Reports (with some photos, mostly-distant) continue of the Steller’s Sea-Eagle from Nova Scotia, Canada, into April 5th.
. . . Awesome pix of the American Bittern of March 31st: that is, the one at Astoria Park in (northeast sector of) Queens County, NY, seen end-of-day there by observer Megan Gray (photos are in the Macaulay Library archive via eBird). A “slightly” less-birded site than Central Park (latter nearby but in Manhattan - An Am.Bittern seen at Central Park on 3/31 was watched by many hundreds in total over the course of that same day.) The former’s eBird list & some pix: https://ebird.org/checklist/S106277640 <https://ebird.org/checklist/S106277640> Patch-birding at its best. . . . . New York County (in N.Y. City), including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island Saturday, April 2 through Tuesday, April 5th - A long-staying Western Tanager continued through Tuesday, April 5th, at Carl Schurz Park on Manhattan’s far-east side, east of East End Ave.; the tanager showing at times at & near a feeder array and just north of there, along the western edge of that park & to the south of the main park entrance on E. 86th St. (& the feeder set-up from that entrance, up flight of steps & also just west of the n.-w. gate to the Catbird Playground, in same park.) This bird can require patience to observe; it can be skulking as well as sitting in areas other than near the feeders. The Vesper Sparrow was seen in Central Park on Sat., 4/2 (and quietly photographed - photo is archived in the Macaulay Library) by the Great Lawn; this species is usually less-observed in spring migration in the county than in the fall season, when also (at best) uncommonly-found. A Lincoln’s Sparrow (that wintered) was still at Greeley Square Park to at least Sunday, 4/3. >From Governors Island on Sunday, 4/3 came this photo now archived in the >Macaulay Library (thanks, C. Williams) of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in one of the >early appearances for that site: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/431516861 ><https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/431516861> Farther back to March 27th, a >Pied-billed Grebe had been photo’d. at Governors Island, poss. the most-recent >of that species in the county. Tuesday, April 5th brought some additional migration as well as some exodus (i.e., onward-migration ) while the Yellow-throated Warbler lingered on in Central Park (in same areas as in prior days), as did the 4 other species of warblers seen daily in recent days: Palm, Pine, [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped, and Louisiana Waterthrush, all of those latter four in the multiple just in Central, and a few additional Louisiana Waterthrushes, in locations away from Central, too. 5 Hooded Mergansers were at Randall’s Island. Ducks in Central Park included hen and drake Ring-necked Ducks and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, as well as at least 2 drake Wood Ducks, and ongoing (but few) Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, and (still many) N. Shovelers. A Red-throated Loon was lingering on Central Park’s reservoir, while others have continued in the salt-waters of the county. Multiple observers reported House Wren (1) in Central Park on Tues., just a bit early although a few others of the species have been found even earlier this spring, in the region. On Monday, April 4th, 5 warbler species were present in Central Park & while seen by fewer than over the week-end, the Yellow-throated Warbler that was first discovered in the park (and first of the year for NY state, it seems) by Paul Sweet [A.M.N.H.] was again the most-popular of those; far less-viewed for Monday was Louisiana Waterthrush (although seen by a number of observers), and likely the most-numerous of the five species scattered around (and same in terms of all of the county) was Pine Warbler, of which latter an increasing number of females are joining the multiple males also passing through. The Yellow-throated Warbler has continued to make rounds of the areas from near Belvedere Castle in Central Park, to the outer edges of the Turtle Pond area just east, and across (over) a Transverse (below-grade crosstown street) to the n. portions of the Ramble area, all this still an area perhaps delinated in far less than a hectare in total. Lack of much leaf-out yet is a contributing factor to the relative ‘ease’ of finding / following this individual, along with the fact that its’ rare-status (& appearance) stand out. 'Ear-birders' are also finding this active warbler via its calls, at times. Numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets swelled again around the county by Monday, and a number of other species started to show in somewhat higher numbers, a sample of which included: Ospreys, Turkey Vultures, Yellow-shafted Flickers, E. Phoebes (yes, again, still more of those), N. Rough-winged Swallows, Hermit Thrush (more-modestly than some other migrants, but an uptick, again), E. Towhees (quite modest uptick), Slate-colored Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, [Red] Fox Sparrows (getting perhaps nearer to their ‘hoorah' now), and American Goldfinches - with of course at least a few Purple Finches also coming through (and one that many were observing, in part thanks to reporting