April 22 Battery Park
Monday April 20th, yesterday was an extremely nice day, I almost wore a hawaiian shirt, today I should have worn my winter jacket. Comparatively it is rather cold and dreary hovering around 45 degrees with slight breeze coming from the lake. The area isn't home to many birds, there is a human presence in both of the places I went. Both are flat parks with extreme edge habitat in and surrounding the area.
As far as nesting goes I am not seeing much behavior coordinating with that frame of mind, perhaps because it is so cold or because there isn't much material to be used around this area. However, after the mini-activity I did see an American Robin hop away with a small branch I assume is for its nest. I believe that most of the birds nests are down the hill towards the lake, it is a wooded area that would be a good location for bird nests that is where I saw the robin hopping towards. Blue Jays are year round occupants which suggests their nest doesn't need much work, just an added layer to reduce parasites and other unwanted inhabitants. American Robins can be migrants so they would require a whole new nest with both the parents working to help. They would want smaller material because they are a bit smaller and lay small eggs. The Mallards I saw flying overhead would likely be nesting elsewhere along the lake or down a tributary. They like dry grasses and a nice flat area rather than building a nest like a robin or jay would.
Sitting in battery park wasn't bad, there are benches so I chose one closer to the lake to attempt to hear the birds below the ledge. It was hard to distinguish different chirps that came from the same direction, the distinct calls from cardinals and chickadees were easier to follow. It was almost impossible to tell how many birds there were over the edge near the lake but behind me I believe there was 3 robins, 4 or 5 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Northern Cardinal and 1 Blue Jay.
Usá ArgentiNat con app iNaturalist
