by Debbie Mullins

Garden © Hersh Ziani

I just read Jacob Drucker’s interesting article on your website about microparks in NYC. I thought you might be interested in knowing that Clinton Community Garden on West 48th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues attracts a fair number of birds. Although the garden is only 0.3 acres, we have recorded 58 species of birds. http://clintongarden.org/garden-life/birds/ A few birders have recently started uploading their lists to eBird. http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L3922875 The garden is kept locked, but anyone living between 34/59 St and Eighth Ave to the Hudson can get a key.

Birds

An astonishing 60 species of birds have been sighted in Clinton Community Garden. Birds migrating north in the Spring and south in the Fall need to stop now and then for rest and food (mostly insects). The populations of some of these species, especially warblers, have been dangerously declining. The island of Manhattan used to be forested with habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Now that the island is mostly concrete, community gardens and parks provide critical habitat for birds making the long trek to their breeding grounds to the north and to their wintering territory as far away as South America. Birds generally migrate at night and when morning comes, or a storm brings them down, they look for green. Central Park and the various community gardens and parks are what they see as they fly over Manhattan. Therefore, there is a concentration of birds looking for rest and food in these parks during migration seasons.

Following is a list of some of the birds sighted in the Clinton Community Garden. Bring a pair of binoculars to the garden sometimes – you might be surprised at what you find. 

Year Round
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow
Starling
House Finch
Rock Dove (Pigeon)
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird
Catbird
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Robin
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Brown-headed Cowbird
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
Dark Eyed Junco
Common Grackle
Downy Woodpecker
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch

Spring and Fall Migrants
Brown Thrasher
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Hermit Thrush
Black and White Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Brown Creeper
Redstart
House Wren
Ovenbird
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Indigo Bunting
Common Yellowthroat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue-winged Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Parula
Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Swainson’s Thrush
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Veery
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Wilson’s Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Woodcock