Jos Stratford]

Dear all

Not sure if it is OK to ask, but I am planning a trip to New York next spring for a week and I wondered what period in May is most likely to give me the best chance of spring warblers, vireos and tanagers in Central Park.

I was also wondering if there are any sites within easy travelling distance (say 1-2 hrs) from the city that offer a chance to see spring passerines in good numbers.

Yours hopefully

Sean Minns

First two weeks of May generally the best in Central Park, late April can be good I believe. Nearby locality is Jamaica Bay, can get to by subway - excelent for waterbirds, but the 'North and South Gardens' (which are not gardens!) are very good for passage passerines too.

 

[lostinjapan]

Thanks for that Jos. Reading through trip reports and blogs it seems the peak numbers are in the first two weeks of May as you suggest.

Now gotta start looking for flights and accomodation.

All very exciting.

Sean

 

[apbarr]

Make sure you read Trip Advisor reviews before booking accommodation, some of the hotels British Airways offered sounded really dodgy and not places I would have thought they should be offering to unsuspecting visitors. Anything near Central Park seems to be expensive.

 

[etudiant]

Hi Sean,

Welcome to New York!
This is a very birder friendly town and late April/ early May is very much the peak of the migration season.
You can get a good idea of what to expect in Central Park and several other NY hotspots here:
http://nycbirdreport.com/index.html
Your budget (and better half) will determine where to stay. The West side of the Park is a bit cheaper and closer to the Broadway theaters. It is also easier from there to get the A train subway which will take you directly (but not fast, it's a local in Brooklyn) to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and its excellent birding.
The NYC Audubon http://www.nycaudubon.org/home/ has spring birding excursions galore.
The Doodletown Road trip to the Bear Mountain Park is especially popular, as it covers nesting habitat for rarer warblers such as the Cerulean.

 

[lostinjapan]

Hi there

thanks to alex regarding hotels. This is going to be a family holiday so we have to be close to museums etc. as well as the park.

Thanks also to etudiante with the further information on hotels. The link to NYC Audobon site are also great. I'll definitely do one of the regular Wednesday morning walks with the group.

I have read Van Cortlandt Park has Pileated Woodpecker. I'd love to see this species and wondered how likely it is there, or elsewhere in NYC.

Last question. Can anyone recommend a CD or downloadable software ( to an I-phone) with American bird songs and calls?

Many thanks for everyones help so far.

Sean

 

[etudiant]

For Iphone downloads, try iBird Pro, reviewed here by Steve Ingraham :
http://cdnn.lightshedder.com/2010/0...one-revisited-still-the-best-and-even-better/

For hotels, had academic friends with 3 teenage kids who were happy with the Hotel Wales, Madison and 92nd St
http://www.hotelwalesnyc.com/?gclid=CJyKkp6Kv6UCFQJN4Aod4VqXYQ
Close to the CP 90th St entrance and also close to the Metropolitan and Guggenheim museums, among others.

Expect that the NYC Audubon crowd would be able to get you in touch with a Van Cortland Park expert who could help you connect with a Pileated. Pileateds are also found on the Doodletown Rd.

 

[Sleeper]

Hi
Just starting a little bit of info digging for NYC myself.

How about this for position?
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...0.018947&t=h&z=16&iwloc=000492ce0c83b2abcfa73

You are not only on central park doorstep but also the museum of natural history. A app for the museum is available as a guide around the place to.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Hey Sean, reasonable chance I'll be there more or less that time too for a few days, so if you see some scruffy bloke (excepting the tramps that sometimes linger on the park benches) that might be me :t:

 

[Edward]

Dear all

Not sure if it is OK to ask, but I am planning a trip to New York next spring for a week and I wondered what period in May is most likely to give me the best chance of spring warblers, vireos and tanagers in Central Park.

I was also wondering if there are any sites within easy travelling distance (say 1-2 hrs) from the city that offer a chance to see spring passerines in good numbers.

Yours hopefully

Sean Minns

Hi Sean

I wrote this report after my trip there in May 2006
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=61407
I was there from 15-22 May and was told that a week earlier would have been even better but I was very happy with what I saw.

E

 

[lostinjapan]

Thanks to Edward, Etudiant and Sleeper for further useful information on Birdsong apps, hotel information, their own experiences and map.

The birds in that trip report are what inspires me to go next May. I'll contact the NYC Audobon Society with a view to finding out more about Pileated Woodpecker in Van Cortlandt Park.

I might also visit Breezy Point as it seems the only place I can see Piping Plover.

If you are free and fancy company birding Jos I'm more than happy to meet up.

Cheers to all

Sean


Lastly

 

[lmans66]

First two weeks of May generally the best in Central Park, late April can be good I believe. Nearby locality is Jamaica Bay, can get to by subway - excelent for waterbirds, but the 'North and South Gardens' (which are not gardens!) are very good for passage passerines too.

When you mean North and South gardens...are you in Central Park or? ...Thanks, jim

 

[Jos Stratford]

When you mean North and South gardens...are you in Central Park or? ...Thanks, jim

Jamaica Bay, an area stretching north from the visitor centre is termed North and South gardens - I suppose once they were gardens, but are now fairly dense areas of thiicket, shrub and tree, good for migrants.

 

[lmans66]

Thanks, I have seen it as I walk in but always go to the water side. Haven't explored that area yet. I have though gone down near the parking lot and there is a little 'hide' there amongst a pond. You though are talking on the other side of the visitors center so I need to explore it. Thanks

 

[darth bangkok]

To get to Jamaica Bay I always prefer to take the R train to Queens and get off at Grand Avenue where I catch the Q53 express bus towards Rockaway. It lets you off right in front of the visitors center. Then you can go directly to which side you want to tackle first. You'll know the stop is coming up when you go over and bridge with water underneath. JFK and the subway can be seen on the left. The stop is the next stop, a mile or so down the road.

 

[pbst39]

Hey,

just wanted to reiterate that the doodletown and bear mountain area can be a great trip. with some patience and work I had great looks at passerines including hooded warbler in abundance and cerulean. There are also some great areas for Golden-winged warbler within a couple of hours north of the city and some very helpful local birders in my experience.

Back in the city, Prospect park can also be great for spring warblers. You shouldnt have any problem in central park as at the right time of year places like the ramble and strawberry fields attract a lot of birders who I found very friendly and willing to help out with the news and things like that. Although I didnt experience any problems I was advised not to spend too much time in the north of the park in the evening as it can get a bit sketchy apparently.

Pete

 

[scottBird]

Yes...so much great birding in NY! Kind of wish it was spring already but then we couldn't relish cardinals on the feeder in the snow or January on Montauk Point.