It’s not every day you hear of a 69-year-old who will be a ‘mom’ again… a further update on the oldest known bird that has laid an egg - a Laysan Albatross at Midway in the Hawaiian archipelago: https://medium.com/usfwspacificislands/a-reason-for-hope-wisdom-worlds-oldest-known-banded-bird-returns-to-midway-atoll-d69faa9df3b8
— — — — New York County, N.Y. City, including Manhattan & Randall’s Island (and including the surrounding skies & waters) - ... Tues., Dec. 1st - Cold front coming on wind from the s.-w., after all rains had ended, with some sun for part of the day. A Tennessee Warbler has lingered into December, at Inwood Hill Park’s western ballfield edges (Dyckman fields). At least one Baltimore Oriole continued on at Riverside Park, back near the playground at W. 82 St. ‘latitude' in the part of the park nearer Riverside Drive. A lingering Lincoln’s Sparrow made it into December at Union Square Park. ... Wed., Dec. 2nd - Chillier temp’s. & more clouds, on gusting wind from southwest. A Great Egret was seen & photographed (E. Schwarz) at Randall’s Island - a very late date for the county. A Wood Thrush has been photographed at Bryant Park, in flowerbeds not far from the skate-rink entrance. (This is very late, but there are documented records of this species in Manhattan in mid-winter, & slightly more records from this time of year; it is not unprecedented.) A Lincoln’s Sparrow continued on at Union Square Park. A Baltimore Oriole has been lingering at Morningside Park. ... Thurs., Dec. 3rd - Cold previous night, then warming slightly under far more sun, with westerly winds. A Blackpoll Warbler was lingering, quite late now, at Inwood Hill Park, & an Orange-crowned Warbler was also seen there. At least 2 Baltimore Orioles continued at 2 Manhattan parks. Below are some of the more than 100 species of birds seen in N.Y. County in the 3 days of this report. Thanks to many who were afield & also reported sightings. Canada Goose [Atlantic] Brant Mute Swan Wood Duck Gadwall American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant (multiple) Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret (Randall’s Island) Black-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Killdeer (few) Ring-billed Gull [American] Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon owls of at least 3 spp. Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker Blue Jay Common Raven American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush (Bryant Park; photographed) American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling House Sparrow Cedar Waxwing Eastern Towhee American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow [Red] Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Slate-colored Junco Red-winged Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Baltimore Oriole (at least several) - Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler (several) Nashville Warbler (several) Cape May Warbler Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (several) Palm Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Ovenbird (several) Common Yellowthroat (several) - Northern Cardinal Purple Finch House Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch …. On December 1st, a minimum of 4 species of Syrphid flies (commonly known as flower-flies or ‘hover-flies’), in 3 genera, were found & photographed in just one linear mile of Manhattan’s upper west side parks. Modest numbers of other adult insects have been seen even now as December is here. (For those curious, 3 of the 4 species of Syrphid flies were found in Morningside Park, which was still enjoying a wide diversity of flowers in bloom with some in modest quantity.) …... With the viral pandemic still very much all around us, PLEASE do use and take all possible precautions to keep yourself and all others around safe! Thank You & Be Well. - - - - - "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” - Teddy Roosevelt (26th president of the U.S.A.) "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglass (1818-1895; U.S. statesman, orator, writer) Good birding to all - and thanks to the many who also keep the birds’ best interests at heart when out in the field - and limit any possible disturbances to the birds’ requirements for food, shelter, & safety, including for the many migrants a safe passage on their often long journeys as well as birds on roost sites. 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/ --