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Thrushes in Manhattan

I felt a bit moody in the middle of May in Manhattan. In the pre-dawn light where our small birder group gathered, the thickets were becoming less dim and a feeling of anticipation was beginning to fill the air around us. I was in a bird-a-thon, a fundraiser where I had to do more than just identify as many birds as I could, but I was voted the one in charge of our group which meant I had to listen and find the more stellar variety of species.

I planned for this fundraiser for over a year, making reservations at a Luxury Manhattan Hotel, doing research of Central Park so I’d know every nook and nanny, and studying all posted birder sightings in the park. No wonder, I was picked to lead this particular group, no one else bothered to do as much work as I did. Well, I am somewhat of a birder freak as my husband likes to call me. I just think I’m obsessive. Nothing wrong with that as far as I’m concerned.

I could already hear plenty of bird calls from where we already were, indicating there was a good migration during the night before. We entered the woods and began seeing birds right away. Tons of them. The ground was literally covered with Thrushes . We hit the bird jackpot. There were even plenty of warblers, a few orioles about, sparrows naturally, but it was the sheer amount of Thrushes which left us speechless. Or more like wowed.

We were still finding great birds when it was time for us to leave at 9am, and as we were heading out that’s when the real magic began. The birds began to sing. It was the Wood Thrush’s tuning up, then a Veery piped in and then a Hermit and a Swainson. Goosebumps appeared on my arms when I finally heard the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Unbelievable, was that a Bicknell Thrush was right next to it singing it’s like heart out. We didn’t want it to end, but we all managed to leave the park and head back to the fundraiser to see if we recorded enough birds which will help bring in the money necessary to keep a community center open for one more year.

Related posts:

1. Resourceful Birds of Thailand
2. Endemics of Cape Town
3. Outdoor Activities in Singapore
4. Birds of South Africa
5. Surprise in Manhattan

Tags: Central Park, luxury hotels, Manhattan, Thrushes

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