With so many birders and others from many states (including from NY state) having gone up to Maine recently to observe the extraordinary Steller’s Sea Eagle there (from Dec. 30th at the Maine location, seen by many there as of 12/31, and since then!!) , this blog entry has an interesting take on that one bird & in a way, on such ‘vagrant’ birds, in general. https://www.raptorresource.org/2021/12/31/about-that-stellers-sea-eagle/ <https://www.raptorresource.org/2021/12/31/about-that-stellers-sea-eagle/>
And although also (even-more) extra-limital to the region, a (*first U.S. record*) Bat Falcon was continuing to be seen at Santa Ana N.W.R. in Hidalgo County, Texas, with many observers. Just a bit closer to the northeast, a White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) had been photo’d. (from a C.B.C. conducted on Jan. 1, ’22) at a restriced-access location in North Carolina (in Brunswick County, N.C.). - - - - A number of observers were able to follow-up with further sightings of the Slaty-backed Gull (that D. Wheeler found in Madison County, NY on 12/30/’21) and which was still present at that county’s landfill area to at least New Year’s Day 2022, and which just might still be around that area. …. It’s worth having 2nd & 3rd looks at any Waxwings that show up especially coastally in the southeast parts of N.Y. as there may be a few of the larger species - with Bohemian *potentially* showing up, perhaps only as singles and which might or might not be mixed up with Cedars; one of the former rarer species was seen & photo’d. quite recently in south-coastal Massachusetts. And a wide variety of other uncommon to unusual species have been appearing around south-coastal New England - a frigatebird (probably a Magnificent Frigate) being one of those, seen at Nantucket, off Massachusetts, on 1/2/’22. In Kings County/Brooklyn, an Ash-throated Flycatcher was still being seen by multiple seekers and there have been (at least, among lingering warblers) a N. Parula, Palm, Pine and ongoing Orange-crowned Warblers around Brooklyn as well, into the new year. The change-over to more-wintry weather may be rough on some of the insectivorous late-lingerers, even if a number of mostly-insect-eating birds can make part of their diet small ‘winter’ fruits, where available. …. New York County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, Governors Island, & the adjacent waters and sky - Friday, 12/31/’21 through Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 1st & 2nd: Two Western Tanagers continued on for 2022, with one by-far the more readily (and generally easily) seen, that being at Carl Schurz Park; the other ongoing around West 48th St. & near Tenth Ave. but that individual has been tough to spot at times, having perhaps made a larger feeding or roosting circuit of the neighborhood; it has been on W. 48th St. (east of Tenth Ave.) a few times & also in the park along Tenth Ave., Hell’s Kitchen park and adjacent trees, and also over the roofs that are in that area as well… reminiscent of the year-ago one of same species that was lingering in the Chelsea area; this bird’s not been in the Clinton Community Garden a lot as far as I know, but - I’ve not stayed to watch and see if it has continued to show in that garden, which is visible from W. 48th. The Carl Schurz Park W. Tanager has been seen at various times, but often early to mid-mornings are a good period to seek it, and it regulraly comes to and stays not far from the feeder array on the western edge of that park, just south of the main (W. 86th St.) entrance & also just west of the gate at the n.-w. corner of the Catbird Playground in the park. It may take some patience to see either of these 2 W. Tanagers, but it seems especially so of the Clinton-area tanager - and the more so of late. (Also being seen often at Carl Schurz Park is Hermit Thrush, a species also lingering in multiple other sites in N.Y. County, which is not at all uncommon for that species -in winter- in that county.) Incidentally, there are reports of multiple other W. Tanagers in various states this January in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. Two Monk Parakeets (which breed in N.Y. City - and in multiple states nearby, and are ‘countable’ as such, as they are long-established in some areas within the region) were found again in the neighborhood most-often known as Inwood, with a sighting for Sunday 1/2 at Fort Tryon Park. In Central Park alone over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) more than 55 species of birds were found; a decent number for this time of the year. That total included the (at least) 3 lingering warbler species there, which are - Orange-crowned Warbler still at and near the edge of the C.P. reservoir, lately near the n.w. portion, and the Black-throated Blue Warbler (in female-appearing plumage) and also an Ovenbird, in and around the C.P. Zoo areas, including within & near the (outdoor) crane enclosure - all 3 of these very long-lingering individuals. Over the weekend, many birders joined on the non-profit walks led for the N.Y. City Audubon Society which also is pledged to fully-ethical guiding. With 'wildly-warm' (but cloudy and damp or, on Friday & Saturday, occasionally drizzly) weather, for the end & start of the years, there were hundreds of people out and about and looking at birds. Additional ongoing warblers in N.Y. County have been a Black-and-white Warbler hanging-in at Randall’s Island (and where a *possible* Pine Warbler may be lurking as well) and, scattered across the county in several sites, Orange-crowned Warblers, the most-southerly (in the county) of these staying in the area of “the Hills” at Governors Island, where a number of Myrtle / Yellow-rumped Warblers also continue (and a few additional Yellow-rumpeds in other