the first of May, 2014 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Migration is underway NOW along the mid-Atlantic coast & plain, with showers / poss. storms having a potential to cause a bit of local "fall-out", maybe around s.e. NY, maybe not. It seemed to happen this May First morning, to some extent. Many of tonight's migrants may still be moving on past the local showers or smaller storms...
Interesting day; a lot of movement early, which included the phenomenon of migrants pushing north in the fog & mist, then south, & eventually north again, with wide dispersal also through the park as evidenced by some migrants in quite odd spots in areas not many birders spend a lot of time (including this obs.) - activity cont. all day in select locations. There were additional species mentioned here & there, some of which may have been found in a variety of areas of the park; all mentioned are species that become rather regular and are annually-ocurring, plus one that is uncommon but regular. Sightings from various points & perhaps several hundred observers at various times between 6 a.m. & 8:20 p.m., on a day that began with fog- mist-low cloud, and went to sun & just a few degrees shy of 80 F. (after 5+ inches of rain the day before with temp. steady at about 50 F.) (Moderately similar = good sightings, were recorded by Brooklyn birders in the well-known locations there along with a few not-as-well- known to all; Common Loon (4, fly-overs) Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron (several fly-bys; also resting & feeding in 2 locations) Great Egret (multiple) Snowy Egret (several, fly-overs at n. end, late p.m.) Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron (multiple, esp. in early a.m. & very late p.m.) Turkey Vulture (fly-over) Canada Goose Brant (8, fly-overs) Wood Duck (drake) Gadwall (multiple) American Black Duck (2) Mallard Northern Shoveler (12+) Bufflehead (several) Ruddy Duck (6 or more) Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Solitary Sandpiper (1, at reservoir n. side, & flying out to nw; ~7:45 p.m.) Spotted Sandpiper (Meer, late p.m.) Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Rock Pigeon (feral) Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo (N. woods near Loch, sunset) Chimney Swift (multiple) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (several) Belted Kingfisher (male & female, seen separately) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1, drab female, Ft. Clinton site near Meer) Downy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (multiple including some diurnal flight to n. & s.) Least Flycatcher (1 seen calling in Loch, late p.m.) Eastern Phoebe (a few noticed) Great Crested Flycatcher (several: s. end, Ramble, n. end) Eastern Kingbird (more than a few, several in diurnal flight) White-eyed Vireo (Great Hill, s. slope, early a.m. - singing) Blue-headed Vireo (multiple but not that many) Yellow-throated Vireo (singing at n. end, late p.m.) Warbling Vireo (multiple; more than a few singing) Red-eyed Vireo (at least 2, Ramble, s. end) Blue Jay (many) American Crow Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow (most numerous by far of the swallows; 150+ fly-overs) Black-capped Chickadee (a few) Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper (fairly late now, one seen well at Great Hill, early a.m.) Carolina Wren (a few seen or heard) House Wren (multiple) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (many, including more females than previously) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (more than a few) Veery (several, incl. at least one singing) Hermit Thrush (multiple) Wood Thrush (several, including at least 2 singing) American Robin Gray Catbird (seen in 5+ locations) Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher (at least several; & singing) European Starling Cedar Waxwing (25+) Blue-winged Warbler (seen by many others, Ramble) Nashville Warbler (several) Northern Parula (several) Yellow Warbler (multiple locations from s. end to n. end) Chestnut-sided Warbler (Upper Lobe area, early a.m.) Magnolia Warbler (male, Pond / e. of Hallett Sanctuary, p.m.) Black-throated Blue Warbler (male, Hallett Sanctuary, p.m.) Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (500+++, incl. many fly-bys) Black-throated Green Warbler (several locations, & singing) Yellow-throated Warbler (still present in late p.m., occ. sang) Pine Warbler (3 locations) Prairie Warbler (more than several) Palm Warbler (60+++, many, many locations throughout park) Black-and-white Warbler (multiple) American Redstart (several, males & female or subadult male) Worm-eating Warbler (at least 2; Ramble & n. woods n. of Loch) Ovenbird (at least several seen / & heard singing) Northern Waterthrush (multiple) Louisiana Waterthrush (at least 2, s. end at Pond; & Loch) Common Yellowthroat (more than a few) Canada Warbler (seen by others, Ramble area) Scarlet Tanager (several, Ramble, s. end, n. end; all ad. males) Eastern Towhee (more than a few) Chipping Sparrow (multiple) Field Sparrow (at least several) Savannah Sparrow (6+, esp. n. end; also s.w. of Pinetum area) Song Sparrow (multiple) Swamp Sparrow (multiple) White-throated Sparrow (many many hundreds, more likely 1000+) White-crowned Sparrow (heard singing / not seen - Great Hill p.m.) Dark-eyed Junco (a bit late; a few) Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak (multiple, including 6+ n. end late in day) Indigo Bunting (at least 2) Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird (many) Orchard Oriole (several; Ramble areas and north end) Baltimore Oriole (multiple - & heard from as many as 15 locations) House Finch American Goldfinch (multiple) House Sparrow Good and responsible birding, Tom Fiore Manhattan ____________ Thanks also to the birder who reminded of (one of) the recent peer- reviewed scientific study[s] concluding that undue, unwarranted, excessive (- and thus unethical) play-back and play of bird song and other sounds that distract birds is an outrage and is also against all scientific principles when done to great excess in any publicly-owned location. Anyone seeing this should speak out and also take video of the offender[s], if it is not stopped. The video may be presented to all birding organizations and clubs as a way of using any sensible means to get an offender to learn their bad behavior can & will have further consequences. If amplified equipment is seen used, a complaint may also be made to the NYC Dept. of Parks, the Central Park Conservancy & to additional law-enforcers. (Do not tolerate criminal behavior in any public place, & if threatened verbally or otherwise, call and report the individuals to police - and do so immediately if there is any suggestion of abuse.) -- 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/ --
