Tuesday, 23 Sept., 2014 Manhattan, N.Y. City -
Central Park: An adult Red-headed Woodpecker made an appearance at the Pool, near W. 103 St., then appeared to head up the south slope of the Great Hill; this in mid-morning. A good day for migrants, possibly the best for diversity of land-birds this season (and appropriate if coincidental to the first day of autumn) at least in Manhattan, and going by reports, for many in places all around the region. In addition to the report of a CT Warbler in the Ramble, there were a minimum of 25 other warbler species, including multiples of some of the more-common, & more than 'singletons' of many. Incidentally, this was quite a day for CT Warbler sightings in many locations in the east, with sightings reported in multiple states - and various locations within a number of states. Other species of warblers seen were Hooded, Blackburnian, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Blue-winged, Tennessee, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Pine, Prairie, Palm, Blackpoll. Black-and-white. American Redstart. Ovenbird. N. Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's, & Canada Warbler; also noted [by others] were a slightly late Mourning, and also "possible" (additional) Connecticut in the n. end at the wildlfower meadow. Of the preceding spp., among the more numerous were Black-throated Green, as well as Magnolia and Common Yellowthroat. Also showing, in numbers, in Central & other Manhattan green-spaces, were migrants including both Cuckoo species, Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swifts, Ruby-throated Hummingbird (multiple), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-shafted Flicker (multiple), E. Wood-Pewee (in numbers), E. Phoebe (multiple), Empidonax [genus] including some Least Flycatchers, Great Crested Flycatcher, E. Kingbird (late). & Vireos of at least 4 species - Blue-headed, Warbling, & Red-eyed (each in multiples) plus Philadelphia Vireo (near the upper lobe), Blue Jays, Tree & Barn Swallows, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches (at least several), Brown Creeper, House, Winter & Marsh Wren (1 of latter at the Meer, a.m.), Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Veery, Swainson's Thrush (multiple), Gray-cheeked [type] Thrushes (including at least several Gray-cheeked), Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird (common), Scarlet Tanager (multiple), Indigo Bunting (multiple), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (almost common), and sparrows: Lincoln's (at least several), Swamp, Field, Chipping, Savannah (at least several), White-throated (modest uptick), & Song, as well as 1st-of-season Dark-eyed [Slate-colored] Junco, & no's. of E. Towhees; Baltimore Orioles, Common Grackle (flights), Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch (the latter somewhat regular in a.m. flights on better migration days this month). Larger birds included many (flyover) Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, (flyover) Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Green Heron, (flyover) Turkey Vultures, Wood Ducks, N. Shovelers, (flyover) Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin; also Spotted Sandpiper (at least several), & various other regular or resident species. Monk Parakeets, and a surviving Budgerigar were again found in the park's north end. ............... Riverside Park: (adjacent Hudson river), west side of Manhattan - not as many migrants in evidence later in the day, however some of the most-common of the above-noted spp. were present in 'patches', & especially noticeable, per the good migratory flow, were the numbers of Monarch butterflies, which will to some extent parallel a major watercourse such as the Hudson. Also noted were a modest flow of swallows, all seen being Tree or Barn. At a small cove along the river in the neighborhood of about W. 160 St. were 4 Green-winged Teal, as well as a larger no. of Gadwall; the teal are unusual in my experience right along this stretch of the river. Many additional land-bird migrants were present in spots along the Hudson, Harlem, & East River (north of W. 90 St.), and it seemed likely that many small green- spaces may have held at least a few migrants. One such space on upper Broadway held a few warblers in a space of perhaps 1/20th of an acre, & with rather few trees. As also noted by some others for today, an impressive and encouraging migration of Monarch butterflies was noted again; these now being seen in the double to triple digits as they move southwest in various vantage/observation areas, including in "the city that never sleeps" (N.Y.C.) good migrations to all, Tom Fiore Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
