A Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) visited Brooklyn Bridge Park in April 2024. Now, this bird's normal range is quite a bit south of Brooklyn, so we were so happy to see this unusual adventurer.
According to Cornell University's All About Birds Web site: "A heavyset warbler of southern swamps and forested ravines, the Swainson’s Warbler has a bold, ringing song but tends to remain frustratingly hidden in the understory. This brownish songbird isn’t as brilliantly colored as other warblers, but males have a subtle chestnut tone in the crown and sometimes a lemon-yellow wash below. The species forages mostly in dense vegetation on or near the ground, where it uses its hefty bill to turn over leaves in search of insects and spiders."
Swainson’s warbler, Brooklyn Bridge Park, April 23, 2024
The video was filmed on April 23, 2024, and shows it foraging quite intently in the undergrowth. (Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the bird sing.) The music is by Frédéric Chopin, "Variations for Flute and Piano in E major ('Non piu Mesta'), B. 9," performed by Christina Hughes and Diana Hughes. The music is used under a Creative Commons license, and was obtained from MusOpen.org, a royalty-free music source.
