Sunday, Dec. 20th - Both of the lingering Western Tanagers present in Manhattan (N.Y. City) were seen & photographed Sunday morning; the West 22nd St. tanager was seen just east of Tenth Ave. in fruit-bearing trees, as early as 7:35 a.m.; the Carl Schurz Park (east of East End Ave., the bird mostly near or south of E. 86th within that park) was seen by at least several of us, and was perhaps the more-active & slightly ‘flighty’ of the two, for that morning. Thanks to birder Ed Gaillard helping to point out the tanager & to another keen observer also present as i came along.
More specifics- the W. 22nd St. bird was in trees on the n. side of that street when first noticed, & it also at one point flew out to Tenth Avenue’s east side, just n. of W. 22nd, but then came back to it’s “usual” street. At least 20 additional species of birds were also found on 22nd St. bewteen Tenth & Sixth Ave’s. At Carl Schurz Park, the tanager there was again coming in to one part of one elm tree in particular, where there is a presumed sap-run (possibly one that is not only due to Y.b. Sapsucker drillings, although at least one of the latter is continuing there as well, & is sometimes at least near that tree; the elm being referenced is immediately outside of the playground, & to the south by a few yards of a prominent sign - “Catbird Playground” on the west-facing fence of said playground, this near the n.w. corner of that playground. The tanager had come in several times as at least 3 of us watched, sometimes to eye-level on the large trunk, as well as sitting in the small lowest limb[s] &/or in adjacent trees; this bird & some of the others in that park might also be visiting other elms (for possible sap-runs) & surely various other trees, at times. The area referenced is closer to E. 85th, with the tanager moving about to the n. of that, as well. I happened to notice a fair number of American Robins higher in some trees & some also flying around, perhaps scouting up new food-sources in the area, at & near Carl Schurz. On W. 22nd St., the fruit-source for the birds there is less than it had been, so it’s unclear how many days of feeding from those street side trees will be possible there (however in each of these neighborhooda, which are miles apart, there are various potential food sources on a variety of street or pocket-park trees & perhaps still more frugivore-food on some trees in larger Manhattan parks.) good ongoing CBC-birds & seeking-same, …. "All that twitters is not gold” (anon.) 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/ --
