The plover-a-pooza goes on and has been a bit of a moveable-'megas'-feast, with the Lesser Sand-Plover (or is that a multiple of that species), also sometimes now called "Siberian Sand-Plover" (and which form has also, formerly been called Mongolian Sand-Plover) being seen as-of Monday, 8/14 at Mashpee (town's) South Cape Beach State Park in *Massachusetts* - thanks to Mary Keleher on the find, and following that species (and perhaps of course same individual megararity) from last week in coastal Rhode Island - that also e-Birded at that time, and with the original August 5th checklist from Napatree R.I. here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S1465074 ... the other quite-rare plover recently in an adjacent-to-NY state - the Mountain Plover in *Cape May County, New Jersey* on August 9th, thanks to Bob Rumer for the report also with documentation, available here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S146917294 .... Peruse and scrutinize any odd-looking plovers in the places you bird!
Not nearly as rare, but a bit unusual as a presumed-summering species is a *Red-necked Grebe* in Bronx County (in N.Y. City) waters for many weeks by now, and still being seen and photo-documented in that county's salt-waters, by keen Bronx birders. - - - New York County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan (with Central Park), Randall's Island, and Governors Island, plus skies-above, and nearby adjacent waters. from Thursday, 8/10 thru Monday, 8/14 - Highlights include (but are not limited-to!) : Caspian Tern, Lesser Yellowlegs and other shorebirds, many other migrants including at least 22 species of American warblers (all of which species were found within Central Park by many many birders over the report's period; also many of these occuring in a variety of locations across the county, again for the full period and as found by many keen observers), with many many additional migrant species. A fairly-complete list of observations for the period Aug. 10-14th, in New York County only - N.B., those species *also* seen within Central Park are designated with the notation (*C.P.*) Canada Goose (*C.P.*) Mute Swan (East River - and perhaps, occasionally, elsewhere in the county) Wood Duck (*C.P.*) Northern Shoveler (*C.P.*) Gadwall (*C.P.*) American Black Duck Mallard (*C.P.*) American Black Duck x Mallard [hybrid types] - (*C.P.*) feral-type Rock Pigeon (*C.P.*) Mourning Dove (*C.P.*) Yellow-billed Cuckoo (seen by many birders walking independently of any group into Monday Aug. 14th in (*C.P.*) Central Park's Ramble; the species also present elsewhere in the county and on other dates, within this report's period.) Black-billed Cuckoo (seen by many birders walking independently of any group into Monday Aug. 14th in (*C.P.*) Central Park's Ramble; the species also present elsewhere in the county and on other dates, within this report's period.) Common Nighthawk (beginning at least by Sunday, Aug. 13th, eve. sightings of these including a flyover, or two, for (*C.P.*) Central Park, and also north of there on same evening.) Chimney Swift (increased no's.; (*C.P.*)) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (modest increases; (*C.P.*)) Killdeer (mainly in their stronghold sectors, esp. Governors Island and Randall's Island) Least Sandpiper (multiple locations) Semipalmated Sandpiper (several locations) Calidris [genus] sp. (a few sightings of smaller 'peep' type sandpipers not ID'd. to species, perhaps of the preceding two, but a possibility of other sp.) Spotted Sandpiper (many in the report's period, including multiples in a number of locations including spread thru almost-all of (*C.P.*) Central Park's various water-bodies) Solitary Sandpiper (at least several, some in (*C.P.*) Central Park and ongoing to Monday, Aug. 14th) Lesser Yellowlegs (at least 4 individuals on Aug. 11, seen and photo'd. by multiple observers at Inwood Hill Park's lagoon Laughing Gull (*C.P.* - and seen in many more locations in the county) Ring-billed Gull (*C.P.* - and seen in many more locations in the county) [American] Herring Gull (*C.P.* - and seen in many more locations in the county) Great Black-backed Gull (*C.P.* - and seen in many more locations in the county) Caspian Tern (noted as a highlight above; along the Hudson River, in an area seen / scanned for over this summer; a rare-but-regular migrant-visitor in the county, seen mainly by those keenly watching out for "river" birds) Common Tern (ongoing for now in numbers at Governors Island, also some sightings -of fewer-from adjacent waters, including lower Hudson River sites off Manhattan) Double-crested Cormorant (*C.P.*) Great Blue Heron (*C.P.*) Great Egret (*C.P.*) Snowy Egret (*C.P.*) Green Heron (*C.P.*) Black-crowned Night-Heron (*C.P.*) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (up to at-least 4 individuals seen at one time on Randall's Island, the definite stronghold for this night-heron species in the county) Black Vulture (several reports, well-documented, incl. photos, this includes some seen flying directly over Manhattan island) Turkey Vulture (*C.P.