Plenty more of May, and migration is ongoing - and going… (we have not at all come to Blackpoll Warbler/female saturation, & it will be interesting to see when that gets in full-gear this year).
As a further note to May 15th, one (of several found on the day) Golden-winged Warbler was photographed nicely (D.J.Ringer) at the Central Park (Manhattan) Ramble, & was one of several on that day on passage, with a male elsewhere, and yet another, a female, also seen in same park, in a different area entirely. It’s my uneducated opinion that the 5/15 Golden-winged at the east edge of the Ramble may have been a 1st-year male, with reasonably strong markings on the throat, face, wings. It’s also interesting to note that NONE of the few Golden-winged Warblers seen in Manhattan this spring have been banded birds (as this species is, in a number of known breeding sites - and yes, beyond that one 'southeast-NYS’ forest-site that ~10,000+ NYC-metro area birders go-to - as have been in banding-programs under research license, & in more than just NY state). More than one chat has been sighted (same day, but far-away while in same county, one in Manhattan, & a 2nd on Randall’s Island! - for May 20th.) -- Sunday, May 17th through Wednesday, May 20th - New York County, including Manhattan island (in N.Y. City): New arrivals included: YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, ALDER FLYCATCHER (each species singing &/or calling) - but neither have become at all common so far. Look & listen in coming days, more Empidonax will be passing as will many other migrants. Also worth watching out for may be migrant Nighthawks, and perhaps some additional shorebirds. As well as a variety of other later-moving species & the chance of some rarer species yet to show up. — Sunday, May 17 - A shift in wind from light west to northeast, a lot of migraton that stayed much more inland away from N.Y. City as birds moved up the mid-Atlantic plains & near-coastal ridges… but a lot of migrants stayed in-place, to the delight of Sunday-birders in Manhattan & the nearby-beyond. Some birds which remained IN-place included the Kentucky Warbler in the s. sector of the Ramble of Central Park, with at least 2 additional Kentucky Warblers also found on the day in same park. One which was viewed by MANY observers was in the vicinity of the n.w. arm of the Lake, locally called the “Upper Lobe”. Also still in same area of same park were 3 Summer Tanagers, including a male barely 50 yards north of where seen in Saturday, 5/16. There were at least 2 additional sightings elsewhere in same park of that species: male & female, as well. At least one Golden-winged Warbler, a female, was reported from Central Park, although apparently not widely-seen despite it being at The Point, a very popular birding site within the well-known Ramble, and site of many good sightings, over many seasons. That [Red] Fox Sparrow which was lingering on & on at the Ramble in Central Park was still present. It is capable of flight (observed) & may be off to points-unknown in comning days. The species has been seen to breed in some areas in northern New England where not previously well-known. I’ve been aware of some at (for example) Baxter State Park in Maine for decades, but they are still decidely ‘rare’ there as known breeders & can’t be easily found in a casual visit to that vast, wild state park. A couple of Least Sandipers were again noted at the Central Park reservoir, and the more-regular Spotteds, and a few Solitary Sandpipers also were seen, in Central & in a few other parks in Manhattan. Also ongoing were some Cuckoos of the 2 spp. of the region - Black-billed & Yellow-billed - the latter as is often so in mid-May, the more-frequently noted. A couple of Black Vultures were seen (& photographed) going over Manhattan, passing over Central -& other- parks. Turkey Vulture was also noted, as was Osprey, & Bald Eagle. While many many birds, of a great variety of species were still being seen, there had also been much movement that consisted of exodus from the city and from Manhattan going northwards. A great many of the thrushes of recent days chose to exit, & so the numbers of some, particularly Swainson’s Thrush, were down by as much as 80% or more, depending on locations covered. We may have seen the last of local-migrant Palm Warbler, of Ruby-crowned Kinglet, & some others, for this spring in N.Y. County, but there can always be odd ‘surprises' all through the month of May. — Monday, May 18 - A shift to an easterly wind-flow, initially light, with cooler marine-influenced temperatures, & also much migration, a fair amount of it exodus from city to countryside. The Kentucky Warbler noted at Riverside Park has been reported to this list; that bird was in at least the 3rd separate park or site, and at least 5th distinct place, for the species having been definitively reported from Manhattan island so far this spring-2020. Most of the sightings have been not too surprisngly, at a far-more-birded Central Park. Possible Bicknell’s Thrush have appeared, & some photographed but probably not-definitively, at several parks in Manhattan from (at least) Central on north. Still awaiting one (or more) that might sing…. There are certainly some numbers of gray-cheeked types on passage, and some of those could be Bicknell’s, while some are likely Gray-cheeked. (A Bicknell’s Thrush was audio-recorded & confirmed as that sp. in eBird in Brooklyn-Kings County, NY on 5/16; it’s reasonable to presume some others have been occurring & will be, in the region - and that arrivals at NYS breeding areas have begun, as well, for this threatened, limited-range species.) A Yellow-breasted Chat has lingered on in the Ramble of Central Park, a very obligingly-lengthy stay for the species in one area in spring. This bird has been seen & photographed daily, although it also goes into (typical) super-skulker mode many times each day. Summer Tanagers continued in several locations, one adult male remaining fairly faithful to the Turtle Pond area in Central Park. It may be that a 2nd adult male was not too far away inside the Ramble of Central Park, concurrent to the other; each of these & at least 1 more in that one park, a female, have been photographed - & all are presumed lingerers. Also ongoing, assuming the same was a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Central Park, in a slightly different part of the Lake’s shore area. Overall species-diversity for migrant songbirds and some others were still fairly good, but overall numbers had clearly dropped off, as