[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC 5/11-15 (Evening Grosbeaks, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-throated Warbler 5/15, & more)
A White-faced Ibis was reported after noon by K. Thompson on Wednesday, 15 May at Hecksher State Park, Nassau Co. NY as were at least 65 Glossy Ibis in the same area. 2 Cattle Egrets (together) were photographed and reported by B. Nott & L. Scrima (& also seen by others) at the Walkill N.W.R. in Orange County, NY - reported as seen early Wed. 5/15 near the junction of "Liberty Lane & Winding Waters" trails there. An adult Little Gull (in alternate i.e. breeding plumage) was carefully observed moving by J.Riis Park in coastal Queens County early on Sunday, May 12 by S. Ausubel & C. Finger (10,000 Birds collaborative), with a variety of other expected members of the family Laridae (gulls, terns, skimmers) and without the presence of Bonaparte’s Gull; this was in the rain, but with visibility reported as good, which will happen at times in sea-watching even with rain falling. — In my previous post, I mistakenly placed the date as “4/14” into the header-subject line; the date was of course 5/14, as stated in the intro. of the report from Central Park, NYC. (I may have thought that it felt more like mid-April weather, or for that matter, a decent weather-day for mid-March!) Thankfully, we are seeing much more mid-May-like weather again. Birds had been suffering in some areas from a relative paucity of food due to the cool & wet conditions. Expect a stronger migration Wed. night into Thursday, likely many more arrivals showing in the N.Y. City area and well beyond. Dependent as well on any localized heavier showers or chance storms, there could be at least some localized migrant ‘fallouts” in & around the region. -- Manhattan, N.Y. City - notes in particular from Tuesday/14th & Saturday, 11 May, 2019 - with some notes from New York County locations off-Manhattan (from the other islands) The mid-point of May in Manhattan, & we have at least a few EVENING Grosbeaks still around & passing through! Most have been heard more than seen - on Wed. 5/15, there were audible calls from the area of the Loch (aka Ravine) in Central Park’s north end, and about simultaneously, heard from near the n.w. end of The Lake, on the west edge of the Central Park Ramble. However, a female Evening Grosbeak has shown itself (again) around & near the Azalea Pond in Central Park’s Ramble, with multiple observers. Also present &/or passing through are ongoing Pine Siskins and (more of) Purple Finches. Red-breasted Nuthatch also has continued in the multiple, although in lowered numbers from fall movements. It’s worth adding that over the last several months, Evening Grosbeaks were found & photographed to as far into the southern U.S. as (at least) central Mississippi, with some flocks of at least 3 dozen in some locations such as in West Virginia, even to end of April, and in other locations not as far south of New York, into early May or even more recently. The species as a whole was also seen in good numbers in locations through much of the U.S. southwest (& west), but it seems that the last few months found few or none of those coming to areas east of New Mexico & Colorado, with an exception (of just one bird) in western Kansas; no recent sightings in Texas, and few near the far-west TX border area, in s.e. New Mexico in recent months. Far north & east of New York, a sighting of a single Eve.-beak was recorded from Labrador, a short way north of the northern tip of Newfoundland only a few days ago. Of perhaps ‘local' interest only, the non-native Turkey Oaks [Quercus serris, native to southeastern Europe & thru the nation of Turkey; planted in a number of parks in N.Y. City) in Central Park, which leaf out a bit later than other oaks, were again productive recently, including on Wednesday. A YELLOW-THROATED Warbler was found in the Turkey Oaks along the western part of the reservoir & bridle path, not far from a park entrance at W. 90th St. (this area made best-known with the occurrence of a state-rare Kirtland’s Warbler in May of 2018). These trees also hosted at least one Yellow-throated Warbler and many other migrants earlier this spring, in Central Park. They are sometimes the most-productive oaks in mid to late May for finding migrants, as other oak species and cultivars may already have reached a stage where less food is available to the insectivorous migrants in the form of various arthropods, but especially of caterpillars of certain small moth species, a staple of many birds in spring. More Turkey Oaks are located along the bridle path of Central Park immediately south of the reservoir & those trees have been getting a bit active again this week. Some migrants still being seen & heard on Wed. 5/15 in Manhattan included Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Palm & Pine Warblers & Louisiana Waterthrush, while the multitudes of ongoing Yellow-bellied Sapsucker reports into mid-May in New York County suggest that many of that species have been reluctant to move
