McGolrick Bird Club Issue 005
While spring isn’t technically over until late June, the bulk of this season’s migrating birds seem to have come and gone from McGolrick Park.
But fear not, nascent bird lovers! Change is the rhythm of life, and while the buzzing songs of warblers may disappear, others, like the staticy alien twitters of NYC’s warm weather-loving Chimney Swift, will practically soundtrack the park’s sweaty days to come.
Spring at McGolrick Park, A Recap
Skipping the obvious, deserved celebration of all you high-stoke good-vibe Saturday bird walkers — let’s do a quick recapping of McGolrick Park’s key spring bird stats.
The total number of bird species seen/logged in McGolrick Park is up 6, from 91 to 97! The first seen* in McGolrick Park — or at least first logged on eBird since 2014 — birds are:
Photos not taken in McGolrick
Starting top-left:
Warbling Vireo; 13 May 2023 (during Jess and Monise’s walk!)
Prairie Warbler; 11 May 2023
Summer Tanager; 8 May 2023
Blackburnian Warbler; 7 May 2023
Savannah Sparrow; 14 Apr 2023
Red-winged Blackbird; 11 Apr 2023
Starting from our inaugural bird walk on Earth Day, 68 bird species have been seen in McGolrick Park!
If you want to know what all was seen/logged, check the eBird bar charts for March/April/May here.
*This of course ignores any badass McGolrickers who did in fact see these birds whenever back when, wrote it on a piece of paper, then never logged it/told anyone. If this describes you, whether or not you’re still living the off-grid birdwatching existence of our dreams: you are cool, stay punk.
May 27th Bird Walk
Last week’s walk saw record-breaking human numbers! And only slightly fewer bird species (thanks Lauren for logging.)
Cedar Waxwing
Highlights include:
2 improbably beautiful Cedar Waxwings (check the Juneberry bush near the playground’s north end — they dig on berries)
3 Lingering warblers: an Ovenbird (named for their nest shapes, we learned), a female American Redstart, and a Black-and-white
The continuing, nesting Downy Woodpecker pair
Note: we’re going to slow down on these newsletters this summer, probably to an every-other-week cadence, but talk soon!
See you on Saturday at 9 AM, at the park’s Russell/Driggs entrance.
That’s it for this week!
Let’s get zen and be punk and go birding together—and see what other birds show up!
