Other-where... It appears that not too much notice was made of the reliable report of Western Grebe off Staten Island's Sharrott Ave. pier on Friday, April 2nd (via the SI NaturaList; observer: Richard Veit). Black Vultures are also maintaining a presence on Staten Island. (recalling now, that but 2 decades ago a Black Vulture was a modestly "big deal" to see in southerly parts of New Jersey!) Also well worth noting for Staten Island's naturalists is the ongoing presence of (an overwintered) Red- headed Woodpecker, at S.I.'s Clove Lakes Park (in the northern section of that county-borough), seen there mainly in an area adjacent to Martling Avenue - and, not too far from there (within Clove Lakes Park), an Orange-crowned Warbler was [re]sighted, which (in my own opinion) is rather likely to be the one I initially reported last winter & which was seen there intermittently by others into part of the winter. It is still quite early in the spring to find a newly- arrived northbound migrant Orange-crowned, which most typically appear with a "throng" of either end-of-April &/or early to mid-May neotropical migrants - that is to say, on "big days" in or not long before that period. Probably well known to most subscribers on this list, & not always properly understood by newer or less-experienced birders is how far it is between early April & early May in terms of species diversity, & what migrants are even remotely likely, or not... (with emphasis on the "not"). Beware early April "veery" & any May 1 "mourning", but pay attention to a report of a Swainson's warbler even if it comes in late March, as that is not entirely date-unreasonable, just on the "early" side for the known breeding range in the deep south & a potential "overshoot" from there, not only from the hills or swamps of the Virginias (the 2 states, that is!) Perhaps that is a poor example, as it is a rare bird, at any season, in the northeast. A better example might be, say, E. Wood-Pewee. These are very unlikely in early April and even at the very end of April would not be "expected" - yet at least some are regularly reported, in April in the north. Documentation" of many of these is often nonexistent or very limited. There is a lot to continue to learn about many aspects of our usual migrant and resident birds. Once we get to know the regular birds we can sometimes sort out the genuinely rare. In tracking annually-seen species, true arrivals and departures are meaningful to longer-term study that among (other things) can teach us about climatic change. - - - - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
Saturday, 3 April 2010 - A continuing Louisiana Waterthrush (from 4/1) got a bit more attention as more birders converged in the park and specifically in the Ramble. Other migrants and already seen before were modestly reinforced in numbers: flickers, phoebes, both kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Pine Warbler and some others. A stormy period locking up migration passed... Sunday, 4 April - Ongoing good weather brought in some more migrants, including Barn Swallow. A 4 Warbler species threshold held, Pine, Palm, Myrtle [Yellow-rumped] and Louisiana Waterthrush ongoing... it's still a fair-weather pattern and birds are also moving past the city in increasing numbers, on towards breeding areas for many. Monday, 5 April - Yet more fair weather & a few more new arrivals, including (a single) White-eyed & (several) Blue-headed Vireo[s], Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, & still the same four Warbler spp. as noted. A fresh batch of E. Phoebes, N. [Yellow-shafted] Flickers, Yellow- bellied Sapsuckers, Winter Wren, both Kinglet species (with Ruby- crowned increasing but still not common), Brown Creeper, 3 Swallow species (mainly N. Rough-winged in the park, Tree & a few Barn overhead) & sparrows including Field, Chipping (multiple), Swamp & White-throated (a bit of increase), plus [Red] Fox Sparrow, as well as Slate-colored Juncos. Hermit Thrushes & a few other species continue to arrive and are far from their peaks, including the very few Brown Thrasher and E. Towhee to have been seen, a few of which may have wintered locally... The White-eyed Vireo about 2 weeks ahead of a more typical earliest spring arrival date, and 3-4 weeks ahead of a typical average date - yet this bird's appearance was in keeping with a small number of others of its species arriving on other NY & southern New England locations this early spring - as have been virtually all the "early" arrivals so far in Central, taking in northern NJ & points due west as well with some species. Also, a White-eyed Vireo was being seen in 2006 as early as April 3 in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, with multiple observers in subsequent days then & there. This species like a fair number of those now appearing in our area are shorter-distance migrants at least a few of which may overwinter not that far south & even, rarely, in our region - as for another example a White-eyed Vireo did (& again in Prospect Park, Brooklyn in an earlier year, with a mild winter.) Migrants arriving from neotropical regions are generally a bit later to arrive, although there have been a very few such in recent days on Long Island NY as well as into New England. Tuesday, 6 April - Wilson's Snipe made another appearance this a.m., along with a "modest" fresh flight, most apparent in numbers of flickers seen moving at, & shortly after, first light thru the n. end of the park, with various other species also passing. A lot, indeed most, of the more common spring migrants have overflown the middle of Manhattan and a fair number already made it to breeding areas in the southern and even some northern portions of the northeast U.S. and southernmost e. Canada. The recent general southerly wind-flow and lack of big storms allowed this extended early period pulse. (side note: hasty p.m. visit to higher ground in e. Rockland Co. along the Hudson River, 5 Osprey in just 5 minutes.) Not so surprising that today, Blue-headed Vireo was found in a number of locations north of NYC including in the lower Hudson valley of NY. It is still modestly early for this species but not unprecedented. A supposed "Northern" Waterthrush *reported* (on another list) in Central Park's Ramble along with lingering (& not so early) Louisiana Waterthrush. - - - Northern Waterthrush -any Northern Waterthrush in early April in NY - ought, if not well-photographed, be very well- described. (Too many are the waterthrushes that are mis-identified to species, one or the other and mainly on migration stop-overs...) In the Carolinas (North & South) Northern was NOT being reported yet among up to ten warbler species at a time that were being reported to 4/6. Even in the state of Georgia, Northern Waterthrush was pointedly NOT on lists consisting of up to ten warbler species (which very definitely included typically-early Louisiana W.