Saturday, 2/16 thru Friday, 2/22, 2018 - A solo male Evening Grosbeak has continued at Manhattan’s Riverside Park in New York City; it has remained for well over 2 months, & has been observed by many hundreds during its stay so far. Early Friday, & on many mornings & some afternoons, it’s been along or near the foot path in the sanctuary part of this park (marked at either end of trail by white ‘forever wild’ signage), and it comes down to the ground & low branches, with patient & quiet observation, at regular intervals - from near W. 117-118 Street (latitude); also occasional a bit farther north, & it’s sometimes very high in surrounding trees, or on the ground & then can be obscured. Patience is key. I have had luck there both at just past sunrise, as well as some mid-day periods, less luck with end-of-day attempts, although some have seen it then.
In Central Park, & also as reported from a few other Manhattan parks, there have been very modest numbers of Purple Finch seen in the past week. Also at Central, over the past full week, a few species have shown some shifts in numbers, including Bufflehead, esp. on the reservoir, with more than 2 dozen at times; and in land-birds, a concentration of American Robins were at the n. end of the park (totals of over 120 on some days) & possibly have moved on. Sparrow species that have overwintered in Central Park so far have included: Field (n. end of the park), Chipping (Ramble), White-crowned (first-winter remained in vicinity of E. 88-91 St., near East Drive or bridle path), [Red] Fox (multiple), Swamp (at least 2 in s. half of park), & typical Song & abundant White-throated Sparrow; Slate-colored Juncos persisted in a few smallish flocks, & Eastern Towhee has as well, with a minimum of 3 just in Central (the latter also at Riverside Park near Grant’s Tomb, and a few in other Manhattan locations this winter). Definite survivors amongst warblers that tried to overwinter on Manhattan island include the male Common Yellowthroat at Union Square Park, and Yellow-rumped Warbler at Inwood Hill Park; there may also be stiill a few other warblers, such as Ovenbird, perhaps others, that did make it through the ups & downs of this very climate-changed winter seen thus far. Many other species of course also wintered in Manhattan; & the chance some freshly-arrived early-birds will start to arrive in coming days, on favorable winds and weather. Vultures and some raptors are lately on the move, being seen and getting going in some parts of the region in the past week. - - - - "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 birding, 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/[email protected]/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/ --