locations); and last but not at all least, multiple Common Yellowthroats in addition to scattered multiple Ovenbirds also hanging in so far (some on into the New Year) … but with hard-freezes likely to place an extra burden on many of these insect-preferring birds, while the potential exceptions however being that some of these do have good food sources in the area[s] where they are lingering. Both species of Kinglets have been seen often in recent days, and especially so for Ruby-crowned, but there have been multiple locations with Golden-crowned continuing as well. Gray Catbirds have been (in addition to several lingering at Central Park) in multiple locations in mid-town manhattan, and at least four have been ongoing (which is not unusual there) at Bryant Park, with others in various other small parks and green-spaces. Brown Creepers have been seen in many locations also. There are also some Brown Thrashers in scattered locations, some where seen in past winters, plus some perhaps in areas where not often found most years. The number of N. Mockingbirds seem to have increased all around, whether an actual increase, or simply the highly-active behavior (including the suggestion of courtship and even nest-making types of behavior, which multiple keen observers have ben seeing) has been showing up as though more are actually present; we will see as the season goes along. As noted above, there are Hermit Thrushes in many locations around the county. A Chipping Sparrow was seen again in Central Park’s north end on Sun., Jan. 2nd also having been re-found there in late December. (That species has been seen in small no’s. in some areas of the northeast so far this winter.) Other regularly-seen sparrows still include some [Red] Fox and Swamp, as well as Song and (many) White-throated Sparrows, all of these in multiple parks and other green-spaces of the county. For waterfowl, 2 Snow Geese were seen again on Randall’s Island on Jan. 2nd, which had been reported a week or so prior as well, out on the northeast fields and with Canada Geese. It is also *likely* that some Common Goldeneye may be lingering off the shores of Randall’s - often far to the east but occasionally closer, and that species also may show at intervals out in N.Y. Harbor as viewed by either (some) ferries - by chance and luck, and the same would be so for viewing from Governors Island, watching the harbor area. A nice variety of ducks and a few other waterbirds have been in Central Park in Manhattan lately, some long-lingering; these include up to 6 N. Pintails lately (& at least 4 lingering to Sunday, Jan. 2nd) as well as Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup (the most-often seen by more observers, regular at The Pool in Central Park), as well as Ring-necked Duck (seen by far-fewer but present at least a few times at the C.P. reservoir) & also good no’s. of Hooded Mergansers (at least 20 by actual careful count on Sunday, Jan. 2nd), and many N. Shovelers and Ruddy Ducks, plus others such as Bufflehead, Gadwall, & Wood Ducks, along with -more-generally- American Black Duck (in some areas) and of course Mallards and sometimes a few hybrids of "mallard & other" duckage. On the rivers and in N.Y. harbor have been Red-breasted Mergansers in modest no’s., and occasionally some Greater Scaup, mostly at distance off on the harbor. There have been N. Pintails in a few locations along the Hudson River off Manhattan (and that species has been showing in a number of sites through the northeast lately, as well). American Coots also have continued as typically in Central Park, with some Great & Double-creasted Cormorants each seen on & over the waters around Manhattan, & the latter occasional also at Central. Herons lately have included Great Blue (in multiple locations including at times in Central Park) and Black-crowned Night-Heron as well as the scarcer but lingering Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in a few locations, typically over at and near Randall’s Island but also showing at some odd spots on the East River at times. The long-lingering adult “tighty-toes” is the most-seen of the Yellow-crowned sometimes at the Little Hell Gate salt marsh on Randall’s Island (& sometimes hiding). Belted Kingfisher has been there as well, and also may easily be missed, as they have moved around regularly (and may do so far more with freezing weather). Iceland Gull[s] have been showing (of the ‘kumleini' form) off-and-on for a month or so now at some locations in N.Y. County, with (at least) a few recent appearances at Central Park, and other sightings in Dec. much more regular at Randall’s Island; any site with gull flocks is of course worth a scan. (Some of the rarer gulls of Dec. seem not to have been re-found for the new year yet in Brooklyn, NYC where they’d been around the end of the year, although any might still be re-discovered; there were at least still reports of Lesser Black-backed, & also newly-seen Laughing Gull[s] from Kings Co./Brooklyn) - also, there may yet be some Lesser Black-backed Gull sightings confirmed for Jan. in N.Y. County, and various other uncommon (or rare) gulls could show anytime through winter, of course particularly with shuffling and re-sorting and movements of flocks, or just individual gulls moving around. With recent milder weather there had been sightings of a variety of insects in N.Y. County, thru late Dec. anyhow (with sun) and as of Dec. 28th, at least 7 species of diptera (fly species) were noted including at least 3 species of (photographed) Syrphid fly, sometimes called flower-flies. (These were seen at still-blooming small asters in several Manhattan parks as well as some in the outlying islands where such flowers are scarce.) Good and healthy birding 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/ --
