A Black-throated Gray Warbler has been seen by many over several days at Amherst Island SP in far western NY. Multiple neotropical-wintering migrants were seen & some photographed while blowing snow was falling in parts of NY state on 4/21, while small hail fell in multiple areas on the same day in a line of strong thunderstorms in some counties (including in N.Y. City). Various other neotropical-wintering migrants have been arriving in NYS, some a bit early such as Black-throated Blue Warbler and others; Indigo Bunting is an example of a species that’s reached a few breeding areas within NY state already, far earlier than even anticipated *early* arrival dates; there are also some further finds of Blue Grosbeak in areas where probably vagrant and early, but presumed part of an ‘overshoot’ migration event. A Prothonotary Warbler was seen in Kings Co., NY to at least 4/20, with many observers.
Many neotropical migrant species have also been showing in various northeastern states, such as in Pennsylvania & some in New England states, quite a few of these reports further supported with photos &/or by highly-experienced observers. Veery has now been confirmed in the multiple (if small no’s.) in some locations 90+ miles n. of N.Y. City, as one of many examples, and these various species (of neotropical-winterers) over a period of days this week, not just on 4/21. At least one additional Kentucky Warbler (to the one seen in Manhattan, N.Y. City) also occured on 4/21 in southern New England. The events that have brought all these migrants into the northeast may have brought yet more than has been reported or discovered so far, no matter any slowdown in migration weather. Multiple Yellow Warblers are on territories already in some locations well north of N.Y. City (although that’s not exceedingly early for first-arrivers of that species in some of those locations). Multiple Cattle Egrets have occurred just lately in at least several northeastern states, & at least a few of those in the counties in N.Y. City, where seen by a number of birders depending on location (with photos). An Orange-crowned Warbler was seen at Forest Park’s well-known site, the ‘waterhole’ on 4/19, that's in Queens Co./N.Y. City. - that species was still lingering on that date (if not past that) at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan. ….. N.Y. County, including Manhattan, Randall’s & Governors Islands: The female Western Tanager continues into a 5-months-long stay at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan. An Iceland Gull was found on April 19th in Central Park, Manhattan. .. Tuesday, April 20th & Wed., April 21st - Other Highlights include: Eastern Whip-poor-will, at least 17 American Warbler species including Kentucky, Prairie, Ovenbird, N. Waterthrush, lots more; Eastern Bluebird, Vesper Sparrow, 3 migrant ‘brown-backed’ thrush species (Wood also a rare breeder), 4 vireo spp. (and Red-eyed rather early still), plenty of Purple Finches (a lot moving through and small numbers stopping off in multiple locations around the county), Eastern Kingbird (not that early now for the species), Orchard Oriole & Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, & many other arriving species. ... Tues., 4/20 - A Vesper Sparrow present for several days was continuing on at Randall’s Island. White-crowned Sparrows arrived in minimal numbers, not all that early and in synch with a lot of other sparrows migrating through now. It was quite notable how many Bufflehead stopped in at Central Park’s reservoir, with up to fifty showing for the county as a whole. Also moving (most as fly-overs) in numbers were Wood Duck, and some other waterfowl and other waterbirds also were on the move. The E. Whip-poor-will was not surprisingly not re-discovered, after some walkers, dogs, raccoons, etc. etc. etc. all moved it off the ground where found pre-dawn on Tuesday. More of these may be on the way, & also could be lingering a while when they do turn up; an annually-found species in the county mainly in spring migration. At least a few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks pushed thru Manhattan in the morning, none appear to have been noted lingering, so far in the county (but have appeared in multiple locations n. of the city). ... Wed., 4/21 - Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have made it north of N.Y. City, and at least one buzzed part of Fort Tryon Park late in the morning. Others have been seen in N.Y. City as well. Going along with neotropical-winterers that are showing up, some additional Chimney Swifts moving through are also risking the chill in the air in much of the northeast in some recent & coming nights. At least one Eastern Kingbird came through upper Manhattan on the morning flight (this species also seen & confirmed in locations n. of N.Y. City). Orchard & Baltimore Orioles (the latter at least, in low numbers, rather than singleton) pushed through in the big arrival of Wednesday morning; much of the arrival flight was overnight, and less so in dawn-flight, at least as observed from the n. end of Manhattan. However at least some early morning diurnal flight did occur, seemingly with little or no course-reversal as sometimes is seen in heavy morning flights. The trees and shrubs in multiple counties in & around N.Y. City are ready with leaf-out, buds or some blooms to host birds (that is, with insects available for the many birds that feed on them). At least 17 American (this noted in the sense of warblers which are from the Americas, taking in 2 continents & of course what we call central America. but also the Caribbean island region where a good many of ‘our’ N. American breeding warblers spend more of the year, in our colder months) - and this includes at least a few that are just slightly earlier than typical *first* arrivals per those species (-which is very different in timing from typical / average *peak* arrival periods!