Pigeons Are Not the Only Birds in Manhattan.

Migratory birds wintering in the south.

As a 30-year Manhattanite, I think of pigeons when I think of the island's birds.  Everywhere you go, there are pigeons, sometimes many many many pigeons.  There is a great scene in Home Alone 2:  Lost in New York, where the McCauly Caulkin character meets the Bird Lady in Manhattan, New York's Central Park.  It is night, and the Bird Lady is standing like a statue with pigeons all over her, coat covered in bird droppings.   She was their Home Base.  So those are the birds, from white through many shades of gray to a silvery black-blue, all are multicolored in some way.  They peck around at everything they can get their tiny, pointy beaks on.   

But the NYC pigeons are not alone.  In fact, Central Park, which is surrounded by buildings, is one of the Northeast's best spots for bird watching in spring and fall.  The vast city park with hills, lakes, trees and meadows is a welcome resting place for birds making their northern and southern migrations when the seasons change in spring and fall.  The migration starts as far as South America and as far north as Canada.  There are numerous other parks in Manhattan that also are visited by the migratory birds.   

Global Warming...Global Confusion? Which Way is Up for Migrating Birds?

This has been a strange winter, which apparently is still not over. There was just a major snowfall in the Northeast this past weekend. I recall hearing news of recent winter temps in March 2007 as high as 80 degrees in New York, while South Florida was experiencing 50 degree temps at the same time. If we humans are having trouble deciding what kind of jacket to wear, imagine how the birds must feel! After all, birds don't migrate by a pocket planner calendar. If the weather is saying summer, but it is really winter, how do the birds know if they are supposed to be coming or going? I don't want to make this point with lots of dry statistics. We all have common sense and can use logic, or even our imaginations to see what a problem this already must be for migrating birds. Sometimes we forget that people aren't the only Snowbirds who travel from north to south to escape the frigid temps and spend a wonderful winter nesting (or vacationing) in South Florida.

Migration...Birds of a Different Type

The annual Springtime Snowbird migration is officially underway. April is the time of year when these unique birds begin to tidy up their winter nests and embark on their journey north. As things "heat up" in subtropical Florida, the Snowbirds take to the road, rails and the air to make their way to more temperate areas of the US and Canada. The signs of it are everywhere in South Florida...it begins with the sudden appearance of car carrier trucks stopped at shopping plazas adjacent to the "55 and over" communities, loading up with Toyota Camrys and Lincoln Grand Marquis. The mass pre-closing of hurricane shutters across condo high rises along the ocean is another telltale sign of migration. Other hints of the northern migration include the shorter wait times at banks and restaurants, and talk among the birds about flying dates. The Snowbirds will be back in the Fall when places like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Montreal show the first signs of dipping temps. After all, these birds don't have feathers to keep them warm.

What have we learned: Not all birds have feathers...and...some birds prefer to take the train rather than fly.