Update for Friday, 8 June, in just Central Park: Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Wood Thrush, Cedar Waxwing - - at least 9 warbler species: Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler (several), Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler (multiple), Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart (multiple), Common Yellowthroat (several), Canada Warbler - - & Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole (many, House Finch, American Goldfinch, & more than a dozen additional either very common or resident bird species.
- - - - - - Manhattan, New York City - While it’s been evident, and rather expected, that migration rather generally, and especially the migration of songbirds, wound down since after the Memorial weekend in late May, there have been ongoing migrants and migrations taking place in the ten days or so since then, in & over Manhattan island. There were still a minimum of ten warbler species being seen in Central Park alone right into Thursday, June 7th, & also a number of those “late” migrants in that park on Friday morning (June 8th). None of the finds of these past ten+ days have been extraordinary nor even at all unexpected or surprising, as there are always some migrant songbird still passing thru, usually in modest numbers, into the month of June, some even well into the month. There also tend to be (almost always very small numbers of) some migrants that may be non-breeders, which do not go on to their typical nesting-grounds, &/or simply do not make it out of the local parks, and may remain in them here in the city, for days, weeks, or occasionally, much of a summer. It can be interesting to keep an eye on some of these, to see if there is any sign at all of breeding-attempts, but often, these are individuals that are not mated, & may not have even a potential species-partner in the immediate area, by the time migration has wound-down so completely. It is precisely in such “species-poor” locations as Central (in terms of relative breeding numbers, for example as related to some location that might be a woodland 30 miles out of the city of New York, or even relative to a woods that is within the city!) & some of the other parks in inner-urban Manhattan, where, when a migrant is found in the midst of its’ species breeding season, it can illustrate how there are such non-breeders (in a place such as say Central Park etc.), & also how “late” some of migration may go on into spring… & as well, how ‘early' some migrants can (even in June) be starting a return-voyage south, which can (for some individual songbirds) start even just around when summer has just begun (according to our calendars, that is)… All that said, it’s not that unusual that there are still a small number of various songbirds & other migrants that continue to pass through… a fair number seen now are females, and it is also interesting to note that the species make-up is not all of species known to breed in the very-northernmost parts of the N. American continent (although some also may still be working towards far-north places, such as some late flycatchers, or of course some thrushes such as Gray-cheeked, and some warblers such as Blackpolls & others. A majority of the numbers of individuals, as well as the species-diversity, were seen at the end of May & first 2 days of June; however many migrants still continued even to the most-recent several days, on relatively favorable winds, or lack of wind, at night in the area. A very modest movement of waders, a.k.a. shorebirds, also were noted from several observation points, esp. in northern Manhattan’s river-edges & small “inlets". Lightly-annoated list of species for Manhattan (Battery to Inwood areas, i.e., the length of Manhattan island) & in the past 10+ days of observation: Common Loon (few ongoing to 2 June, flyovers all moving in northerly direction) Double-crested Cormorant (regular, many obs. points) Great Blue Heron (2 sightings, May & into early June) Great Egret (regular sightings of fly-overs, far fewer seen feeding) Snowy Egret (regular as fly-overs, most from between the “latitudes” of 96th to about 129th Streets, going east or west) Green Heron (multiple, with several pairs nesting) Black-crowned Night-Heron (regular, all being visitors, & some frequenting same areas for long stretches) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (1 lingering to early June) Turkey Vulture (occasional to at least early June) Canada Goose (multiple, & multiple bred w/goslings) Brant (few thru at least 1 June, Hudson river locations) Wood Duck (2 drakes continued in Central Park thru all of the period, locations same as previous) Gadwall (several, Harlem & Hudson river locations) American Black Duck (2, Hudson river n. of W. 145 St.) Mallard (common & multiple nestings, w/ducklings) Osprey (few, seen to 3 June over Manhattan & the rivers) Bald Eagle (1 adult, seen from Fort Tryon Park, late May) Cooper's Hawk (location undisclosed, but appears to be a single, into early June) Red-tailed Hawk (multiple locations all over Manhattan - some w/fledgelings now) American Coot (1 likely