Connecting with the Birds
Written by Jonathan Birchall
During this year’s Earth Day service, I was among the members of the Congregation who shared something that they loved about the earth. For me it was the Spring Migration—the annual movement of millions of wild birds heading north across the United States after wisely wintering in the Caribbean and Central America.
For birders like me in Manhattan, the most dramatic part of this most remarkable phenomenon is the annual flood of tiny, mostly brightly-colored warblers that start appearing again from April onwards in parks and green spaces---including Central Park.
Finding these birds is a delight. And going to find them becomes the equivalent perhaps of walking the dog, but without having a dog to worry about: it takes you into green space, standing or sitting still or walking in a state of contemplative attention.
So, if you are interested, here are some helpful tips on getting engaged:
When? Spring migration runs from late April through May; then in the Fall, starting in late September, all these birds come back again, as they head back south to winter in the Caribbean. There are more than a dozen types of warbler that move across our area over these two season. Fanatical bird watchers start with the sunrise—but really that’s only for the zealots. Warblers are around all day in peak season.
Where? Warblers eat insects and like bushes and trees by water. My favorite warbler hot spot is The Pool and Loch, accessible from the W 103rd St entrance to Central Park, across the street from the C/D subway. The Pool is a man-made small lake, which feeds a small stream that runs towards the Harlem Meer--these areas can all be viewed from the surfaced path.
How? You don’t need super powerful binoculars or tripods or cameras, although you will see plenty of those. With the naked eye you will see some colorful birds flitting about or hopping around on the mud; a small pair of binoculars (8×10) will let you see the splendid detail of birds like the Blackburnian Warbler, or the Common Yellowthroat Warbler, which doesn’t look at all common. And maybe you’ll see the fabulous Scarlett Tanager, which makes the Northern Cardinal look dull.
Resources:
Birdwatchers have benefitted hugely from the development of the internet. I am a huge fan of the following sites in particular:
CornellLab’s Merlin ID App—a free downloadable app guide to identifying birds—including by song! It’s like Shazam for birds. You turn it on, it listens and tells you what you’re hearing. A great way of knowing what’s out there if you can hear something but can’t see it.
AllAboutBirds.org—run by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, this site has detailed info, pictures, and recordings of the songs of any bird you are likely to encounter, plus helpful comparison info on the differences between similar species.
Birdcast.info—a site that “showcases the spectacle of bird migration” by providing live monitoring of the nightly movement of millions of birds across the U.S., using data provided by radar and by NASA weather satellites. You can get a report on how many birds are crossing New York County at the time of checking, and watch remarkable graphic representations of the flow across the U.S. over a night. Mind blowing.
eBird.org—this site is one of the world’s largest biodiversity and conservation science projects. Birders around the world log records of the birds we see and when and where we saw them, with over 100 million sightings reported by users annually.
Twitter/X—the social media site is still great for bird watchers. Users such as @BirdBrklyn @BirdBronx and @BirdCentralPark will answer your questions, and share great photography and videos by birders across the boroughs.
Some people get obsessed by numbers and lists and seeing “lifers” – a bird they’ve never seen before. Some people get extremely interested in the photography. I get excited when I see something new or exciting too. But for me, it’s the calm contemplation of a wonder of the world—probably the closest I come to regular meditation.
If anyone is interested, I’d be delighted to lead a trip by subway to Central Park—to either the Pool/Loch, or the Ramble by West 81st Street, after worship service one of these summer Sundays. Just reach out to me directly and we can make a plan
