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Today I slept in and went down to Prospect Park around 8:30 AM where I promptly ran into Tom Stephenson who informed me that Rafael Campos had found a Kentucky Warbler in the Vale of Cashmere. We hurried down to the Vale just in time to see it fly across the grassy path leading out to Nellie’s lawn. Unfortunately, all we really saw was a small brown bird fly very fast across in front of us. There was no way to ID it. However after a few minutes of waiting it was spotted again, and I got one good look at it. I saw it for less than a second, and I didn’t get a photograph, but it’s distinctive enough that there really wasn’t any doubt. It looks a lot like the Common Yellowthroat except instead of a black mask it has a slightly more patterned brown mask. The Kentucky Warbler is a Southern bird that usually doesn’t get as far north as New York City, but every year a few birds overshoot their marks and end up in Central Park or Prospect Park or Forest Park and similar environs.

The only other regular bird left for me to find in the city is the Mourning Warbler. Of course you can always hope for something rare to show up, though that’s more likely in the wintertime.

Other than the Kentucky Warbler, Prospect Park was relatively quiet this morning, especially compared to the Bird Fest last weekend. I only saw five total species of Warbler and a few over 40 birds:

• Canada Goose
• Mute Swan
• Mallard
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Green Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Ring-billed Gull
• Rock Pigeon
• Mourning Dove
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Olive-sided Flycatcher
• Empidonax sp.
• Eastern Kingbird
• Warbling Vireo
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Barn Swallow
• Tufted Titmouse
• Carolina Wren
• House Wren
• Swainson’s Thrush
• Wood Thrush
• American Robin
• Gray Catbird
• Northern Mockingbird
• European Starling
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Parula
• Magnolia Warbler
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Blackpoll Warbler
• Kentucky Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Song Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Baltimore Oriole
• American Goldfinch
• House Sparrow

Also of note, I also saw my first Green Heron and my first Black-crowned Night-Heron this season. these aren’t especially uncommon birds. I just haven’t had a lot of time to go out into the parks this year.