All That and a Bag of Chips!

     I woke up yesterday exhausted. I drank a cup of coffee (which I do every day, but not for caffeine, but because I like the ritual and flavor), still exhausted. 12pm, still yawning uncontrollably. By 2:30 a migraine is in the midst. 4:30pm, time to leave, have been wearing sunglasses indoors the last hour because my eyes hurt from any light. I accomplish a decent amount for the day despite this hurdle, but have zero energy to ride my bike. I nearly fall asleep with it on the train. End up on the couch with a look to me that even worried Tim. Wake up today-- rainbows and sunshine!
     I officially feel old- a week of me getting home late each night (not late-late, more like 9pm late) -- due to pretty nerdy things like training for bird monitoring at tribute in light this coming 9/11 (actually my shift is 9/12 from 2-4am!), training for a study I am assisting in with my bicycle commutes, and a minor league baseball game to see Noah Syndergaard and his beautiful self pitch a few innings. But I suppose all that adds up and by Friday I was pretty beat.
     I was happy to feel good today because it was birdy out there and I have a bike ride tomorrow with my sister! I got some pretty decent looks at some birds this morning and it made me feel better about my last couple of "meh" days of birding. I was excited because there was much chipping type going on. In fall, warblers don't sing like they do in spring migration. Chip calls are used as warning calls but also as contact calls during migration, to let everyone who is moving along together stay together and in contact. I used my ears to guide me in Green-Wood today, following every little "chip" I heard and following with my eyes for activity.

I had a good feeling traveling to Green-Wood today, I read a tweet from The City Birder about how the trees near the Civil War Monument were "dripping with birds," talk about tantalizing!
I walked in and within 5 minutes I had 4 warbler species already seen, en route to the hill where the monument sits.

Pine warbler in a spruce tree.

Flycatchers, or known as Empids among birders. They are the biggest pain sometimes. But I think I got this one... Pretty darn sure this is a yellow-bellied flycatcher- yellow underside, large head... 

...and pretty contrasting feathers on the wings.

In case you wanted some bird humor about flycatchers... thankfully the yellow-bellied has a yellow lower mandible.

Someone else came for the birdy action today.
An American kestrel scouts out the abundance of American Redstarts.

The best part about migration- birds are hungry and in a rush to get where they are going. Night time is flight time, day time is refuel time- and they will do whatever it takes to catch their food. In spring time, these black-throated green warblers will strain your neck as you try to get a look at them-- but come fall, they will feed wherever the food is at. This one at eye level up a grassy hill as it chased flying insects on the ground.

Saw many small groups of brown-headed cowbirds. This little group had some character to them. They sat, fairly proud, not at all caring of my presence, and had a this look... decipher it as you wish.

A chipping sparrow- it threw me off, honestly. I am so used to their spring look- come non-breeding, they have a completely different look that made me think twice.

I had some trouble with this bird last week- but due to me mis-id'ing at first, I will always remember-- this is a Cape May warbler!

An Ovenbird-- seen with similar looking/behaving birds like veery's and Swainson's thrushes. While the ovenbird looks like and acts like a thrush-- it's a warbler.

A lot of black-and-white warblers everywhere-- on tree, on headstones, on the ground...

Also abundant, magnolia warblers. This one hunting for insects among the leaves.

And the most abundant-- after the 4th one, it becomes, "ugh, another redstart."
American redstarts are everywhere, but you have to check every time because it could always be something different!
No pictures, but this happened and good thing I checked, because among redstarts, I got my first ever Nashville Warbler!
Also, this is the best picture I may have ever got of a redstart because it sat still for 2 seconds, instead of half a second.

Better looks at that Cape May...

Still a really good looking bird in the fall.

B&W Warbler... like I said, one trees, headstones, and the ground.

Also a nice sight of a scarlet tanager who dropped in and gave me a good enough look.

A very stoic Northern Flicker-- out in the open-- not their usual gig. I always find them in the grass or hiding in a tree.

Again, flycatchers-- but I also think I am lucky on this one, large head, no eye ring-- feeling pretty good calling this an Eastern wood-pewee.

Left on a nice note of two pine warblers foraging on this hydrangea-type plant.

Glad to have had a good morning out- I definetly needed it!