The Spring Bird Migration Is Happening: What to Know for UWSers

By Scott Etkin

Upper West Siders are perched between Central and Riverside parks, putting us in the perfect position to watch birds migrate north this spring.

The spring migration tends to peak in April and May, so it’s time for birdwatchers to break out their binoculars. There’s a lot to see: millions of birds travel the Atlantic Flyway along the East Coast with the changing of the seasons. According to the Central Park Conservancy, 210 bird species can be found in the park, and the spring migration offers a chance to see them. 

Below is a breakdown of how to make the most of this natural spectacle. 

Birdwatching Tips & Tours 

The most advantageous times to try to catch a glimpse of birds are in the early mornings and late afternoons, when they’re most active. 

In Central Park there are several hotspots where birds like to congregate and hang out. These areas include:

• The North Woods (mid-park between 101st and 110th streets), 
• Hallett Nature Sanctuary (east side of the park from 60th to 62nd streets), 
• The Ramble (mid-park between 73rd and 79th streets),
• The Pond (east side of the park between 59th and 63rd streets), and 
• The Pool (west side of the park between 100th and 103rd streets).

In Riverside Park, your best bet is the Forever Wild Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, a 10-acre area between West 116th Street and 125th Street that features dirt trails, meadows, and native plants. 

To help recognize the birds you’re seeing, the Merlin Bird ID app, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a popular resource. Simply upload your photo of a bird for it to be identified. The app can also recognize bird calls and songs. 

For new birders or those looking for a more guided experience, there are many upcoming group tours led by bird experts. 

The Wild Bird Fund, the animal hospital for wildlife located in the West 80s, is hosting bird walks in Central Park every Thursday and Saturday morning from April through the end of May. There is a $25 fee for members, $30 for non-members.

“We will be scanning the park for those hard-to-ID warblers, as well as wrens, vireos, swifts, thrushes, flycatchers, swallows, kinglets and nuthatches,” reads the event description. “We’ll also keep our eyes out for migrating raptors, including Cooper’s hawks.”

The NYC Bird Alliance has free guided birding tours in parks throughout the city, including several in Central Park over the next three months.

Options exist specifically for young birdwatchers. The Central Park Conservancy loans out “Discovery Kits” – including kid-sized binoculars, a hand lens, colored pencils, sketch paper, and wildlife guides – from the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (east side of the park at 110th Street) from Wednesday to Sunday during the day. The Riverside Park Conservancy is also hosting a free Birding for Kids event in the afternoon on April 17. 

Protecting Birds

A city like New York can be a dangerous place for birds. Glass windows, rat poison, light pollution, and other hazards are often fatal. 

Some local elected officials have introduced legislation intended to make the city a little safer for birds to navigate. Flaco’s Law, sponsored by Councilmember Sean Abreu, whose district includes the northern part of the UWS and Morningside Heights, passed in September 2024 and calls for the use of rat contraceptives (pellets formulated to target rats’ reproductive system that are considered safer for wildlife than rat poison) in areas where trash is containerized. The law is inspired by Flaco the owl, who escaped his enclosure in the Central Park Zoo and lived in and around the park for a year, before dying after crashing into a building on the UWS. He was found to have rat poison in his system.

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal – whose district includes the southern part of the UWS – has also introduced legislation inspired by Flaco. The FLACO Act would require state-owned buildings to take steps to reduce bird collisions. An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 birds die colliding with buildings in New York City each year.

Hoylman-Sigal has also sponsored the Dark Sky Protections Act, which would require most non-essential outdoor lighting to be covered, motion activated, or turned off between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Because of the way birds navigate and orient themselves, unnatural sources of light can throw them off course. 

While these bills are pending, there are some things residents can do on their own. The American Bird Conservancy recommends various products that can be applied to windows to make them more visible to birds and help prevent daytime collisions (the list specifies which of these products are “do-it-yourself” and can be stuck to the inside of windows, which might be the only option for some NYC renters). Building managers and residents can also minimize their impact by turning off unnecessary outdoor or near-window lights at night, especially in the spring (April and May) and fall (September through November). 

If you find an injured or young bird, resources from the NYC Bird Alliance on what to do are available – HERE.