While somewhat-muted excitement can be found by birders able to access the waters off & ponds & land by & close to the Atlantic, Long Island Sound, &/or other "points east”, thanks to a close approach by the latest storm, “Jose”, to affect our region, a further worrisome storm (in terms of potential harms to humans & much flora & fauna, and all life), named “Maria”, is pushing into the eastern Caribbean, and had been strengthening as it was moving on to or near multiple islands there. In addition to the recent near-total human devastation on some islands of the Caribbean, we may have nearly lost (& hopefully, not lost entirely) an entire species, the Barbuda Warbler, an endemic found on its namesake island - only much time & future surveying will tell how that bird fared thru their known catastrophic damage to all human settlement, and to most of the life of that island. It is a very rough year already for such storms of the tropical-cyclone type, and the seasonal cycle is very far from natural completion. “Maria” has the potential to hit multiple islands that have not had any time yet to recover from the most recent devastation, some of those islands host multiple endemic bird species as well as numerous other resident & migratory birds. The human toll is one of the parts of the damages from these horrible storms.
We might all re-double our efforts to not bring any unnecessary stresses to the birds we are finding in our area, many of which are - those being seen right now - migrants which either winter (the majority of their annual life-cycles) in, or pass through some of the many areas being so seriously-affected by the storms this season. It is a good thing to realize what the entirety of our migrant birds’ lives include, not only the fairly brief times they pass through on biannual migrations, or even the few critical months that some take to breed in our forests, fields or wetlands (of those not doing so in taiga or tundra habitat); above all, neotropical-wintering migrants must have sound habitat to winter in, and that is the better part of any year for them. A modest or small number of species may be “fortunate” in ability to adapt somewhat to rapid changes in habitat or quality of habitat, but many, very many, likely do not. And there is no place else to go for some unique, endemic species (applicable to many living things, not just birds nor animals). For some, if their habitats go, they will be gone, not able to survive on this planet - extinguished forever. Please - give a thougt to this, and do nothing that might add the slightest stress to any migrants passing through. — — — Followers of the Maine-Birds list (as I often am) will know that an uncommonly-lengthy stay by a FORK-tailed Flycatcher is continuing this Tuesday (9/19) & has been seen often over now 4 days, at Gilsland Farm, in Falmouth, on the s./mid-coast of Maine. (Also making appearances just offshore on Monhegan Island in Maine quite recently were a Say’s Phoebe, & a Painted Bunting.) - - - - - Some migrants are present this Tuesday, Sept. 19th in Central Park, & interestingly these include a modest no. of species which are Caribbean-wintering, & including such species now a bit “late” such as Prairie Warbler; & also Blue-winged Warbler which is not a typical mid-fall migrant. Already at least 14 warbler spp. seen for Tues. in Central, with additions fairly likely. Additional reports for Tuesday and days ahead, yet to come. Also seen early Tuesday were several Common Nighthawks moving past the Great Lawn; while not at all unprecedented in daytime in Sept., their main migrations are typically a bit earlier. (As the season progresses, that species may show up in full daylight-hours a bit more than seen in the main periods of southbound movement.) - - - - - Saturday-Sunday-Monday, 16th-17th-18th September, 2017 Central Park (and a few other sites in) Manhattan, N.Y. City - Good migration on Friday & Saturday nights over all of the northeast was more in evidence as 'drop-in’ on Saturday in Central Park, a bit less so by Sunday, & far less by Monday, with many migrants having moved on by then. A modest surprise, no longer the shock it would have been just 20 years ago, was a young (prob. 2nd-year) Bald Eagle barely clearing some buildings on Central Park West, as it moved from east (thus over the park) to west, near W. 81 St., meaning it ‘chose' to overfly the American Museum of Natural History & its adjacent Margaret Mead Park, as it certainly continued on to the Hudson river a few short city blocks west: this was about 3 p.m. Monday. Some of the birds still around by Monday were lingerers, possibly including a number not yet fattened-up properly for a major onward migration. This is somewhat typical of southbound migration, & there will be more stragglers seen (as there are logically, many more total-individual birds, with young-of-the-year added to all thec adult birds that are making return journeys south) as well as those which do not all depart en masse as a “cold” (or high-pressure) front comes in. But overall, as