I and the Bird, Trips

Prothonotary Warbler in Central Park

April 26, 2008 by Mike 15 Comments

Corey and I visited Central Park this morning for some early spring birding. At this point in the season, a good day might be 8 species of warbler, rather than 20. We topped 8 just barely, but made up in quality what we lacked in quantity. The undisputed star of the show was a bird more yellow than a Yellow Warbler, more golden than a Golden-cheeked Warbler. The plumage of this warbler is so supernally luminous that conjures to mind the mantellettas of certain high-ranking Roman Catholic prelates. That’s right, I’m talking about the Prothonotary Warbler, a rare sighting in NYC:

Prothonotary Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

This confiding charmer must have liked me as much as I liked him because we ran into each other not once, but twice throughout the morning. Other highlights of a most pleasant morning included Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, 7 sparrow species, copulating Snapping Turtles, and a family of adorable Eastern Screech Owls, all in Central Park!

Eastern Screech Owl Adult and Chick

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.