''Oh GOS, where art thou''
- I'm quoting a beloved Brooklyn [Kings County] birder here, so don't
'snipe' at me - anyhow, Northern Goshawk of juvenile flavor has again
graced he vigilant birders of Prospect Park - thus a bird lingering on
for a bit more even if not seen there on a daily basis. And -
Setophaga pinus, too.
------------
SUNDAY, the 12th March, 2017 -
Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
Some of the highlights from the day in Central, as seen by me and
about 28 other observers in total:
A young Red-headed Woodpecker in first-year plumage continues just
west of East 68th Street within Central Park, a good amount of red now
showing on this bird.
Nice, if modest diversity of ducks - at least 12 species in total,
listed below (no-accountin' the feral &/or intro'd. few duck-a-doos,
alhough we love and adore them!)
Black Vulture, once a very rare bird for Manhattan, overflew Central
Park again today, seen with some of the passing turkey vultures, after
mid-day.
A modest 'movement' of Northern Ravens, with at least 6 seen Friday, 4
on Saturday, & several today - these may be rather 'local', &/but this
species can be moving this time as well. A Bald Eagle overflew the
park as well as 9 or more Turkey Vultures, quite in the day- seen by
other observers as well. There were also a modest number of
American Robins, & smaller passerines in flight in the morning, as
well - despite this freeze, winds were quite light - in morning hours.
A Wilson's Snipe flew past Turtle Pond on Saturday (3/11), just before
sunset; but NOT re-found Sunday - the snipe gave distinctive -and
diagnostic- alarm calls as it went northward. American Woodcock
showed again this Sunday evening in a few locations, but were missed
by some who may have sought them.
An annotated list for some of Sunday's sightings, observations from 8
am - 7 pm [daylight savings time]
Common Loon (1, CP reservoir - & not the same individual seen here few
weeks ago)
Pied-billed Grebe (2 continue at the CP reservoir)
Double-crested Cormorant (several locations)
Great Blue Heron (Central Park, The Pond - SE part of the park)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture (9)
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (several, Central Park in usual locations - Meer, Pond)
Gadwall (8)
American Black Duck
American Wigeon (continuing Sunday, since I re-found Friday 3/10 -
'rarest' water-bird now in park, Meer)
Green-winged Teal (pair, again on Central Park Lake)
Mallard (ubiquitous)
Northern Shoveler (good numbers continue in Central Park)
Northern Pintail (breeding-plumaged drake still at The Pond)
Ring-necked Duck (1, reservoir)
Bufflehead (numerous)
Hooded Merganser (2 pairs, Central Park)
Ruddy Duck (96)
Bald Eagle (1)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
Cooper's Hawk (1)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel (2)
Peregrine Falcon (1 noted)
American Coot (11, in total, in Central Park, on 4 water-bodies but
most on the reservoir, as is typical)
Ring-billed Gull (many)
[American] Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker (1, as noted above!)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (few)
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker (3)
Blue Jay (rather common)
Northern Raven (as noted above!)
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (many)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (2)
Carolina Wren (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2, overwintered)
Hermit Thrush (1, overwintered)
American Robin (as noted above)
Gray Catbird (1, overwintered)
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher (3, overwintered)
European Starling
Eastern Towhee (3, overwintered)
[Red] Fox Sparrow (14 - some new arrivals)
Song Sparrow (many - some new arrivals )
Swamp Sparrow (overwintered)
White-throated Sparrow (many)
Dark-eyed Junco (various areas, few new arrivals)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (25)
Common Grackle (400)
Brown-headed Cowbird (few)
House Finch
American Goldfinch ('uncommon' now)
House Sparrow
----
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability
and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends
otherwise."
- Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), U.S. wildlife biologist, conservationist,
professor, author, best known for his book "A Sand County
Almanac" (1949), which has sold more than two million copies.
--------
"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does -
Love is a battle - Love is a war - Love is growing up"
- James Baldwin, American author & activist, and French expatriate-
American, 1924-1987, posthumously awarded the title of 'Commandeur de
la Légion d'Honneur' by France. His debut novel, ‘Go Tell It on the
Mountain’, may be his best known work. Time Magazine included that
book in its 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.
good birding, and thanks to those respecting all wildlife and other
park users.
Tom Fiore,
manhattan
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