My honeymoon to NY over 4 days allowed me brief visits to Central Park, which is accessable easily to anyone staying in central manhattan. What a beautiful park and there were frequently other birders around at "The Ramble."
Presuming anyone visiting will obtain a street map, the best areas for access are indeed "The Ramble" off 5th Avenue (east side of park) or Central Park West (west side of park) at about 79th street, or the Reservoir at about 85th Street. It is not crucial exactly where you access as a series of entrances and paths lead to all locations, though it is easy to lose ones sense of direction as the paths are not grid-like, like the roads.
I never got as far as the Reservoir, but I gather there were a few Hooded Mergansers, as well as commoner species like American Coot. Much of the open water was frozen over on the smaller pools and lakes, and I only saw 30 mallards, and RB Gulls & Am Herring Gulls on open stretches.
Most people will entrance Central Park at its touristy southern end at 59th St (also called Central Park South) by Grand Army Plaza and by the Plaza Hotel where horse carriage rides are offered. From here to the "Ramble" it is about a 15 minute brisk walk, past the ice rink and eventually past Bethesda Fountain and terrace (at 72nd Street). From there you simply cross Bow (foot) Bridge to your left and take the path immediately to the right and meander around the criss-cross paths a few hundred yards.You should come across a feww feeders adjacent to the "Lake" then another main block of feeders sandwiched between a square of 4 paths at "The Ramble". Although there are a few areas good for birds at the southern entrance adjacent to 6th Avenue, I saw little of real quality until I hit the "Ramble".
There I saw the same birds each time....and some fed from the hand and most offered fantastic photographic opportunities. Red-Tailed Hawks offered views down to a few metres perched on low branches in The Ramble. Keep your eyes skyward too for raptors passing. And Pine Siskins apparently visit the feeders but I only saw one high up in a tree top.
So this is the small list :
Tufted Titmouse ( x approx 30-40)
White-Breasted Nuthatch ( x approx 8)
Purple Finch ( x 1 female)
House Finch ( x approx 8)
Fox Sparrow ( x 1)
White-Throated Sparrow ( x 50 plus)
House Sparrow ( x 300 plus)
Dark-Eyed (Slate) Junco ( x 20 plus)
Common Grackle ( x 5)
American Robin ( x 1)
Black-Capped Chickadee ( x 8 approx)
Downy Woodpecker ( x 3-4)
Red-Bellied Woodpecker ( x 6 approx)
Northern Cardinal ( x 20 approx)
Eurasian Starling ( x 20 approx)
American Goldfinch ( x 10 approx)
Pine Siskin ( x 1)
Hermit Thrush ( x 4)
Blue Jay ( x 20 approx)
Mallard ( x 40 approx)
Canada Goose ( x 1 )
Double-Crested Cormorant ( x 1)
Ring Billed Gull ( x 10 approx)
American Herring Gull ( x 5 approx)
Rock (Feral) Dove ( x 200 approx)
Bald Eagle ( x 1 )
Peregrine Falcon ( x 1 )
Red-Tailed Hawk ( x 4 plus)
Cooper's Hawk ( x 1)
Other birders had Northern Flicker, Red-Headed Woodpecker, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Brown Thrasher (grrrrr!!), Northern Mockingbird, Wood Thrush, Song Sparrow, Two-Barred Crossbill, Merlin, American Kestrel, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Wood Duck, Pied-Billed Grebe, Long-Eared Owl but mostly hard to find as individual birds I gather.
By my hotel Waldorf-Astoria on Park Avenue at 49th St, I looked out one morning from my 35th floor window, and saw a pair of raptors on top of a smaller skyscraper nearby. I have been informed subsequently these likely to be American Kestrel of Peregrine, I only had binos with me but I am sure it they were not either. Infact I would swear they were merlin but they obviously do not favour such habitat. The larger bird was all dark-brown backed and pale underneath, but could not say whether it was streaked or barred at such distance, but it did not have distinctive facial markings. Smaller male was bluish above and faintly orange below. So could also be immature female Cooper's/ Sharp-Shinned plus adult male. You lose scale when amongst the enormity of NY's buildings! Bugger!
Only other birds seen of note were at Staten Island where we took the obligatory free return ferry ride past the State of Liberty. I spent 20 minutes at Staten island, walking right out of the ferry terminal a few hundred yards before taking the return ferry 30 minutes later. Along the shoreline the following were seen :
Bufflehead ( x 4)
American Wigeon ( x 4)
Gadwall ( x 2)
Mallard ( x2)
Common Merganser ( x 6)
Greater Scaup ( x 1)
Brent Goose (Pale-bellied ) ( x 4)
Canada Goose ( x 40)
Double-Crested Cormorant ( x 4)
Ring-Billed Gull ( x 400)
American Herring Gull ( x 100)
Great Black Backed Gull ( x 10)
Song Sparrow ( x 2)
Starling ( x 10)
So nothing great, and there are so many good areas to bird around NY if you have more time, such as Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge acceassble via subway. A Snowy Owl was at Long Island but I could not get there. Check out NYC rare birds websites in advance, as there is good stuff around.
This brief report is just for those visiting and having short spells to bird in toursity areas. Hope it helps a bit!
Thanks. I love Central Park birding myself; they get some real rarities there, as well. (Western Tanager, Boreal Owl for example). And You're right, it does provide some great photo-ops. I'm about 90 minutes away, and when I get to the city, I try to fit some time in to bird (and people watch) there. Hope you enjoyed your honeymoon.
Thanks Bill, we had a great time and loved The Big Apple. Trying to convince her a return visit in May would be good !