*) Osprey (*C.P.*) Cooper's Hawk (*C.P.*) Bald Eagle (*C.P.*; also many other locations and more-regular lately along the Hudson River) Broad-winged Hawk (another early-ish migrant showed) Red-tailed Hawk (*C.P.* - "The" 366-days-a-leap-year buteo species of the county; many many sightings - and many fledges are ongoing) Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Eurasian Eagle-Owl (last is a well-known escaped former bird-in-captivity ongoing at Central Park thru this report's period, while the former 2 owl spp. are each resident, with one at least proven naturally-breeding within Manhattan, while the other, Great Horned, may be a continuing breeder in some of its' multiple county-locations. That last, G.H., is also a (*C.P.* 'resident' of some many many months.) Belted Kingfisher (modest no. of reports for now) Red-bellied Woodpecker (*C.P.*) Downy Woodpecker (*C.P.*) Hairy Woodpecker (*C.P.*) Yellow-shafted Flicker (*C.P.*) American Kestrel (*C.P.* - and regular thru much of the county as a breeding-resident species) Peregrine Falcon (*C.P.* - also regular thru much of the county as a breeding-resident species) Monk Parakeet Olive-sided Flycatcher (*C.P.*) Eastern Wood-Pewee (*C.P.*) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (*C.P.*) Acadian Flycatcher (*C.P.*) Willow Flycatcher (some definitively ID'd. by calls *and* close-scrutiny) Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher as some like to call the hard-to-separate in the field species-'pair' unless vocalizing is observed well - in Central Park, ALL heard-only species not absolutely known to be heard from high-above ground should be *sighted* for positive-ID, esp. in areas where other people are clearly present. (*C.P.*)) Least Flycatcher (*C.P.*) Eastern Phoebe (*C.P.*) Great Crested Flycatcher (*C.P.*) Eastern Kingbird (*C.P.*) White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo (*C.P.*) Warbling Vireo (*C.P.*) Red-eyed Vireo (*C.P.*) Blue Jay (*C.P.*) American Crow (*C.P.*) Fish Crow American/Fish Crow (this category can include those birds that may, at times in summer, be mistakenly called "Fish" but are in fact young American Crows) Common Raven (modest no. of reports, incl. from (*C.P.*)) Black-capped Chickadee (*C.P.*) Tufted Titmouse (*C.P.*) Northern Rough-winged Swallow Purple Martin (scant, but should be watched-for in southbound-passage at all times this month; a well-known early-migrator of the eastern states.) Tree Swallow (*C.P.*) Barn Swallow (*C.P.*) Cliff Swallow (from the Randall's Island nest-colony, with a shout-out to the finder[s] and early watchers of those modest but ongoing colonies for N.Y. County) Red-breasted Nuthatch (*C.P.*); not clear if a recent new arrival, just as with the Hermit Thrush[es] of the summer and now the 'southbound' season for so many other migratory species; this nuthatch species will sometimes begin to move in midsummer, and has had a good prior year of both movement and some lingering, in this county as well as regionally.) White-breasted Nuthatch (*C.P.*) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (*C.P.*); and nice movement generally around the county recently) House Wren (*C.P.*) Carolina Wren (*C.P.*) Gray Catbird (*C.P.*) Brown Thrasher (*C.P.*) Northern Mockingbird (*C.P.*) Veery (*C.P.*) ** Swainson's Thrush (a few reports but may be lacking in good details or detailed photos; same as for some of the reports of the following for all of this summer in this county) -->Hermit Thrush (*C.P.*, and of course not a "new arrival", but a few which have been lingering on as non-breeders, just as a number of other forest-breeding species stay on thru summers in N.Y. County without ever breeding, a prime example, and far more regular in summer and all of the four seasons, White-throated Sparrow which is seen in all months of almost all years in this current era in N.Y. County, never having shown to breed, or to attempt any breeding here.) Catharus [genus] species - some brown-backed migrant thrush sightings might go into this literally-generic category as not all of these in this genus will be correctly ID'd to species, the possible exception being of the next species in this list... Wood Thrush (*C.P.* and in other places these breed, each year, in Manhattan's more-wooded parks, and now also some potential migrants of the species moving, along with the young and adults of these which had nested again in the county.) American Robin (*C.P.*) Cedar Waxwing (*C.P.*) House Sparrow (*C.P.* - and of course, virtually everywhere in the county) House Finch (*C.P.*) American Goldfinch (*C.P.*) Chipping Sparrow (*C.P.*) White-throated Sparrow (in many areas where they had summered, also as seen in (*C.P.*) with the same situation applying, non-breeders that spend all summer in this county, which in this species which winter in the many hundreds or more here, is a fairly-regular find, and not particularly unusual here.) Saltmarsh Sparrow Song Sparrow (*C.P.*) Swamp Sparrow (*C.P.