from keen watchers in walks past the well-known Central Park Ramble-feeders in the morning hours; this species was moving as far-back as several weeks ago thru the county but in v.modest no’s. then, also); many many other species also on the move as well - and that includes many birds moving-on and passing over in the night on reasonably-good migration nights, plus the morning-flights occuring many recent mornings, and of course for some species, entirely-diurnal movements. Red-breasted Nuthatches have been scant but lately observed in a few locations, including in Central Park. “Upticks” and increases noted above and generally are based in part on my own wanderings up-down and around in Manhattan in particular and forays to the other 2 islands noted as part of the county, & of course from *many* observations by keen, active, and watchful other birders & naturalists. Reports of waders such as Gr. Yellowlegs based in part on calls (and in flight) are of interest with a good many shorebirds on the move lately in the wider region. I’ll also add that, at Randall’s Island recently (& not for the first time) I watched a N. Mockingbird include, in its vocal repertoire, some ok-renditions of Gr. Yellowlegs… along with imitation of many other birds and other sounds. Some of the species seen in N.Y. County for the 4 days of this report - Canada Goose [Atlantic] Brant (still numerous in a few areas) Mute Swan (off Randall’s Island) Wood Duck (multiple, some on passage only) Gadwall (good no’s.) American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler (good no’s., esp. for Central Park) Green-winged Teal (1, Governors Island) Ring-necked Duck (pair in Central Park on 4/5) Bufflehead (still fair no’s.) Common Goldeneye (reported off Randall’s Island) Hooded Merganser (ongoing - plus some evidence of passage) Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Osprey (increasing - on passage) Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Coot (lingering but fewer by Tuesday) Red-throated Loon (including some movement) Common Loon (some movement) Great Cormorant (still around, but have been departing) Double-crested Cormorant (increasing) Great Blue Heron (increased - on passage) Great Egret (increased on passage) Snowy Egret (small no’s., so far) Black-crowned Night-Heron Black Vulture Turkey Vulture (increasing - on passage) Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs (several recent reports of birds in-flight, esp. from Randall’s Island) Wilson's Snipe (reports from several areas) American Woodcock (far fewer this week) Laughing Gull (scarce in the county. so far) Ring-billed Gull (many) [American] Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove [ongoing owls] Belted Kingfisher (small no’s. on passage, fairly few lingering) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (increased) Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (ongoing increases) Eastern Phoebe (contuing to pass through) Blue Jay (numerous) Common Raven (many sightings from a variety of locations around the county) American Crow (numerous) Fish Crow Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee (very modest no’s.) Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch (scarce) White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper (ongoing in fair no’s.) Carolina Wren House Wren (reports of one: 4/5, Central Park) Winter Wren (slight increase) Golden-crowned Kinglet (good no’s. continued; increases of females) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (increasing) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (scarce, so far) Hermit Thrush (very modest increases) American Robin (very commom now - nests underway for some) Gray Catbird (lingering birds which have overwintered) Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling House Sparrow Cedar Waxwing (in good no’s., multiple locations in the county) Eastern Towhee (apparent small increases) Slate-colored Junco (ongoing on passage and modest no’s. lingering) Chipping Sparrow (increasing) Field Sparrow (slight increase) Vesper Sparrow (photographed in Central Park on 4/2) Savannah Sparrow (still scant) [Red] Fox Sparrow (fairly good no’s. with some in small parks & green-spaces) Song Sparrow (many) Lincoln's Sparrow (has wintered at Greeley Square Park) Swamp Sparrow (increased) White-throated Sparrow (many) Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Rusty Blackbird (few) Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Yellow-throated Warbler (1, of the ‘albilora’ type, Central Park) [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped Warbler (still modest no’s.) Pine Warbler (increased) Palm Warbler (in modest no’s.) Louisiana Waterthrush (small increases this report’s period) Western Tanager (the long-lingering individual at Carl Schurz Park) Purple Finch House Finch American Goldfinch (slight increase) & very-likely some additional species. …………. Many more plants showing off some color and/or beginning to green-up; correspondingly, insect & arthropd life also is increasing, most-evidently in observing some of the floral displays around the county. And in closely watching the feeding-behaviors of our increasing insectivorous migrants (and resident birds also taking advantages of the food sources) good 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/ --
