An Eastern Whip-poor-will was reported at 11:39 a.m. today roosting thirty feet high in a tree just north of the Gill and west of Azalea Pond. I arrived on the scene at 12:35 p.m. and saw two of Central Park’s top bird photographers with their cameras in place. The bird was resting on a mostly horizontal branch in full view, so it was easy to see the relevant markings.

This is the second nightjar appearance of the year in Central Park — a Chuck-will’s-widow was seen by many in Tupelo Field on 16 May. The last noted appearance of an Eastern Whip-poor-will in the park was just over a year ago, 15 September 2012, at the very source of the Gill only a hundred yards away.