expected with the weather changes. Some observers were still able to eke out 15 to as many as 20 warbler species on the day, but many averaged far fewer, and the numbers of even the more easily-seen species such as Ovenbirds, Black-throated Blues, American Redstarts, & Common Yellowthroats (as examples) were all down from the numbers of just a few days or more prior-to. Migrant thrush numbers also were lower. Plover-babies… a pair of Killdeer at Randall’s Island have had 2 fledged chicklets. Not a rarity (the nesting & fledging) at that location, but always welcomed. Possible that others are doing this in a very few additional N.Y. County locations. Some locations are now restricted from public-entry (because of viral-related visitor-issues and staffing, & etc). — Tuesday, May 19 - Ongoing, even increasing winds out of an easterly direction, which allowed migrants to fly well-west of the NYC region, and few to newly arrive in this city, at least among songbirds as had been for recent days and weeks. Still seeing lingering birds, such as long-lingering Yellow-breasted Chat in the eastern parts of Central Park’s Ramble; various other migrants in some of same areas they had been as well. The overall numbers of individual migrants was lowered, for all species, and from reports, this was so almost everywhere in the county this day. There were still at least 2 Summer Tanagers, both males in widely separate areas of Central Park, ongoing in areas where seen in prior days as well. The number of Scarlet Tanagers were still fairly good, even though diminished from days earlier. It is quite something to look back on days as recent as 5/16, and before, with all the mass of migrants & also so many late-lingerers up to about that day or the few days prior to then. Incidentally, we are making an assumption there’s just one male SummerTan. in the vicinity of Ramble-east, to nearby Turtle Pond, but it’s also entirely plausible there are 2 birds using those relatively proximate areas. A different male has been in that park’s n.-w. quadrant, & not moving around to that extent. And yet another, obviously different male Summer Tanager was found at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village (Manhattan). As many as 22 American Warbler species were still seen as of this day, in all of Manhattan. That’s not bad but is also down from many prior days. — Wednesday, May 20 - The trend of cooler days, but not-cold nights, continued with northeast to e. wind especially closest to the Atlantic ocean. Migration was ongoing, but locally may have included about as much exodus as influx, at least for many species of migrants. Reports of Summer Tanagers continue at Central Park, including at least 2 in 2 widely separated areas, both adult males, & there is also still one at Riverside Park, although likely different to one seen there previously; also a male & adult-plumaged. However, I’m thinking there may be still at least 2 male Summers in Riverside… a less-birded park than is Central, but it does have some good coverage by keen observers. One report (at least) of a late-ish Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Central Park still seems in-keeping with the general lateness of much of the passerine-push along with other groups of passage-migrants in this area. Scarlet Tanagers, of both sexes, are ongoing or contiuning to pass, as well in multiple parks. With some efforts, up to 18 warbler species are about in the borough of Manhattan, & many of those could be found in just the 3 or 4 largest parks with wooded areas. In some smaller parks were still up to 6 or more warbler species, all in low numbers however. Up to 14 warbler species were in Riverside Park from the latitudes of W. 72nd to W. 124th Streets, & in a few small areas, there were some small flocks. That did not include any KY or Mourning, for me (or others as far as I know) but did include several Bay-breasted, Cape May, and even a slightly-‘late’ Worm-eating near the W. 92 St. ‘bowl' or slope. In an area near W. 108th St. there had been a singing male Tennessee Warbler which was visible at times, unlike some of that species in the much more leafed-out local parks of this week. Plenty of others of same have been heard, glimpsed as well as (by some observers) even photographed & seen fairly well. A report made it to eBird for a (well-described) Yellow-breasted Chat at Randall’s Island, & seen (in case anyone had the thought) near-simultaneously to the ongoing Chat that’s installed in the Central Park Ramble some many miles distant - the Randall’s-Chat was apparently seen well north of the salt-marsh area, poss. in the vicinity of the stadium, which had been quite good (oaks & other large trees nearby) for migrants in recent other visits. A Yellow-breasted Chat also continues what has been a notably long stay in the Central Park Ramble. Sparrows still in Manhattan included Lincoln’s, Swamp, Field, Chipping, Song, White-throated, & (reported) White-crowned & Savannah; the only ones in no’s. still into double-digits in any one park being White-throated, which however have hugely diminished in this period, vacated this city for their breeding grounds. That said, a few of the latter sp. may summer in the city. A lot of the orioles of recent passage have now passed, with some of both Orchard & espically Baltimore now nesting or at least lingering (& some helping at nest-sites, even if not a current progenitor); the same of Indigo Buntings, the latter now a very rare nester (at best) in N.Y. County. We’ve also seen a great diminution of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in a few days. In contrast, Cedar Waxwing no’s. continue, with some flocks of 20-40+ & more, and daily no’s. of 100+ easily seen if one does some sky-watch in a productive location for these. All Catharus thrush numbers had lessened by this date, but some more will be passing, & in amongst those will be more of both Gray-cheeked & Bicknell’s (whether they stop in, or pass by in the nights). A few pairs of Wood Thrushes have been nest-attempting. If discovered, please leave them & all native birds plenty of their needed space and complete quiet. - - - - "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." - Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), U.S. wildlife biologist, conservationist, professor, author, best known for his book "A Sand County Almanac" (1949), which has sold more than two million copies. Good -[and safe through facial-masking & other reasonable Covid-19-cautions]- 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/ --