badly-injured or ill, persisted at CP reservoir to end of May) Black-bellied Plover (6 fly-overs, n. Manhattan, 3 June) Semipalmated Plover (n. Manhattan, 3 June) Killdeer (several locations, n. Manhattan) Spotted Sandpiper (fewer by June, 1 on 2 June in C.P.) Short-billed Dowitcher (seen-heard, 2 in n. Manhattan, moving on towards NE, 3 June) Laughing Gull (mostly from s. end of Manhattan, “few") Ring-billed Gull (uncommon since late May but still a few in scattered sightings) [American] Herring Gull (regular) Great Black-backed Gull (regular, including at CP reservoir) Common Tern (NY Harbor from s. end of Manhattan, June) Forster's Tern (as for above sp.) Black Skimmer (2, from Battery Park, 31 May, flying WSW) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon (common) Mourning Dove (common, & have nested) American Kestrel (not rare & have nested) Peregrine Falcon (not rare & have nested) Black-billed Cuckoo (to at least 1 June, Central Park) Yellow-billed Cuckoo (several, into June in multiple locations) Common Nighthawk (few, to at least 3 June, Central Park, & elsewhere) Chimney Swift (diminished no’s. since 3 June) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (few; locations now undisclosed) Red-bellied Woodpecker (regular, some nesting) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (persisiting VERY late, Madison Square Park to 1 June) Downy Woodpecker (regular, some nesting) Hairy Woodpecker (several parks, possibly nesting; locations are now undisclosed) Yellow-shafted Flicker (multiple in multiple parks, nesting now) Olive-sided Flycatcher (several, with 1 to at least 4 June in Central Park’s n. end) Eastern Wood-Pewee (many, some apparently nesting, also some migrants were ongoing) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (diminished but still a few to at least 4 June, in several locations) Acadian Flycatcher (several locations & should be watched for potential as nesters in any NYC locations now) Alder Flycatcher (at least 2 calling in late May, 1 present to at least 2 June) Willow Flycatcher (several to end of May, but all apparently now moved on) Great Crested Flycatcher (multiple, no’s. of pairs & a few apparently nesting in the quieter areas of large parks) Eastern Kingbird (many nesting, & already some hatchlings at 2 nests, multiple locations & parks) Yellow-throated Vireo (2 thru 4 June, will be monitored; rare nesting species in parts of NYC, & has nested even in Central Park in modern era) Warbling Vireo (common, many nesting pairs & some appear to be feeding young; in multiple locations & parks) Red-eyed Vireo (still migrants passing as of 8 June; also some nesting, an uncommon nester in many larger Manhattan parks) Blue Jay (common, nesting) American Crow (various nests observed, some with fledglings) Tree Swallow (daily sightings) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (daily sightings) Barn Swallow (common, daily sightings / nesting) Cliff Swallow (1 to 31st May, Central Park; not noted since then) Black-capped Chickadee (now quite uncommon nesting, various parks) Tufted Titmouse (uncommon nester) White-breasted Nuthatch (nesting, not rare & found in multiple parks in Manhattan) Carolina Wren (few noted, but may be much quieter in nesting period) House Wren (common, and nesting in a number of Manhattan parks) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (uncommon-rare as a Manhattan breeder, & locations now undisclosed) Veery (few, thru 3 June) Gray-cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush (only Gray-cheeked ID’d to species if-when singing or calling well; some poss. Bicknell’s also but not heard; thru 8 June) Swainson's Thrush (diminshed no’s. after 2 June, but still a few into the week after) Wood Thrush (uncommon to rare nester in Manhattan & locations now undisclosed) American Robin (common, some on at least 2nd nest-cycle now) Gray Catbird (common, many nesting) Northern Mockingbird (fairly common) Brown Thrasher (increasingly scarce; & as with all native bird species, any intentional harrassment is a punishable offense) European Starling (common) Cedar Waxwing (multiple migrants ongoing into early June; multiple Manhattan nesting locations as is also typical & expected) - Blue-winged Warbler (uncommon so late, 1 to at least 31 May) Tennessee Warbler (several into early June, & at least 1 still on 4 June in Central Park) Nashville Warbler (uncommon so late, 1 to at least 1 June, Central Park) Northern Parula (multiple, not unexpected into early June) Yellow Warbler (multiple, including in typical nesting locations in n. Manhattan; also some ongoing late migrants passing thru) Chestnut-sided Warbler (modestly late, 2 to early June in Central Park) Magnolia Warbler (multiple thru early June, several ongoing to at least 8 June) Cape May Warbler (modestly late, 1 female, to at least 1 June, Central Park) Black-throated Blue Warbler (multiple, into early June; & at least 1 to 8 June) Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (odd, late, but often found as single in June, to 8 June, Central Park) Black-throated Green Warbler (fairly late, 1 to 5 June, Ft. Tryon Park) Blackburnian