Riverdale - W. 231 St. area - Bronx County, N.Y. City thru Monday, January 15th-
While a Townsends Warbler has definitively continued in same area and visiting some of same specific locations as had been since its discovery near the end of December '23, a MacGillivrays has been eluding the far-fewer seekers who have been to look for it there, since January 7th. It might still be surviving in the area but, if still around has possibly taken to more private parts of the neighborhood, or, is rarely-if-ever still coming to the multiple places it had been in the days from Dec. 23 thru Jan. 6th. At the same time, the numbers of birders coming to seek the 2 warblers dropped off hugely by Jan. 6th and just a relative few have shown up in hoping to find, with some luck on the Townsends, but as previously, much patience may be needed, as well as a bit of luck. A good ear will likely be helpful by detecting any vocalizations. There have been raptors, including our 2 smaller accipiter spp, in that area, and those have been around along with other raptors, since the Bronx-Westchester C.B.C. was last conducted on Dec. 23rd. I joined another hardy birder recently in hopes that both warblers might show, however as with other seekers, only the Townsends appeared, eventually, along W. 231st. That latter warbler also has again been working thru conifers on or near Palidades Ave. - where it may have spent much time since its discovery Dec. 30, and may for long periods be tough or impossible to find, if it gets into private yards / lots, and so forth. And we have still had some requests that birders not go off of the public streets or sidewalks, not only not to spend time in a nursing homes grounds and parking area, but also not to encroach into some driveways of private homes which are all thru that neighborhood. More specifically, one local resident asked that birders not come in to a driveway next to an empty weedy lot - which was roughly where the last documented sighting of MacGillvrays seems to have been, and also where that warbler was first spotted during the C.B.C., back on Dec. 23rd - and at least from that initial sighting-day, observed by hundreds who came, some more than once, in order to try. It is possible, that even though a skulking species by nature, that that individual MacGillivrays was viewed by nearly as many folks, for a vagrant in NYS, more than any previously, and more than most of that species as vagrants in northeastern localities. Many local residents in that Riverdale / western-Bronx area are well aware that birders have been around, seeking / seeing the two rare warblers over recent weeks, and in general, most neighborhood residents are friendly and curious. Please use common courtesy if you do visit this fairly quiet area, and thank you. The snowfalls, ice, and frigid nights or days all would make survival for many mostly-insectivorous birds increasingly challenging. Be careful as always of traffic, as many streets here are fairly narrow, and of course will now also be icy. Good birding to all, Tom Fiore manhattan -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") NYSbirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
