Here’s some advice from Audubon (org.) - FOLLOW IT! - “Any potential negative impacts of playback (of sounds of birds, or sounds that attract or repel birds) are more likely to occur in areas with a lot of birding pressure, so AVOID PLAYBACK (of such sounds) ENTIRELY IN those locations." In case this is not clear, this refers here to Central Park in Manhattan (but also can refer to thousands & thousands of other areas). Additionally, “Playback is prohibited (FOR THE GOOD OF THE BIRDS) in many parks and refuges. It is also illegal to disturb endangered or threatened species. RESPECT the rules."
- - - - Saturday, 3 June, 2017 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Some further migration passed by the region Friday night into Saturday, with at least one species not that expected by so late in the spring - Cape May Warbler (a first-year female). Tennessee Warbler was also notable, but not seeming quite as late. Additional warblers made for a total of 15 species found, which is fairly high diversity for any part of June, although not unprecedented in this month’s first week or so. Numbers of individual migrants were not high, with the exception of Cedar Waxwings. A Common Nighthawk flying around the n. edges of the N. Meadow to the s. side of the Great Hill was a nice sight; this species could be watched for again, but whether any will linger is questionable. The species once nested on the Upper West Side and in other parts of Manhattan, & so were seen thru summers. Also interesting were a small concentration of thrushes at the extreme n. end (near the west side, in the wooded area) with almost all seeming to be Gray-cheeked, or that type. There appears to be a bit of further migration this Sat. night, so it’s plausible some fresh arrival & passage could be noticed on Sunday. Some notes here - birding in a.m. starting at 5 a.m. sharp, and thru eve. Double-crested Cormorant (common as fly-overs, plus some in the park) Great Egret (many fly-overs seen from n. end of the park, as is typical in summer) Snowy Egret (8 counted before 7:30 a.m. as fly-overs above the park’s n. end) Green Heron (confirmed nesting) Black-crowned Night-Heron (the usual summer visitors; none nest in the park) Canada Goose Wood Duck (1 drake continues) Gadwall (several continue) American Black Duck (1 male, reservoir) Mallard Red-tailed Hawk (commonly seen in and around many areas in & near the park) American Kestrel (fairly regularly seen from multiple areas in & near the park) Peregrine Falcon (seen from any part of the park, potentially; frequent in some areas) Ring-billed Gull (very few) [American] Herring Gull (not that many) Great Black-backed Gull (reservoir, & fly-overs) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove (common) Cuckoo [species] - either Black-billed or Yellow-billed, flying by in north woods) Common Nighthawk (one at about 5:10 a.m. at the N. Meadow, & then to Great Hill) Chimney Swift (not that many) Red-bellied Woodpecker (resident nester) Downy Woodpecker (resident nester) Hairy Woodpecker (the ‘bachelorette' in n. end continues) Yellow-shafted Flicker (regular nester; a few pairs in park) Eastern Wood-Pewee (several, these nest every year in the park in low numbers) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (detected by calls) Acadian Flycatcher (detected by calls & songs - a minimum of 4 in the park today) Great Crested Flycatcher (few; also nests in the park, uncommonly-detected nests) Eastern Kingbird (regular nester, in modest numbers) Yellow-throated Vireo (male continuing, location not disclosed in case of a nesting, which has occurred in modern times in Central Park) Warbling Vireo (regular nesting; multiple pairs, & nests observed) Red-eyed Vireo (minimum of 3 nests observed so far this spring) Blue Jay (nesting, thus a bit quiet at this time; multiples around) American Crow (scarce but quiet at this season as well) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2) Barn Swallow (8+) Black-capped Chickadee (pair, location not disclosed) Tufted Titmouse (several) White-breasted Nuthatch (regular but uncommon nester) Carolina Wren (irregular nester - 2 pairs noted so far this spring) House Wren (minimum of 6 pairs at nests so far) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (location not disclosed, a very rare nester in Central) Gray-cheeked Thrush (minimum of 4 at north edge of park, north of the Blockhouse, all very skulking) Swainson's Thrush (1, north woods) Wood Thrush (3, including one from a nest - location not disclosed) American Robin (ubiquitous) Gray Catbird (ubiquitous wherever nest-habitat exists in the park) Northern Mockingbird (multiple pairs in park) Brown Thrasher (several, locations not disclosed) European Starling American Pipit Cedar Waxwing (75+, with a single flock of over 50 photographed in 1 tree, near W. 103 St. in early morning; nests in Central, &/but this species migrates as late as almost any passerine in the region, and may nest starting in this or next month) - Tennessee Warbler (likely a first-year male, giving a sort of partial song; seen well after some effort, North Woods) Northern Parula (3) Yellow Warbler (1) Chestnut-sided Warbler (2) Magnolia Warbler (several) Cape May Warbler (first-spring female, quite drab, watched closely for 15+ minutes at the lower / east end of the Loch, 7 a.m.) Black-throated Green Warbler (minimum of 3, all first-spring &/or or female) Blackpoll Warbler (8+, mostly female, 2 males noted) Black-and-white Warbler (at least 2, females) American Redstart (12+, mostly not adult males) Ovenbird (minimum of 3 males, singing and also seen) Mourning Warbler (female, just up slope from Boathouse, in p.m.) Common Yellowthroat (at least 3 females, 1 adult male also seen) Wilson's Warbler (1 female, Loch) Canada Warbler (2) - Eastern Towhee (2 continue) Chipping Sparrow (minimum of 3 pairs in park, 1 nest confirmed) Song Sparrow (uncommon but regular nester) Swamp Sparrow (persisting and now quite late) White-throated Sparrow (still a few in the Ramble area, potentially summering, not breeding) Northern Cardinal (fairly common breeder) Indigo Bunting (first-spring male, and/or extremely late to molt; Wildflower Meadow, a.m.) Red-winged Blackbird (very uncommon but regular breeder in Central Park) Common Grackle (not-rare breeder) Brown-headed Cowbird (1) Orchard Oriole (location not disclosed) Baltimore Oriole (many at nests, very typical breeder in Central; often 8+ nests in the park) House Finch (scattered sightings) American Goldfinch (a few noted today) House Sparrow (overabundant in park & most of the city) - - - - - - - - "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." - Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), U.S. wildlife biologist, conservationist, professor, author, best known for his book "A Sand County Almanac" (1949), which has sold more than two million copies. good - and ethical - 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/ --