expected, vast numbers of migrants did move on through the past few days, with very few on succeeding days to replace the ‘departees’. Quite evident were the lack of Chimney Swift by Monday, as well as far-lower numbers of some flycatchers (Empidonax, in particular) while very modest numbers & variety in some later-season migrants began to grow a bit. Such species as Blue-headed Vireo & Pine Warbler, already having been present in Central & other NYC parks over a week or more, have just slightly increased; E. Phoebe another example of the same, shorter-distance sort of migrant. Still at least 21 Warbler species were present in the 3-day period, with (at least) 19 of them seen into Monday, 9/18. Overall numbers of many were diminished by then. A shy warbler (which soon escaped viewing) photographed by Karen Fung on the Great Hill on Friday, 9/15 appeared (in my opinion, from the enlarged photos) to be a Connecticut, probably a 1st-year female. The next morning 9/16, an adult male Mourning Warbler was found in the same general area on the Great Hill, by Tom Perlman. The Connecticut was searched-for on Sat. but not definitively seen, & not photographed again. 2 drake Wood Ducks continued at The Pond in the SE part of Central Park. Perhaps not lingering at all were 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers found in Central Park on Sun., 9/17, one an adult with full red ‘hood’, & a 1st-year bird totally lacking red; both moved past the Pinetum early Saturday, & despite searches made the following 2 days, including in areas where this species will sometimes remain (in winter, mainly) neither found (yet) again, but this is fairly typical of the earlier-“fall” appearances of the species in Central, it is later-season Red-headeds that may tend to “stick”, & sometimes set up in a territory for a winter & early spring. Seen at Bryant Park (Manhattan) on Sat., 9/16 - 1 Swamp & 2 White-throated Sparrows, 2 Ovenbirds, 3 Common Yellowthroats, & 1 Blackpoll Warbler. Riverside Park (near the Hudson river, in Manhattan) has seemed quieter, but visits there have been almost all late in day[s]. A modest number of the most-common migrants have been noted, esp. in the 80’s-90’s to 108th Street sections of the park, away from the river, often closer to Riverside Drive. Central Park, Sat. thru Mon. 9/16-17-18: Double-crested Cormorant (regular at the reservoir, & flyovers) Great Blue Heron (irregular locations & times, each day so far) Great Egret (cont. at The Pond, thru Mon. 9/18, many obs.) Black-crowned Night-Heron (irregular lately, but often at Pond) Canada Goose Wood Duck (3, including 2 drakes at The Pond) Gadwall (up to 12 at Meer, & others elsewhere) American Black Duck (few, Meer, Reservoir etc.) Mallard Northern Shoveler (10 or more, Meer, Reservoir) Osprey (fly-overs on each of past 3 days) Bald Eagle (2nd-year, very low fly-over on 9/18) Northern Harrier (fly-over, 9/17) Sharp-shinned Hawk (several) Cooper's Hawk (several) Red-tailed Hawk (daily) American Kestrel (daily) Merlin (fly-over, 9/16) Peregrine Falcon (uncommon local residents) Solitary Sandpiper (reservoir, Sat. 9/16) Spotted Sandpiper (several locations, to 9/18) Laughing Gull (fewer, but regular at reservoir, mainly on the dike) Ring-billed Gull (many gathered on dike at the reservoir) [American] Herring Gull (also most numerous on reservoir) Great Black-backed Gull (common at the reservoir) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove (common) Yellow-billed Cuckoo (several ongoing in Ramble & n. end) Common Nighthawk (3, 9/17) Chimney Swift (very few still seen as of 9/18) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (fewer, ongoing into 9/18) Red-headed Woodpecker (2 in quick succession, Sun. 9/17, adult & 1st-yr.) Red-bellied Woodpecker (resident) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a few noted, perhaps lingering) Downy Woodpecker (resident) Yellow-shafted Flicker (regular; not v. many now lingering) Eastern Wood-Pewee (few remained after Sat., 9/16) Empidonax [genus] Flycatcher (very few remained after 9/16) Eastern Phoebe (slight additional arrival, thru period, still so far uncommon) Great Crested Flycatcher (at least 2, n. end, to Sun., 9/17) Blue-headed Vireo (at least several, continuing in Ramble, others at n. end) Yellow-throated Vireo (9/16 & 9/17, in Ramble) Warbling Vireo (very few remaining by 9/18) Philadelphia Vireo (several, both n. end & Ramble, thru Sun. 9/17) Red-eyed Vireo (uncommon by Mon. 9/18) Blue Jay (fairly common, throughout park) American Crow Tree Swallow (modest flight on Sat., 9/16) Barn Swallow (modest flight on Sat., 9/16) Black-capped Chickadee (still very scarce) Tufted Titmouse (rather scarce) White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren (few, vocal at times) House Wren (thru at least Sun. 9/17) Winter Wren (scarce so far, still early) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (very sparse by Mon., 9/18) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (to at least Sun., 9/17) Veery (multiple thru Sun., then sparse by Mon. 