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| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at The Battery |
In October, small flocks of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in city parks. Some will stay on for the winter, then head north in the spring for breeding season.
These birds are woodpeckers and responsible for the horizontal rows of small holes on the trunks of many trees. They use their strong, pointed bills to drill the holes while holding onto the bark with their claws and bracing themselves with their stiff tails. They drink the sweet sap, and also eat the insects that are attracted to the sap holes. Other birds also come by and drink from the sap wells.
The sapsuckers that stay for the winter months need to find other food sources when the sap isn't flowing - they will eat small fruits, insects in the bark, and bits of the inner bark on the trunks where trees store sugars and proteins.
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in City Hall Park
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at The Battery
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White-throated Sparrows, too, have arrived in flocks and many of them will stay over in the city for the winter. Some have bright yellow and white markings above their eyes, while others have beige stripes and less yellow. Interestingly, they usually mate with a partner from the other type. Both male and female white/yellow-eyebrow ones are more aggressive, while the beige birds are better at nurturing the young.
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| White-throated Sparrow in City Hall Park |
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White-throated Sparrow in Battery Park City
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While most migratory warblers have already left the city for warmer wintering areas, I saw several Common Yellowthroats still around fattening up on insect snacks. The adult males have black 'bandit' masks, but the females have much plainer faces.
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| Female Common Yellowthroat in City Hall Park |
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| Male Common Yellowthroat in The Battery |
Yellow-rumped Warblers are also late migrants through New York. They are not very exciting looking in the fall until you see the flash of yellow when they fly up. Some people call them 'butter butts'.
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
A migrating Blue-headed Vireo doesn't have much yellow, just a bit on its flanks. But soft blue and green tones and classy white spectacles. It is classified as a songbird, not a warbler, with a blunter bill and simpler song.
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Blue-headed Vireo at The Battery
Finally, another migratory favorite - a Hermit Thrush with a spotted breast and distinctive rusty tail. Also a lovely song |
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| Hermit Thrush in an Atlas Cedar at the Battery labyrinth |
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| Hermit Thrush in City Hall Park |
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