Welcome to fall bird migration in NYC! The last couple of weeks have seen millions of birds pass through the area on their way south for the winter. You can check current migration conditions at BirdCast and use the dashboard to see real-time movement.
I've enjoyed getting out and finding many birds now that the summer heat seems to be over. Below are several of my favorites, as well as one surprise visitor.
American Redstart (female):
Female Redstarts are one of my favorite birds. I see a lot of them and they are very accommodating for photos.
It's nice to catch one upright (above), but I usually see them pointed downwards as they glean insects and larvae from the undersides of branches and leaves.
This is the surprise visitor...a Saltmarsh Sparrow:
This sparrow is a rare sighting around here and this one was apparently the first ever recorded for Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. It was first reported by a birding group on September 10th and I just happened to be in the cemetery that day and lucked out seeing it.
Saltmarsh Sparrows are considered a "Red Alert Tipping Point" species due to rapid decline in population. Partners in Flight rates the Saltmarsh Sparrow a 19 out of 20 on its Continental Concern Score, having lost 94% of its population.
According to Cornell's All About Birds, "Saltmarsh Sparrow is in very real danger of extinction within the next
few decades due to its small population size, declining trend, and the
reality of rising sea levels." This is because the birds breed in coastal wetlands and rising water levels destroy their nests and habitat.
A second Saltmarsh Sparrow showed up in Tribeca this last week, which was highly unusual. One of the fun aspects of migration season is sometimes seeing the most unexpected things.
More to come.
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