Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
Thursday, 18 August, 2016

After 6+ weeks of modestly-good to mediocre (or near-nonexistent)  
general land-bird migrations, according to varying weather & other  
factors, the night of August 17th into Thursday, 8/18 was by far the  
strongest (land-bird) migration event so far in this half of the year  
almost everywhere in the northeast, & certainly evident by what was  
seen in little old Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City.  (also it can  
be added that birders in other boroughs who were able to seek out land- 
birds found good variety, and in sum the 20-species-mark for warblers  
was exceeded in N.Y. City, on this day alone.  In addition (and not at  
all surprisingly) at least 3 species of Empidonax Flycatcher were  
noted in all of the boroughs, and well could have been all 5 of the  
eastern-breeding spp. of them in this large push of individuals.  
(Indeed if any Least Fly. were found, that would make 5 of five.)

Thanks to the many polite-quiet-patient & devoted birders who gave  
many sightings & descriptions of finding so many mid-August migrants  
in Central Park on this first big day of migratory movement. It will  
just grow with the next good movements of coming days & weeks. The  
season is also ripe for Common Nighthawk migrations and indeed some  
are now moving through the wider region, & very likely some through  
Manhattan as well, now.

Some species were found in numbers and the variety of species was far  
higher than on any previous days & nights, this summer in this  
location.  The below are just some (a sampler of sorts) of the variety  
found in the park entire (110 St. & the north end, to the Ramble, &  
even at the Pond area in the park's southeast quadrant) by a number of  
observers at varying times, from first light thru later in the day.  A  
minimum of 18 warbler species were recorded, & this while impressive  
is not unprecedented at all, nor especially surprising after the  
middle of August, and particularly on such a strong widespread  
movement as was over the prior night - and of course with a good  
effort by multiple birders as was the case.  Also, as hinted at by M.  
Britt and his Bronx Co. Broad-winged Hawk sighting, these & other  
raptor species are moving - some dedicated watch sites southwest of NY  
state have already tallied 50+ of that species, & many sites are  
reporting multiples this week - and nothing unusual in that.

Central Park on Thursday 8/18/2016 -

Blue-winged Warbler (multiple, including a few possible hybrid forms  
of "Brewster's" type)
Northern Parula (several)
Yellow Warbler (multiple)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (at least several)
Magnolia Warbler (2 sightings)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (adult male, & female-looking, 2 locations)
Blackburnian Warbler (several in several locations)
Prairie Warbler (several in several locations)
Black-and-white Warbler (multiple)
American Redstart (near-common, in many, many locations)
Worm-eating Warbler (at least one in Ramble, near the Azalea Pond)
Ovenbird (multiple)
Northern Waterthrush (multiple, many locations)
Louisiana Waterthrush (at least 1 in Loch area - & also reported  
elsewhere)
Mourning Warbler (1st-yr. male, north end, possibly 2 individuals or  
one moving from Great Hill across to north woods)
Common Yellowthroat (multiple)
Hooded Warbler (male, north end, locations varied & there were at  
least 2 of this species found in the general 'n.' area)
Canada Warbler (multiple)

Other migrants included -

Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler (possibly first-of-season)
Osprey
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper (found by s. reservoir edge, unsure if lingering at  
all, early a.m.)
Black-billed Cuckoo (n. end)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Olive-sided Flycatcher (seen in Ramble, where the first-of-"fall" was  
found 2 weeks prior; multiple sightings since, in n. end & Ramble  
locations)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (these may be local nesters still)
Willow Flycatcher (Ramble - heard & seen)
Acadian Flycatcher (n. woods - heard & seen)
Empidonx [genus] Flycatcher (at least several locations)
Great Crested Flycatcher (probably f. local nesters still)
Eastern Kingbird (multiples, some on the move in a.m.)
Warbling Vireo (most are likely local nest families)
Red-eyed Vireo (probably still local)
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Pinetum; this species has been in Central Park  
in each month of summer so far, beginning in late June)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (may be local, may not)
Wood Thrush (likely very local)
Scarlet Tanager (at least several, these may represent fairly local  
birds, or may not)
Eastern Towhee (location undisclosed!)
Chipping Sparrow (nested in Central Park)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (could be "local")
White-throated Sparrow (almost certainly were summering locally  
including the few that often do in Central)
Orchard Oriole (female-like, one in Ramble area, may be a local, or  
possibly longer-distance-from-NYC migrant)
Baltimore Oriole (multiple, but this is a f. common NYC nester  
including a lot from Central Park & Manhattan sites)
American Goldfinch (likely all locals, typically nest rather late)
& many other resident &/or visiting birds as well as typical city- 
feral spp. (& almost certainly additional migrant spp.)

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing  
for others?' "- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

good & quiet birding,
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/

--

Reply via email to