Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) are somewhat uncommon birds in New York City. The Cornell Web site says: “No other North American bird has a white back and black underparts (some have described this look as wearing a tuxedo backwards). Added to this are the male’s rich, straw-colored patch on the head and his bubbling, virtuosic song. As summer ends he molts into a buff and brown female-like plumage. Though they’re still fairly common in grasslands, Bobolink numbers are declining.”
A merry bunch o’ bobolinks, Croton Point Park, August 20, 2021
Bobolinks are seed-eaters, and the bird I saw on May 9, 2020, in Central Park spent the day dining and dining and dining.
Male bobolink, Maintenance Meadow, Central Park, May 9, 2020
The video features music by Henry Purcell, performed by Papalin (I unfortunately wasn’t able to capture the bird’s song). It opens with some photos (see below) of a bird I saw on Governors Island in 2019, then spends most of the time with the handsome guy we saw in Maintenance Meadow on May 9, 2020.
I saw a bobolink (or two?) on Governors Island on May 6, 2019. While I didn’t get great shots, it was fun to see this bird flit around the fort.
Bobolink, Governors Island, New York City, May 9, 2019
