CENTRAL PARK BIRD COUNT RESULTS

By [Allen Houston] A final tally of the 111th annual Christmas Bird Count in Central Park that took place last weekend reveals that there are 59 species and 6,220 individual birds in the park. Teams of citizen birdwatchers, guided by Urban Park Rangers, spent the weekend canvassing all 843 acres of Central Park identifying and counting each and every bird in a game of ornithological â??I Spy. Following the bird count, participants gathered at the historic Arsenal building in Central Park to share, analyze and tally their findings. â??This year"s Christmas Bird Count reveals that Central Park is home to 6,220 birds, a high probably aided by the good weather conditions, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said in a statement â??The highlight of this year"s event was the sighting of a Varied Thrush in the Ramble, Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon, said in a statement. â??It is unusual to see this bird, typically from the Pacific Northwest, at any time in the city, and especially during the Christmas Bird Count. It was a thrill to join nearly 100 participants, from first time birders to those with a lifetime of experience, valuing every bird that gets counted. The results of this year"s tally indicate that Central Park is presently home to several birds that are uncommon or rare for this time of year, including a Red-headed Woodpecker. The largest flocks spotted were of the House Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Common Grackle and Herring Gull. Large numbers of the Mallard, European Starling and Ring-Billed Gull were also spotted. The first bird counts in America took place on Christmas Day 1900 and were intended to promote bird counting as an alternative to bird hunting. This year"s Christmas Bird Count in Central Park was led by the New York City Audubon Society and jointly organized with NYC Parks and Recreation"s Urban Park Rangers, and the Central Park Conservancy.