Birds of Central Park
Central Park is an urban park of 843 acres in Manhattan, New York, in the heart of the city that never sleeps. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux - their design won an open competition - and inaugurated in 1857. At that time New York was undergoing rapid growth and the park offered inhabitants a respite from the concrete jungle of the city. Today it continues to be a lovely breath of green among Manhattan's skyscrapers. Not only is Central Park the most visited urban park in the United States, it is also one of the most filmed locations in the world. It includes several lakes and ponds, fountains and streams, meadows and gardens, and of course thousands of trees.
While Central Park is widely admired for its visionary urban planning, what is less well known is the variety of the birds it attracts. Since its creation, over 280 bird species have been recorded here, of which about 200 are regular inhabitants or migrants and the rest are infrequent visitors. In particular, a 36-acre section of the park called The Ramble – with dense large trees - is a haven for birds. Olmstead had envisioned The Ramble as someplace where the visitor could get lost in “wild nature.”
Tempted by this, I decided to visit Central Park with my camera during a recent trip to New York. August is a slow month for birding here, but I hoped to at least see some “baromashi” species.
I entered the park early on a cool morning. Joggers ran on various roads and paths inside the park. As I walked towards The Ramble with the lake on my right, my eyes were on the bushes to my left which were illuminated by the rising sun. Presently I saw several red-breasted American robins, migratory birds of the thrush family. Perched on a berry bush was a brilliant red male cardinal (like many other bird species, the females are a duller colour.) A mourning dove was rapidly tip toeing under a giant oak tree, looking for food. The blue jays – pretty blue-and-white birds with a blue crest – stuck to the higher branches. A grackle, black and deep shiny blue, about half the size of our crows, sat on a tree nearby. The air was filled with the songs of many birds.
While the Ramble did not quite give me a feeling of wild nature as Olmstead had intended, I enjoyed walking here. I got “lost” in its meandering trails (to the extent that one can get lost in an urban park.) Finding a creek I sat down on a raised boulder overlooking it. Several smaller birds were chasing flying insects. These included catbirds and (I guess) some flycatchers. A sparrow stopped by for a drink of water.
I left after two hours, but returned twice on subsequent days. On one occasion my photographer friend Frank Dobbs accompanied me. Towards the end of our walk, we spotted a mammal family climbing from one tree to another. These turned out to be raccoons; later, we found two more peeping from their home in a tree-hole.
Like any other new place rich in birds, Central Park would take weeks or months – even years - to explore fully. However, the time I spent there was time well-spent. I look forward to my next opportunity to visit it.
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