With a focus on Manhattan & in particular, the many observations in Central Park (in N.Y. City) as well as other sectors of the county: N.Y. County. Wed.-Thursday May 11th & 12th - and a few updates to May 13th, as well as notes on all of this week.
A likely-female (or younger male in similar plumage) SUMMER Tanager was found in Central Park on Thurs., May 12th (E. Leonardi, poss. others as well), also confirmed in eBird (where the sighting was listed under the heading - “Central Park, The Ramble”). A sometimes singing or calling BICKNELL’S THRUSH was ongoing to Friday, May 13th, as seen & audio / video recorded by any number of quiet observers for the same location / area in the northwestern ‘corner’ of Central Park. (This an uncommonly lengthy stay of that species in one location on a 'stop-over’.) We are all thankful to Christian Cooper for the initial reporting and all the follow-up by other dedicated listeners & lovers of birdsong for the multiple efforts on documenting this, and to the bird itself which has been ongoing for at least 4 days in a row now. The ongoing Yellow-breasted CHAT was seen to at least Thursday, May 12th in the north end of Central Park on the SW-sector of the Great Hill (as in prior days) with multi.-observers. A rather rarely-recorded sighting for N.Y. County, even if a likely annual passage migrant (and probably not at all rare as such there), a Virginia RAIL was observed in the late-day hours of May 11th at Central Park by a team of highly-experienced observers. One (of same group) had reported 2 (fem./male) very-late (for the county) and very uncommon-there Long-tailed Ducks on the Hudson river off Manhattan’s lower Riverside Park on the same afternoon (as fly-bys headed south). A Marsh Wren was again present in Central Park’s north end on May 11th, seen singing by multiple observers that day (T. Winston, m.obs.) A Greater Yellowlegs was photographed, and 2 Least Sandpipers also seen at Inwood Hill Park in n. Manhattan, on same date (by D. Schenker). Greater Yellowlegs also had been seen with multiple obs. at Sherman Creek (part of the Swindler Cove Park protected area on the Harlem river near and n. of the eastern end of Dyckman St., northern Manhattan) on the same date. A Bank Swallow was among the far-more-regular swallow species noted from Randall’s Island on May 11th (A. Farnsworth, C. Wood); this latter species is likely a bit underdetected in N.Y. County and has in recent decades occasionally been found to be “not rare” in spring passage, but often requires scrutiny of lots of swallows on the move, or when seen in feeding groups, which can sometimes be rather temporary in any given location in the county. (much the same comment might apply also to Cliff Swallow in the county as well) Some excellent counts of Chimney Swifts have been made for the county in the past few days, some of many-hundreds swarming ahead of entering roost-sites. Yellow-billed Cuckoo has been seen with some reports suggesting increases by the middle of this week, and sightings are coming from multiple sites in the county. Some individual observers or groups of observers were finding as many as 20+ spp. of American Warblers in the county, per walk or outing, somtimes with a strong effort and much meandering in any given location[s], to Thursday & Friday, May 12 & 13. Such now-late (here) migrant warblers as Louisiana Waterthrush and Palm Warbler were still being reported to at least May 12th, by multiple observers. 18-20+ Warbler spp. were found at Inwood Hill and Ft. Tryon Park (combined) in recent days, a nice indication of the diversity in Parulidae moving through, not just being found in ultra-densely-birded Central Park. Rather similar results have been achieved at Riverside Park, and have been at least possible in a few other single-park localities of the county, and this number was again achieved or exceeded on May 13th. A fair number of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were lingering on to this week, in N.Y. County. Also lingering were a very few Winter Wrens, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Brown Creeper, as well as some sightings of Red-throated Loons, in several locations to May 12th & some (or even all) into May 13th. At least a few Purple Finch have been seen thru this week in a number of locations, including in Central Park - knowing the songs and calls is useful as for some many species. At least 2 Wood Ducks were continuing on at Central Park thru Friday, May 13th. - - Not too-much noted here (in N.Y. County) so far, Common Nighthawks completed the trio of caprimulgids which have passed thru by now, and some of the latter having made it to 100+++ miles beyond N.Y. City in their migrations-north, this past week. More of the latter species should be on the way. It appears that there are no reports *after* May 11th for an adult-plumaged (gender not determined) Red-headed Woodpecker which many hundreds of observers had enjoyed for some days in its’ stay in the n. end of Central Park (this was seen by many, & photo’d. again on 5/11.) A stay of more than even one day of this species (after a mid-spring arrival) is always a nice event, and this individual in particular was much enjoyed by so many during its’ visit to Central. Nearly 150 species of birds (and possibly more) have been found in this week in New York County (which is not close to a record no. for a week’s sightings in the county, for those wondering - indeed, some of us “old-timers” have recorded, in a major and serious group-effort, more than 150 species of birds in *one day* in Central Park -including documented fly-overs- in the month of May - that occasion was a highly-unusual situation for weather having held back huge numbers of migrants all through the eastern parts of N. America for the first half or more of May in that year. The effort made was more than that put into many CBC efforts for the entire county, all directed to 1 day in Central, and that effort (level) has never quite been repeated by so many all working in that sense and for such a collective - and surprising! - tally from just 1 local park - also, as a p.s., no one individual in that effort saw/heard all of those 150+ species, again that was a collective effort by a large group of experienced observers). At least 85 ("and counting!”) species of birds were seen by many in Central Park (Manhattan) alone for Friday morning, the 13th of May, and far more species for all of N.Y. County on the day. good mid-May 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/ --