It is interesting to look at arrival dates in the more northerly parts of the breeding range - for example Peters & Burleigh (The Birds of Newfoundland) give the earliest date for Ovenbird as May 19 and Common Yellowthroat as May 27!
Paul Sweet At 03:31 PM 5/25/2011, Shaibal Mitra wrote: >The yellowthroats and Ovenbirds were surely regular migrants heading >north (the date for my Ovenbird max at Fire Island was as late as 19 >May). For abundant passerine migrants, I doubt that floaters >contribute significantly to maximum counts. > >Many common migrants max out much later than people suspect >(Red-eyed Vireo and American Redstart are good examples of birds >that probably haven't peaked yet this year). Even your Hooded >Warbler yesterday was only slightly tardy for arrival in southern >New England. At my old study site in Rhode Island's Great Swamp, >which is about as far northeast as Hooded Warblers breed at high >densities, the number of males on territory tended not to max out >until around 20-25 May. > >Part of the reason that these very heavy late spring movements are >under-detected is probably that birders tend to under-count common >species, particularly those that also breed locally. Another reason >seems to be that the pace of spring migration accelerates as the >season advances, so individual birds might be making longer flights >and/or briefer stopovers in our migrant traps now, as compared to >late April/early May. > >Shai Mitra >Bay Shore > > > >---------- >From: bounce-32274422-3714...@list.cornell.edu >[bounce-32274422-3714...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve Walter >[swalte...@verizon.net] >Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 2:53 PM >To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu >Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out > >In the past, I've heard the term "floater" used. This applies to >maybe first year individuals or others that, for whatever reason, >have not yet established a territory. This would likely apply to >many species. One of the things in Alley that tipped me off that >birds had moved was the number of Ovenbirds I heard singing. This is >an early migrant and the Queens parks had emptied out on them prior >to yesterday. A couple of Baltimore Orioles were among the birds at >Jones Beach. They arrive early, for the most part, and I don't >believe nest on the beach. And of course, Hooded Warbler is not >something to be expected to still be in migration (and this was a >male). The floater phenomenon might be especially evident in >generally southern breeders (because they are the first to complete >their migrations). As an example, I remember a Swainson's Warbler >years ago that appeared at Forest Park right about this time. This >could explain the later moving Common Yellowthroats -- or they could >be the northernmost breeders just timing their migration appropriately. > >Steve Walter > > > >From: <mailto:shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>Shaibal Mitra >Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 1:36 PM >To: <mailto:NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)>NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu) >Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out > >Remnants of yesterday's coastal flight were still evident during a >brief visit to Robert Moses SP this morning. > >Most interesting to me were large numbers of passage-migrant Common >Yellowthroats bouncing westward and getting up into the pines and >other settings neglected by the local breeders. In retrospect, I >probably only saw about seven undoubted migrant yellowthroats during >a twenty minute walk (during which I probably saw or heard a >comparable number of local breeders), but given the mechanics of >bird detection on the barrier-beach, there must have been hundreds >of migrant yellowthroats navigating the puckerbrush today (our >single-day max at the nearby Fire Island Lighthouse was 99 banded on >22 May 1999). > >Given that the species has been back for about a month and is an >abundant and ubiquitous breeder across the state, this kind of >flight probably wouldn't be discernible in most settings. I wonder >whether even a tool as powerful as eBird is likely to detect a major >flight of this kind--or the counter-intuitive fact that Common >Yellowthroat migration in southeastern NYS peaks as late as the >fourth week of May? > >Shai Mitra >Bay Shore > >---------- >From: bounce-32011424-11143...@list.cornell.edu >[bounce-32011424-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Steve >Walter [swalte...@verizon.net] >Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 7:46 PM >To: NYSBirds >Subject: [nysbirds-l] Jones Beach fall out > >There was a bit of a fall out this morning at Jones Beach West End. >Not overwhelming, but you didn't have to look hard for the next >bird. Most notable were Hooded, Wilson's, Tennessee, and >Blackburnian Warblers. Most numerous were Blackpoll, Magnolia, and >Parula. I only noticed this when reviewing pictures. One of the >Parulas was missing an eye. It's made it a long way like that. Also >seen were a few diurnal migrants such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird, >Eastern Kingbird, Cedar Waxwing, and Bobolink. It's reassuring to >find that a warm front - fog combo can still produce on the beach in spring. > >Considering the above, the Queens parks were disappointing in the >afternoon (although a very early morning check of Alley convinced me >that there was worthwhile migrant activity overnight). The saving >grace at the Forest Park waterhole was an incredibly accommodating >Black-billed Cuckoo. It made three visits over a two hour period, >affording low, close, and open looks. > > >Steve Walter >Bayside, NY > >-- >NYSbirds-L List Info: ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME>Welcome and Basics ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES>Rules and Information ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>Subscribe, > >Configuration and Leave >Archives: ><http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html>The >Mail Archive ><http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L>Surfbirds ><http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html>BirdingOnThe.Net >Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>eBird! >-- > > >---------- > >Change is in the Air - <http://www.csi.cuny.edu/tobaccofree>Smoking >in Designated Areas Only as of July 1, 2011 >-- >NYSbirds-L List Info: ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME>Welcome and Basics ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES>Rules and Information ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>Subscribe, > >Configuration and Leave >Archives: ><http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html>The >Mail Archive ><http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L>Surfbirds ><http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html>BirdingOnThe.Net >Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>eBird! >-- >-- >NYSbirds-L List Info: ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME>Welcome and Basics ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES>Rules and Information ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>Subscribe, > >Configuration and Leave >Archives: ><http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html>The >Mail Archive ><http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L>Surfbirds ><http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html>BirdingOnThe.Net >Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>eBird! >-- > > >---------- > >Change is in the Air - <http://www.csi.cuny.edu/tobaccofree>Smoking >in Designated Areas Only as of July 1, 2011 >-- >NYSbirds-L List Info: ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME>Welcome and Basics ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES>Rules and Information ><http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm>Subscribe, > >Configuration and Leave >Archives: ><http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html>The >Mail Archive ><http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L>Surfbirds ><http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html>BirdingOnThe.Net >Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>eBird! >-- Paul Sweet Collection Manager Department of Ornithology Division of Vertebrate Zoology American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NY 10024 sw...@amnh.org Tel 212 769 5780 Fax 212 769 5759 Cell 718 757 5941 Skype:pablodulce http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/staff/paul-sweet -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES 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://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