-thrush.) With no good documentation, such an early report is readily dismissed. To emphasize this point further, even in a thorough list of migrants seen in a good area by multiple experienced birders in southern Virginia on 4/7, Northern Waterthrush was completely absent despite a full dozen species of other wood-warblers found there (including the Louisiana.) Wednesday, 7 April - Very mild air encroached in the NYC area, bringing a new wave of birds to the city & environs - a tremendous volume were part of the overnight flight and continuing northward, while at least a few stopovers included a couple of Black-and-White Warblers in both the north end & the Ramble, & Pine, Palm, Myrtle [Yellow-rumped] continuing in modest numbers, plus Louisiana Waterthrush - as previously seen. At Manhattan's Riverside Park, an (uncommon there) Eastern Bluebird was seen in the northern area (116 St.), with modest numbers of more-expected early migrants scattered about as well. A good day for raptor migration with hundreds of birds seen from some locations in the region. Movement of American Kestrel were part of this, as well as others. (Also in Central Park a neat sighting was a [rarely encountered there] Silver-haired Bat, a different sort of winged migrant - & further things with wings - Green Darner dragonfly made an appearance, in NY's lower Hudson valley.) Incidentally, Black-and-white Warbler also turned up at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, this Wednesday so that at least 2 NYC parks, Central in Manhattan along with Propect in Brooklyn had "5-warbler-species days" first time this year. Common Loon was a fly-over very early in Manhattan... Broad-winged Hawk has made first appearances near NYC. Thursday, 8 April - Another overnight with good migration and at least a few newly-seen drop-ins, and the total warbler species tally rising with an early (but not unprecedented) Northern Parula, which was seen in the north woods by (separately) Jim Demes, then Tom Perlman and also after some effort, by me. Also continuing were the 5 previously- noted warbler species. An early Chimney Swift was over Belvedere Castle at first light - this is a rather early date but as often seems to happen, a single or very few at first, with more in a week or so... and the swifts are also often good indicators that a fine migration of other neotropical-wintering birds may be underway - just as the first big movement of Gray Catbird can predict the same thrust of songbird movement. Get both in big numbers in spring and it's likely a fairly good migration. By the way Chimney Swifts also were sighted in a few other equally north (but west of NYC) locations on this day. In Central this day, a bit of improvement for Sparrow variety with Savannah, Field, Chipping & numbers of Swamp, Song & White-throated, plus a few Slate-colored Juncos and Eastern Towhees as well. The fly- overs were highlighted by (my first observations here of) 5 Snowy Egrets in a group, plus ongoing Great Egrets, both species using the travel sky-corridor that is viewed in the park's north end with the movements overhead nearly all either east or west; Double-crested Cormorants in modest numbers, but mostly moving north. At the reservoir, a Laughing Gull appeared at a typical date there, and some of the usual ducks were lingering: Bufflehead, Ruddy, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall. Wood Duck have also been seen, but not in any numbers. For sheer numbers of migrants, the Hermit Thrush has been hard to beat, with many thru the park, easier to see in the less-busy woods of the northern part perhaps. A species held in lower regard by most birders, Brown-headed Cowbird is more regular, a fair number in diurnal flight passing by, a few stopping off in the park. Incidentally at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden a couple of birders tallied 5 warbler species - Black-and-white, Pine, Palm, Myrtle [Yellow-rumped] and a Louisiana Waterthrush (& other birds). Friday, 9 April - A cool front with rain early the previous night, pushing into Manhattan well before midnight - and seeming to have allowed some migrants to "escape" Central Park before the rain. A look around the Ramble, still under a drizzly sky, allowed a few early sightings including Blue-headed Vireo & Brown Thrasher, each singing from high perches. At the park's southeast corner, a non-singing (but often calling) Louisiana Waterthrush was active near and even on the path along the west edge of the Pond (immediately west of Hallett Sanctuary) which may be one of the better areas to look for migrants in that area on spring migration. Hermit Thrush continued a good presence in all corners, especially the Ramble & north woods. Overall, the past week seemed characterized by a fine ongoing migratory movement aided by the weather, with relatively light "drop- in" as so many birds sailed on past towards "summer" destinations, but clearly noticeable increases in at least a few of the most common migrant /"stop-over" species. May be a while to the next wave of migrants rolls in, but spring sure is here. At hawk-watch sites on Lake Ontario in NY, the first Broad-winged Hawks have been sighted & many more will be expected for the next month and more, along with a dozen or more other raptor species, moving north. Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
