Central Park in mid-September

Just a little behind with my postings!

I went to NYC for a conference in mid-September.  The conference hotel is in Times Square in the mid-40s and Central Park is about a 25-30 minute crowded uptown walk from there.  Arriving in the park it is then about another 25-30 minute walk to the Ramble.  Being an infrequent visitor to such a huge park, I always need to adjust my route to make sure I stay on the correct trajectory for the Ramble.  It's easy to get side-tracked when visiting such a fun and interesting place. 

This year the resident birds were abundant.  I saw a couple of other birders and a few photographers, but if migrant birds were present they made themselves scarce.  

      

American robins were plentiful including this wary drinker.

Northern cardinals were also abundant and still feeding young.

I hope this escapee cockatiel (?) was enjoying its freedom.  

Tailless common grackle

Dreadful photo of a northern waterthrush.  Other migrants included a female-type rose-breasted grosbeak and ruby-throated hummingbirds nectoring on jewelweed.

In broad daylight I saw several of these guys, about as large as good-size hamsters, scurrying around.

These cute youngsters attracted a large crowd on the bridge over their drainpipe burrow.  The sound of a roller-bladder over the bridge slats hustled them back into hiding. 

As always, a sign on the opposite side of the bridge!