[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC 5/11-15 (Evening Grosbeaks, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-throated Warbler 5/15, & more)
A White-faced Ibis was reported after noon by K. Thompson on Wednesday, 15 May at Hecksher State Park, Nassau Co. NY as were at least 65 Glossy Ibis in the same area. 2 Cattle Egrets (together) were photographed and reported by B. Nott & L. Scrima (& also seen by others) at the Walkill N.W.R. in Orange County, NY - reported as seen early Wed. 5/15 near the junction of "Liberty Lane & Winding Waters" trails there. An adult Little Gull (in alternate i.e. breeding plumage) was carefully observed moving by J.Riis Park in coastal Queens County early on Sunday, May 12 by S. Ausubel & C. Finger (10,000 Birds collaborative), with a variety of other expected members of the family Laridae (gulls, terns, skimmers) and without the presence of Bonaparte’s Gull; this was in the rain, but with visibility reported as good, which will happen at times in sea-watching even with rain falling. — In my previous post, I mistakenly placed the date as “4/14” into the header-subject line; the date was of course 5/14, as stated in the intro. of the report from Central Park, NYC. (I may have thought that it felt more like mid-April weather, or for that matter, a decent weather-day for mid-March!) Thankfully, we are seeing much more mid-May-like weather again. Birds had been suffering in some areas from a relative paucity of food due to the cool & wet conditions. Expect a stronger migration Wed. night into Thursday, likely many more arrivals showing in the N.Y. City area and well beyond. Dependent as well on any localized heavier showers or chance storms, there could be at least some localized migrant ‘fallouts” in & around the region. -- Manhattan, N.Y. City - notes in particular from Tuesday/14th & Saturday, 11 May, 2019 - with some notes from New York County locations off-Manhattan (from the other islands) The mid-point of May in Manhattan, & we have at least a few EVENING Grosbeaks still around & passing through! Most have been heard more than seen - on Wed. 5/15, there were audible calls from the area of the Loch (aka Ravine) in Central Park’s north end, and about simultaneously, heard from near the n.w. end of The Lake, on the west edge of the Central Park Ramble. However, a female Evening Grosbeak has shown itself (again) around & near the Azalea Pond in Central Park’s Ramble, with multiple observers. Also present &/or passing through are ongoing Pine Siskins and (more of) Purple Finches. Red-breasted Nuthatch also has continued in the multiple, although in lowered numbers from fall movements. It’s worth adding that over the last several months, Evening Grosbeaks were found & photographed to as far into the southern U.S. as (at least) central Mississippi, with some flocks of at least 3 dozen in some locations such as in West Virginia, even to end of April, and in other locations not as far south of New York, into early May or even more recently. The species as a whole was also seen in good numbers in locations through much of the U.S. southwest (& west), but it seems that the last few months found few or none of those coming to areas east of New Mexico & Colorado, with an exception (of just one bird) in western Kansas; no recent sightings in Texas, and few near the far-west TX border area, in s.e. New Mexico in recent months. Far north & east of New York, a sighting of a single Eve.-beak was recorded from Labrador, a short way north of the northern tip of Newfoundland only a few days ago. Of perhaps ‘local' interest only, the non-native Turkey Oaks [Quercus serris, native to southeastern Europe & thru the nation of Turkey; planted in a number of parks in N.Y. City) in Central Park, which leaf out a bit later than other oaks, were again productive recently, including on Wednesday. A YELLOW-THROATED Warbler was found in the Turkey Oaks along the western part of the reservoir & bridle path, not far from a park entrance at W. 90th St. (this area made best-known with the occurrence of a state-rare Kirtland’s Warbler in May of 2018). These trees also hosted at least one Yellow-throated Warbler and many other migrants earlier this spring, in Central Park. They are sometimes the most-productive oaks in mid to late May for finding migrants, as other oak species and cultivars may already have reached a stage where less food is available to the insectivorous migrants in the form of various arthropods, but especially of caterpillars of certain small moth species, a staple of many birds in spring. More Turkey Oaks are located along the bridle path of Central Park immediately south of the reservoir & those trees have been getting a bit active again this week. Some migrants still being seen & heard on Wed. 5/15 in Manhattan included Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Palm & Pine Warblers & Louisiana Waterthrush, while the multitudes of ongoing Yellow-bellied Sapsucker reports into mid-May in New York County suggest that many of that species have been reluctant to move