* - still summering-individuals, much less-regular as such compared with the modest no's. of summering White-throated Sparrows, in the county.) Eastern Towhee (*C.P.*) Bobolink (modest no's. in this period although many will be moving-south all thru August) Orchard Oriole (modest no's. of sightings in this report's period, incl. in (*C.P.*)) Baltimore Oriole (*C.P.* and many many other locations, nested in many as well as now some modest migratory-movements) Red-winged Blackbird (some flight continuing as all around the wide region, the "summer flights" to elsewhere, which are never as huge as some autumnal southbound movements of these and certain other icterids [members of the family Icteridae, or "New world Blackbirds" as some have referred to all in the entire family]; (*C.P.*) Brown-headed Cowbird (modest no's. incl. a 'few' for (*C.P.*)) Common Grackle (*C.P.*) ____ a minimum of 22 species of American Warbler species in the county this report's period, with at least 20 of those species in Central Park to Monday 8/14, and some 16++ seen in the Central Park Ramble area for Monday, Aug. 14th, by many keen observers out from first-light thru late-day: Ovenbird (*C.P.*) Worm-eating Warbler (*C.P.*) Louisiana Waterthrush (*C.P.*) Northern Waterthrush (*C.P.*) Blue-winged Warbler (*C.P.*, where as many as a dozen have been in this report's period, incl. up to 6 at one time in just one sector there; also being seen in many, many other locations in the county...) Brewster's Warbler (a named type of Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler hybrid - (*C.P.* in the north end, and this may pertain to some of the so-called "Blue-winged" that are being noted, as well as whatever other designations for hybrids of the 2 species so cllosely-related; Black-and-white Warbler (*C.P.*) Tennessee Warbler (*C.P.*; not quite as many now as the earlier southbound-dash of this species all thru the region; this species is fully-expected now, some also can be found far into the actual-autumn in most years, and esp. in our modern era) Mourning Warbler (*C.P.* and a very few other sites in this report's period; this is the normal period for this species to be moving, and those being seen lately are not at all "early" by any standards, including those of the previous century...) Common Yellowthroat (*C.P.*) Hooded Warbler (*C.P.* - and elsewhere; a few in Central Park have been receiving some extra attention and photo-documentations in this report's period) American Redstart (*C.P.* - also in many, many other locations and in some sites, in fair numbers in this reports period) Cape May Warbler (modest no's. still being found, after the much-earlier and actually-early individuals moved-along in this county and in the broader region in places they do not nest; (*C.P.*) Northern Parula (*C.P.*) Magnolia Warbler (*C.P.* and a very-few other areas, still a bit on the early-side) Bay-breasted Warbler (*C.P.* - not unexpected by mid August and also later on) Blackburnian Warbler (*C.P.* - FULLY and completely-excpected as a southbound migrant in August - *some* of this species depart the northern forests and- rarely, as far as is know, return to wintering sites as far south as northern S. America in JULY; this is among the multiple rather-early-movers among the eastern-breeding [in North America] Parulidae, or American Warbler species. Yellow Warbler (*C.P.* and ongoing in fair to modest no's. in many other N.Y. County locations) Chestnut-sided Warbler (*C.P.*) Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler (a small number of sightings may belong in this category, and some also could make it into a triple-threat possible-species category which would add Pine Warbler to the latter 2 warbler spp.) Black-throated Blue Warbler (*C.P.*; not especially early, but more are expected in a week or so dependent on weather etc.) Pine Warbler (*C.P.*) Prairie Warbler (*C.P.*) Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga [genus] spp. - some birds could potentially go into this category but presumably, any in this genus that look at all 'different' would have been well-scrutinized and if possible, photo'd, video'd and audio-recorded as 'video was rolling'. Canada Warbler (*C.P.* and multiple other sites) Wilson's Warbler (*C.P.*) ... (and fairly-likely at least one or more additional warbler species may have come thru in this report's period, besides all those various as listed above.) ____ Scarlet Tanager (*C.P.* and multiple other locations, in some sites in modest no's.) Summer/Scarlet Tanager (some sightings may fall in this category of 'one-of-the-two', with the weight at this time of year still being with Scarlet) Northern Cardinal (*C.P.*) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (*C.P.*) Indigo Bunting (*C.P.*) Good birding to all and thanks to the many quiet and keen observers out-and-about at all hours - and occasionally in less-lovely weather than provided for August 14th! Tom Fiore, manhattan [and points-north] -- 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/ --