9/18) Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush (several of this type, to Sun. 9/17) Swainson's Thrush (multiple, & ongoing, fewer by Mon. 9/18) Wood Thrush (present to at least Sun., 9/17) American Robin (common) Gray Catbird (fairly common to at least Sun., & less so by Mon. 9/18) Northern Mockingbird (widespread, through park) Brown Thrasher (multiple, but not many, still a bit early) European Starling Cedar Waxwing (small flocks seen daily, but fewer by Mon. 9/18) Tennessee Warbler (several, thru Mon., 9/18, still more as of Sat. 9/16) Nashville Warbler (several thru Sun. 9/17) Northern Parula (fairly common, multiple even thru 9/18) Yellow Warbler (several, thru Sunday 9/17; singleton on Mon. 9/18) Chestnut-sided Warbler (several to Sun., 9/17; singleton Mon. 9/18) Magnolia Warbler (fewer by Mon., 9/18) Cape May Warbler (far fewer but cont. in n. end & several other areas, into Mon. 9/18) Black-throated Blue Warbler (fewer but ongoing, in multiple locations to Mon. 9/18) Black-throated Green Warbler (few, thru at least Sun. 9/17) Pine Warbler (multiple locations to Mon. 9/18) Palm Warbler (both forms seen, to Mon. 9/18) Bay-breasted Warbler (small no’s. & continued to Mon., 9/18) Blackpoll Warbler (fewer, but multiple, cont. into Mon., 9/18) Black-and-white Warbler (fewer, but cont. into Mon., 9/18) American Redstart (far fewer, but still in multiple to Sunday; & few found to Mon., 9/18) Ovenbird (ongoing, to Mon. 9/18) Northern Waterthrush (lingering, v. few remaining but cont. to Mon. 9/18) Mourning Warbler (at least to Saturday, 9/16 on Great Hill, north end of park: adult male) Common Yellowthroat (far fewer, but still in multiple to Mon. 9/18) Hooded Warbler (at least 1 lingering to Mon., 9/18) Wilson's Warbler (thru Mon., 9/18) As noted above, I believe (along with some others) a Connecticut Warbler was photographed in Central Park’s north end on Friday, 9/15. However, some expert birders believe it to have been a female Mourning rather than a CT. Scarlet Tanager (still a few thru Mon., 9/18, much reduced from earlier in past week) Chipping Sparrow (few into Mon. 9/18, still no large movements & still early for such) Savannah Sparrow (to Sunday, 9/17) Song Sparrow (resident species, as well as a later-fall migrant) Lincoln's Sparrow (several to Sunday, 9/17) Swamp Sparrow (few, & still early for main push) White-throated Sparrow (few, and still early for main arrival of this common winter-er) Northern Cardinal (common) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (multiple thru at least Sun., 9/17) Indigo Bunting (multiple on Sat., a very small “flight”, 9/16) Bobolink (few, Sat. early a.m., a modest mixed passerine flight, 9/16) Red-winged Blackbird (few) Common Grackle (common resident & migrant) Brown-headed Cowbird (few, to at least Sun., 9/17) Baltimore Oriole (several to Sun., 9/17) House Finch (fairly widespread but uncommon resident) American Goldfinch (relatively few, found thru Mon. 9/18) House Sparrow (ubiquitous & pestiferous urban resident) Butterfly sightings in Central Park (as well as Riverside Park, & other Manhattan parks) have included numerous Monarchs, with well over 100 on some days; additional species have included Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail (now getting “late”), Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue (bit late), Summer Azure (also bit late), Gray Hairstreak (thru at least Sunday, photo’d), Red-banded Hairstreak (also to at least Sun., photo’d), White M Hairstreak (in previous week), Pearl Crescent (getting modestly late), Red Admiral, American Lady, Painted (a.k.a. ‘Cosmopolitan) Lady (an ‘outbreak of the latter species recently!), Eastern Comma, Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, Common Buckeye (now scarce in Central, had a good summer locally), Silver-spotted Skipper (getting late & getting more scarce), Wild Indigo Duskywing (in the multiple lately), Peck’s Skipper (few), Dun Skipper (few), Zabulon Skipper, Sachem (fairly common in some locations, esp. recently), Fiery Skipper (increased in last week or more), & probably some other, less-common species found by serious butterfly observers. The Monarch numbers generally seem as good, or better, than they have in many years, a hopeful thing thus far; their main push southward in most years is about now through October, according to the weather (& winds). There have been many other insect sightings (often photographed) by a number of observers in multiple locations in Central and other Manhattan parks just recently. On southwest winds, rather than seeking Monarchs, some observers will keep eyes peeled for “southern” affinity species. Northerly winds, in addition to raptors migrating, may bring multiple Monarchs winging towards the southwest, enroute in the direction of (ultimately for the species) central Mexican highlands for their wintering. Thanks to the many who quietly & patiently seek out migrants & other wildlife of the area. Good birding, and other observing, 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/ --
