The Fall Migration in Prospect Park

It’s that time of year again. Fall is around the corner and the birds know it better than anyone. Prospect Park, boasting over 200 species of birds, is a smart spot to set up shop and ‘hunt’ for a view of a few beautiful birds. In particular, the park supports a diverse population of Warblers that are beginning their trip to Florida and the Caribbean.

As the birds make their move, the birders are already watching. Yesterday, neighbor Robert said he spotted a number of different species of Warbler including the Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and, the most prized spot of the day, the Yellow-throated Warbler (pictured above, described by the birders K. Toomey, B. O’Neill and Father S. Ferrari as “spectacular”). Robins, Nighthawks, Swallows, Orioles, Swifts and many more species of birds are regularly spotted in the park.

Blogs such as Peter’s Prospect Bird Sightings document what is being seen including yesterday’s finds. Outside of the park, City Birder is a blog about birds throughout Brooklyn and New York City run by Rob Jett, who was interviewed in March by DPC editor Mary Bakija.

To put the icing on the cake for the New York City birding community, several prominent Central Park birders were the subject of an excellent HBO documentary earlier this summer. It’s a fascinating and awesome movie for any one of us who has been fooled into believing that the urban environment is already dead (minus the stray cats of course).

Photo: Dominic Sherony