Birding is socially distanced New York’s hottest hobby

On a recent sunny morning in New York a few dozen people gathered in Central Park’s wooded Ramble area with a common goal: zero in on an elusive owl. Autumn leaves crunch under their shoes as “Birding Bob” — a guide who has been organizing birdwatching tours in the park for more than three decades, with interest jumping since the coronavirus pandemic hit the city in March — leads them along winding paths. Suddenly the avian enthusiasts raise…