Birding BPC

With winter breathing its last icy breath, the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy hosted a winter bird walk program on March 6 to help residents learn more about birding for the spring migration season. 

“Our human interactions with nature are fascinating,” said Bob Schneck, a Battery Park City resident. “This is only my second bird walk. Hopefully I’ll keep figuring out how nature fits with our city." His first birding expedition, as the pros call it, was last fall. Colder temperatures and cloudy skies kept away the children and families that attended yesterday’s program.

His friend, Cora Fung, was also on her second bird walk. “I’m still learning just how to use the binoculars,” she said, “but the birds are worth the practice.”

Very few birds showed their feathers but the kids honed their binocular skills on Jersey City, the Statue of Liberty and the windows of neighboring apartment buildings. Shouts of “look, there’s one” and “what’s that” started as the group reached Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park. A cormorant, a brant goose and three types of gulls were hanging out between the park and Pier A.

“There will be more birds in a few weeks,” said Karlo Mirth, a 15 year birder and leader of the program. “Once they start migrating north we’ll have all kinds of species to see,” he said. The first two weeks of May are usually the best time for birding in New York City because the city is in the middle of their migration routes.

The birds fly up the Atlantic Coast and use the Hudson and East Rivers to help guide them inland. They fly at night so they don’t see the city landscape below. When the sun rises, they want to rest and eat so they fly straight for the closest park, often Central Park or areas of Battery Park City.

Mirth does a couple of birding events with the BPC Parks Conservancy each year. He loves seeing the inspired, intrigued and enthralled faces of the birders as they see some beautiful movement or plumage.

“Fifteen years ago I saw this gorgeous little warbler and I just had to find out what it was,” he said while holding a bird identification book. “I looked it up in this same book and now I’ve probably turned to each page hundreds of times.”

The New York City Audubon Society lists over 2,000 bird species that can be seen throughout the year in New York City. Any park or green space will have birds to see but the best place to visit is the Jamaica Bay. It is home to one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the northeast.

Battery Park City Parks Conservancy has more bird walks planned for April and May. Though only a few water birds were out on Saturday, the spring migration season will bring many new characters to the stage set by Battery Park City’s parks and the Hudson River. For more information on future events call the Parks Conservancy at 212-267-9700.