-) warbler species showed this day The rarest of these arriving warblers (although annual in spring in the county) was a (singing) male Kentucky, present all day and behaving as that species will, multiple observers later once the word was out as will happen with this & certain other species, particularly in a place called Central Park; some of the other newly-arrived warblers included Prairie, Ovenbird, and N. Waterthrush, plus a few spp. just recently seen as ‘firsts of the year’ in the county such as Hooded (singing male), American Redstart & Black-throated Green, and also some more of spp. that were extra-early in the county such as N. Parula, & Common Yellowthroat, & still more of some of the typical early-arriving warblers. There was also a reliable report of a Worm-eating Warbler, found on the slope at (southern) Highbridge Park in n. Manhattan, on Wed. A male Eastern Bluebird, always a nice species for the county, & all the more so in spring, was found (T. Perlman) in Central Park’s n. end. Also showing in the thrush family were several Wood Thrush (in several parks including Union Square Park, the United Nations north green, & several in various parts of Central Park, plus early Veery, as well as many of the already present Hermit Thrush (a smattering of the latter species having wintered as well as is typical of a N.Y.C. winter). At least 4 vireo species have arrived to N.Y. County, & among those are several White-eyed Vireos including one found by L. Goggin, re-found by B. Cacace, on Governors Island (which is a potental area that species might try to nest, for a species that nests in some parts of N.Y. City on a regular basis); the other vireos in the county are Blue-headed (multiple), Yellow-throated, & at least one rather early Red-eyed Vireo having arrived in the latest push of neotropical-wintering arrivals of 4/21, but given the multiples of the latter species already confirmed from well north of N.Y. City, some more may have pushed in, certainly ahead of typical *early* arrival dates for the species. The first N. Waterhrushes of the year for the county have definitively arrived, with several in several areas, including at least 3 (perhaps more) in Central Park alone, one seen singing & photographed at first-light in that park’s north end, additionally there were sightings by the group led by J. DiCostanzo (for the non-profit A.M.N.H.), within the Central Park Ramble area; that group’s sightings included male Common Yellowthroat & a couple of Purple Finch, plus many other species. Ovenbird has been fully confirmed for the county with sightings in Central Park’s n. end (E. Peterson). All of the other warblers noted above have been photographed &/or seen by multiple experienced observers as of Wed. 4/21, if not previously. Also arriving & some pushing through in the a.m. rush in Manhattan were both Orchard & Baltimore Oriole, as well as Indigo Bunting; these are early. At least small no’s. of each also showed in locations north of N.Y. City. As a modest predecessor to all of this Wednesday arrival were the hundreds of Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warblers massing on Tuesday, 4/19 and also passing through the northern parts of N.Y. City, many simply going through in the treetops that are leafing out &/or showing of flowers, catkins, and have held insects. Red-throated & Common Loons have both been seen on the move in N.Y. County, while at least a few also have been lingering in this report’s period. Many Double-crested Cormorants continue to arrive and pass through. Numbers of swallows were beginning to build slightly, and Bank Swallows have started to show up in some parts of the northeast including N.Y. state. .. Speaking of Purple Finches and more broadly, of irruptive species found last fall, some now making their ways north again, there are increasing numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches, some having started in the first month of spring, now more showing region-wide including in N.Y. County; other species of irruptives are also pushing north in the eastern third of N. America, with some finch species still working their way thru southern & mid-Atlantic US states, & potentially passing thru N.Y. County (and already having shown in other parts of the immediate region this spring). It is possible to find even such species as Evening Grosbeak into May in N.Y. City, with such records extant in the past, and some of those (in May) my own few decades of birding experience in the city. One location in (central-n.w.) Pennsylvania featured “100” Evening Grosbeaks, just recently. … Going back to Sat., 4/17, 4 observers including Ajit & Liza Antony, with Steve Walter, observed a very nice raptor flight including a count of 1,169 Broad-winged Hawks migrating past Hook Mt. in eastern Rockland County, NY (I was also present & participated in the day's count effort, which totaled 8 full hrs. for that day) - that the largest movement of this spring at that hawk-watch site and a fairly good count of broad-wingeds for *spring* season there, in & for the years on the record. (A. Antony is compiling the spring sightings for the site. In fall, Trudy Battaly compiles that watch’s numbers. Many other observers have been contributing to the watch efforts at that site in recent years.). A miniscule number of B.-w. Hawks have been found passing over N.Y. City this spring so far, including a few over Manhattan in recent days. More could possibly pass in coming days this (& early next) month. Vastly more will be passing by the well-known watch sites (esp. along the e. Great Lakes) soon. … Extra-limital, but a nice find in late April, a Townsend’s Solitaire was noticed at the well-known birding site Mt. Auburn cemetery, outside Boston Massachusetts on Monday, 4/19, with some photos now in the Macaulay library. See https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/328152481 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/328152481> if interested. Eastern Massachusetts also recorded a Caribbean Cave Swallow as seen by many there. ... Among other more-regular butterflies, a Gray Hairstreak appeared in Central Park (Manhattan) on Wed., and with warm enough weather, some other arrivals & emergences of insects should be increasing before the month is done. We have to hope so, for the good of the birds as well as to the overall ecology! good peaceful birding to all, Tom Fiore manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
