N.Y. County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan, Randall’s and Governors Island[s]
A Dickcissel in what seems a female-type plumage (unless a first-year male) was again seen on Governors Island to at least Tuesday 9/21; that species can linger in locations that are favorable (and even, on occasion, which don’t appear very favorable!) and could be sought on into the autumn. It’s also very possible that individual chose to depart by Wed./22nd, along with many other migrants which had been moving on & not lingering further. Another White-eyed Vireo was observed for the fall at Central Park on Tues., 9/21 (first found by K. Rosenheim), near Belvedere Castle. This is actually the least-regular of the 6 northeastern breeding vireo species within Central, as ‘Philly' Vireo, although not common, and not always correctly identified, is a bit more regular than is White-eyed, in that particular well-birded park. All 6 of the northeastern-breeding species of vireo are annual in Central, however & can be found both in spring & fall - and most likely all can be expected in a number of other sites in the county. White-eyed also has the distinction of being a rare-overwintering vireo for N.Y. City (or at least, attempted-overwintering). Marsh Wren was found & re-found at Inwood Hill Park, a good site for that species in Manhattan, & continued there from 9/19 to at least thru 9/22; the Central Park sightings of that species seemed to have ended after two days there, 9/19-20. A photo (or two, the closer view of 2 linked-to here) has been placed in the Macaulay Library archive for an impressive flock of icterids (blackbird species) in morning flight over lower Manhattan on Sunday, 9/19 - which appears to show 29 - yes, TWENTY-NINE, Rusty Blackbirds in low-flight / a.m. migration. While that number is not at all close to any record or even unusual number for the species & particularly in migration through our area, or through N.Y. County, what’s unusual is the capturing of an image from *this* county, showing one such movement in such numbers; others have photographed these at times on migration in flocks, at for example such locations as the barrier-beach sites frequented by birders on the NYC Atlantic ocean shore, and in some other situations locally and regionally. And we of course have numerous NYC examples of large gatherings of this species, esp. at some well-known & birded sites in some of the boroughs, including on Xmas bird counts (CBC’s) and other surveys in the colder months, but far less so (in such good numbers) for Manhattan island… photo[s] by Manhattan-resident birder A. Cunningham - https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/370896971 This is also a 'species of concern' as a boreal-breeder, & a species which regularly winters in the southern half of the eastern U.S., with some wintering at times to at least southern New England, & regularly in N.Y. City; numbers overall are believed to have dropped over recent decades, as with all too many native species. Further, while a lot of northeastern birders may be unware, this is an eagerly-sought species by those visiting the region from afar. It is one of our essentially-endemic North American birds. (As to the breeding areas of this blackbird species, when one is where these breed, it is likely that you are in or very close to some very special and attractive habitat, perhaps good for many iconic boreal-breeding and northern-resident birds!) Migration was quieter by Wednesday, as so many birds moved south with the end of (calendar) summer. Where some are headed (those going all the way into mid & southern parts of S. America) the next several months promise them lengthening days on their ‘wintering' grounds. There was quite the contrast in both overall numbers and diversity of species, from Sunday to Wed. this week. It should be interesting to observe what the next migration-arrivals bring into our area. Happy first full-day of Autumn, and good birding! 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/ --
