The Birds of Central Park

BIRDS OF CENTRAL PARK

By Cal Vornberger
Foreword by Marie Winn

New York’s Central Park is a bird magnet. According to the New York City Audubon Society, Central Park’s 843 verdant acres in the middle of Manhattan’s vast steel and asphalt island is one of the top birding spots in North America. Every spring and fall flocks of binocular toting bird watchers can be found searching for neotropical songbirds that stop off in Central Park to rest and refuel on their twice yearly journey to and from their breeding grounds in North America’s boreal forests. In fact, in a typical year Central Park is host to every single species of East Cost Warbler—37 species of warblers in all.

From the brightly-colored migrating wood warblers to the visiting ducks, owls and hawks and resident birds that nest in the park, bird watchers and nature lovers can catch glimpses of over 200 species of birds in Central Park. For those outside of New York City or those who want an up-close look at these remarkable visitors, Cal Vornberger’s BIRDS OF CENTRAL PARK (Abrams, October 2005, $35.00) fills a long neglected void. The lavishly illustrated book includes a foreword by Marie Winn, author of Red-Tails in Love, as well as a laminated pocket guide to take with you into the field.

In this accessible volume, photographer and author Cal Vornberger shares 175 full-color photographs of the birds he has come to know intimately in his three years working in the park. Originally pursuing a career as a travel photographer, Vornberger turned to the beauty and serenity of the park after the events of September 11, 2001. For the past three years he has spent nearly every day among these birds, capturing them engaged in typical activities of feeding, bathing, singing, flying, feeding, and caring for their young. Included are fascinating images of warblers, egrets, kingfishers, owls, and hawks, including Pale Male, the infamous hawk whose eviction last year from his Fifth Avenue perch sparked nationwide interest, and the first-ever Boreal Owl reported in Central Park.

“It is an outstanding collection of the avian wildlife found in one of the world’s greatest parks. It is enlivened by compassion and a sense of humanity (I love the heron lecturing the ducks on C.P. rules!)…It has a place of honor on my coffee table.”
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

Organized by season, Vornberger’s work documents a bird population that is, sadly, in decline in Central Park and all over the world. Records indicate the numbers of migrants in the park are way down compared to twenty years ago and the continued destruction of habitat will eventually slow migration through the park to a trickle. With his photographs, Vornberger documents what will be lost as bird populations decline. He also encourages us to explore the park for ourselves and re-establish our emotional connection to nature and its inhabitants.

About the Author:
When not in Central Park pursuing his passion for wildlife photography, Cal Vornberger teaches digital media and photography at various locations in the New York Metropolitan area. His extensive collection of photographs can be seen at his personal site: http://www.calvorn.com.

BIRDS OF CENTRAL PARK
By Cal Vornberger
Foreword by Marie Winn
Includes removable pocket field guide
175 full-color photographs
208 pages, 10x10”
$35.00 Hardcover with jacket
ISBN: 0-8109-5917-8
October 2005
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

The book can be ordered from Barnes & Noble and is available in fine book stores everywhere.

You can purchase an autographed copy of the Birds of Central Park from the author. Click here for details.