Warbler (multiple, into early June, most were females or 1st-year; & to June 8 in Central Park) Prairie Warbler (1, quite late in Manhattan in June, to 2 June in Riverside Park’s “sanctuary”, n. of W. 118 St.) Bay-breasted Warbler (after a very strong spring, less-surprising with 1 to 5 June, Central Park) Blackpoll Warbler (modest no’s. ongoing into early June; minimum of 4 females to 8 June) Black-and-white Warbler (small no’s. ongoing in early June, which is not unusual in Manhattan’s larger parks) American Redstart (minimum of 10, mostly females, & a few singing 1st-year males, 8 June in several parks) Worm-eating Warbler (slightly late, in Central Park to 1 June, north end) Ovenbird (few, still a few in early June in various locations in Manhattan) Northern Waterthrush (2 continuing to 8 June, in 2 separate locations in Manhattan) Mourning Warbler (to at least 3 June; likely some additional passed thru & could still be for another week or so) Common Yellowthroat (multiple, including a few attempting to nest, various locations in Manhattan) Hooded Warbler (a bit late for Manhattan, to at least 5 June, Central Park) Wilson's Warbler (singing male had persisted in Central Park to at least 3 June; not noted since by me or others) Canada Warbler (fairly common to early June, now scarce but still present to 8 June) - Scarlet Tanager (still present in early June in a few locations) Eastern Towhee (comments as for Brown Thrasher) Chipping Sparrow (small numbers now nesting, or attempting to) Field Sparrow (uncommon so late, to at least 1 June) Song Sparrow (multiple nesting & some fledglings out) Lincoln's Sparrow (to at least 30 May, & in several locations then) Swamp Sparrow (“rare” in June in Manhattan, 1 noted w/location withheld) White-throated Sparrow (several, persisting into June, scant but regular in summers in Manhattan w/ NO evidence of breeding) Northern Cardinal (common, nested &/or nesting) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (uncommon, has nested in Manhattan in modern era, & may be doing so again this year) Indigo Bunting (scant breeder in Manhattan in modern era, and occasional summering birds w/no breeding observed; 2 into June this year) Red-winged Blackbird (uncommon breeding in Manhattan) Common Grackle (fairly common in Manhattan about all year these days) Brown-headed Cowbird (few, scarce in summer in Manhattan) Orchard Oriole (scarce but regular breeder & locations undisclosed) Baltimore Oriole (regular & fairly common breeder, with “helpers” additionally often also in or near some nesting areas) House Finch (scattered breeding - & wandering a bit, all around Manhattan) American Goldfinch (few now; some migrants were likely still about thru all of May) House Sparrow (overly ubiquitous & pestiferous, & can be damaging to native songbirds) At least the following butterflies have been noted & documented in Central Park alone so far this spring: Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Red-banded Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue, “Summer” Azure, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, Eastern Comma, American Lady, Red Admiral, Red-spotted Purple (uncommon to rare in Central, although regular in N.Y. City), Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, Zabulon Skipper, a minimum of 17 species, most (except as noted) rather expected by this time of year (& in the modern era). A smaller number of odonate (damselfly & dragonfly) species recorded so far this spring, but in much more casual observing. Many scores of various other insects in many families also have been noted. - - - - - - In addition to the many other pieces recently written on the big migration-flight witnessed in Quebec (Canada) in late May, there was a note in the Audubon.org’s news-blog. https://www.audubon.org/news/incredible-combination-factors-leads-historic-migration-flight So…. speaking of Stygian Owl: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46217270 <https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46217270> Yes, that’s Key West, a bit beyond the south tip of peninsular Florida… and not really that far off from where the species is known, in (along with the farther-away Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola) Cuba. It’s also a species that has a very broad, seemingly modestly-disjunct range going well thru much of Central & South America, & much of Mexico (as considered a part of N. America geographically, in part, if not ‘politically’, and not in its entirety in geological terms), there south of a certain rough line. The species is documented well in Texas, also - but very rarely so, perhaps only twice there, & in the 1990’s. . . . . "Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?” - Rachel Carson (1907-1964; marine biologist, conservationist, author whose books include ‘Silent Spring’. Sir David Attenborough has remarked that that book may have had an effect on science second only to Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”.) good -& quiet and ethical- birding & other nature-observing to all, 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/ --
