A nice sighting for Monroe County, NY on 4/14 was a (photographed) Western Tanager, with the photos strongly sugesstive of a male. The sighting is confirmed in eBird’s statewide RBA.
- - - - New York County (in N.Y. City), including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, & Governors Island Wed., 4/13 and Thursday, 4/14: Some of highlights from Randall’s Island on Thursday included a flyover Bonaparte’s Gull, Green Heron (not quite a first-of-season for the county, but possibly among first-photo’d.; other Green Herons have been in a few other locations), and E. Bluebird, seen as a flyover moving on. Also seen there were a small group of Rusty Blackbirds moving. Rusty Blackbird has been showing in a few sites, including Central Park and Inwood Hill Park. A singing male Hooded Warbler was found in Central Park’s southeast sector on Wed., 4/13 - it was on the move somewhat, and may have moved on, but could easily stick to some areas in that portion of the park. (The male Hooded was photo’d. and video’d, and at least one photo-series is in an ebird checklist.) Black-and-white Warblers have shown in a couple of locations in Manhattan, but just sparsely, so far. An Orange-crowned Warbler (likely one that had overwintered) was again found on Governors Island, by Liggett Terrace (thanks to G. Willow for latest obs., on Wed., 4/13), and there was also (again, may well have wintered in the area) an Orange-crowned Warbler at the southern end of Battery Park City park. Those being (likely) two of at least 3 Orange-crowneds that fully-wintered in New York County and were all still present into spring’s official arrival - that ’third’ of the 3 being the ongoing Orange-crowned on Randall’s Island, seen singing on Thursday 4/14. At least 1 Northern Waterthrush was well-documented (including crisp, close photos as well as solid textual description of what was observed, including some of the characteristic tail-bobbing which is inherently-different on the 2 waterthrush species (although that feature only is not recommended as the *sole* means of determining species, between the 2 waterthrush species…) in Central Park, but the latter in the n.-w. sector of the park - where Louisiana Waterthrush also was in the same general area (and in other parts of same park & elsewhere in the county). There have been a few *reports* from some other areas as well, of N. Waterthrush, just-lately. Pine and Palm Warblers were the more numerous of all warbler spp. over many locations in the 2 days of this report, while multiple [Myrtle} Yellow-rumped Warblers have been seen but hardly in numbers that should begin to appear for the latter. By Thursday, 4/14, an early Prairie Warbler was added to the list of warblers having arrived in N.Y. County, with one male showing at Inwood Hill Park’s n.-e. area of woods, east of “the Clove” and not re-found on a 2nd pass later in same day. When seen in the morning it was singing a little. Just as a refresher, the warbler species recorded for the county so far this season include: Northern Waterthrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Hooded Warbler. (The recent Yellow-throated Warbler of Central Park was not reported, it seems, since 4/12. The Blue-winged and Prairie Warbler[s] are each rather early, for the county and for the region.) Some other warbler spp. have begun to appear elsewhere in N.Y. City and adjacent counties. Not noted much (yet), the first of Chimney Swifts have passed through N.Y. County (and a few also well-beyond) as of 4/13. There are also a few other species (of migratory birds) that may be mentioned in a further report, at some point, having passed thru on the same day. And at least 5 spp. of shorebirds were seen in N.Y. County over 4/13 & 4/14 combined, including Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers, Wilson’s Snipe, American Woodcock, and Killdeer. Purple Finch made appearances in several parks & areas within those larger parks (including Central, and Inwood Hill). Red-breasted Nuthatches have also shown in a couple of (those, & other) parks and greenspaces in the last 2 days. A Wild Turkey has [re]appeared in a location where that species has shown many times in the past. Unironically, there happened to be numbers of Turkey Vultures seen from the same general area of the turkey’s observation- those vultures were all in-flight, however. Many, many other migrants and resident species have been seen, besides the above in N.Y. County and some may be noted in a forthcoming report. . . . Insects were starting to respond further to the sudden-surge in warmth by especially Thursday, and even on Wed., 4/13, a Common Green Darner (Anax junius), a very familiar large dragonfly species which can be migratory, was seen in Central Park. A wide variety of other insect and arthropod life has been seen, as well. Good Friday, and to many observing also a good and peaceful Passover, and for all the holy days for all observing-of, also peace, and good ongoing spring 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/ --
