The [Siberian form] BAR-TAILED Godwit was again seen out at Cupsogue County Park flats, by many and both in the a.m. and p.m. hours into Sunday, 7/31. The American Avocet at Mecox Inlet, in southern Suffolk County NY was seen again on Sunday, 7/31, as it had also been on Sat., 7/30 (and I believe found by Paul Sweet [AMNH]), as well as seen by multiple others that day and subsequently.
The Lark Sparrow gorgeously photo’d. & found (H. Clancy) at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx County, N.Y. City on Sat., 7/30 has those photos (& others from same field-ouitng) archived in the Macaulay Library: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/471192631 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/471192631> - time to keep eyes-out for all such migrators, with migration very much more than the fantastic and welcome diversity of shorebirds & other oft-watched ‘birds of summer-seasons’ being discovered. The [remarkable for the site, and for that county) PIPING Plover at Piermont Pier, on the Hudson River, at Piermont, Rockland County, NY was continuing on as well into Sunday, 7/31 (from at least Friday, 7/29 there), with many observers, as with the Suffolk County, NY Am. Avocet. That Great White Heron (which some call a species; some call a form of Great Blue Heron) was also seen again at Piermont, Rockland Co. NY as it has been for some time by now: good to get a good look, as this *just-might be* declared a full-on species by more authorities, and potentially added-in to further/future checklists. At the Jamaica Bay Refuge, Queens County, NY at least 3 Hudsonian Godwits [C. Finger w/digi-scope-pix; & add’l. observers] had appeared later on Sunday, 7/31. Along with the many many other birds at “the bay” and as seen by many. - - - - - New York County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island Friday, July 29, Sat,, July 30, & Sunday, July 31st - By Friday, some additional variety with shorebirds in migration as Lesser Yellowlegs joined other species of ‘waders’ (the name much of the planet’s birders uses applying to the vast array of plovers and many other ‘shore’ birds some of which are not all that much by ‘shores’ [such as upland sandpiper etc.] and which in N. America is also-often used to mean Ibis-y / Egret-y types of birds…) with a find of that species of yellowlegs at the productive Inwood Hill / Muscota lagoon & associated flats area, accessed via near W. 215 St., a bit west of Broadway-Manhattan. Least Sandpipers were in a few sites as of Sat. and Sunday, in Manhattan, although very transitory. On Saturday, a nice batch of shorebirds including double-digit no’s. of Semipalmated Sandpipers, and at least a half-dozen Semipalmated Plovers, along with at least 4 other shorebird spp., were found at Randall’s Island, where a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was also found, in that latter species usually-best site for the county. Additionally, a fair diversity of swallows with Bank represented and ongoing Cliff Swallows. (But by Sunday in particular, some swallow-martin movement was clear, and Cliff as part of that movement that day. Also moving in light numbers have been Chimney Swifts.) The winds on Sunday, from northwest-north-northeast for at least 5 to 6 hours starting overnight into early morning (& nearly mid-day in some locations north of N.Y. City) brought a flurry of active migration thru the area, including N.Y. County. Among songbirds on the move, a fairly strong passage of Yellow Warblers, dominating not just all other warbler species but really almost all other songbirds on the move for the pre-morning & early morning’s flight. The other warbler spp. were far-fewer overall, but American Redstarts were into double-digits (just) and also noted were more N. Waterthrushes & ‘waterthrush-sp.’ i.e. distant possibly Louisiana or Northern. As well as a couple of “other” warblers, one of which rather-yellow but seemed not to be ‘A Yellow'. Most of the local area, with N.Y. County included, have been finding more of the 2 Waterthrushes and increasingly, these have been Northern, although Louisiana also will be, and has been, continuing to pass through too. There was also a modest but more than minimal blackbird-family flight, including esp, Brown-headed Cowbird as well as Red-winged Blackbird, and a few Orchard Orioles in flight as well, rounded out by a smatter of Bobolinks, all of which in the Icteridae ‘tribe’. Smaller (if not smallest, other than Ruby-throated Hummingbirds of which more than a few came thru but also later into all of the day) were the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, still modest in number but more than on any prior days this month, as with Yellow Warblers. Also in the flight were a couple of Purple Martins and, although on the slightly-early-ish side, the start of visible southbound E. Kingbird migration. And very visible, the 9 Ospreys passing along down the Hudson river from at-sunrise to about 9 a.m. (and a few more seen later). A Wood Duck was again found in Central Park, likely having lingered almost all summer and with a few others of the species elsewhere. Reports included both species of Cuckoo, Yellow-billed and Black-billed, the latter from the well-birded Ramble area in Central Park. Also reported was Cooper’s Hawk, which if correctly ID’d is on the early side for a full-on migrant drop-in, however that species also may be a fairly-local breeder and a bit of wandering by this date is not all that surprising. A small number of other species of migrants were reported recently that, if accurately ID’d as well were rather (or even ‘very’) early as migrants; again in some the possibility of wanderers from not that far from N.Y. City is a possibility, as well as the chance of some migrant birds summering (i.e. not having really moved on to breeding-areas since the spring) as is so of multiple White-throated Sparrows in N.Y. County (esp. scattered around on Manhattan island) each summer, a species which does not breed in or close-to the county. Various many other birds have of course been seen in this report’s period, including some additional/likely migrants. There have been upticks in sightings / numbers of American Goldfinch lately including in specific sites where they were not breeding (although they do breed in multiple places in the county). Red-breasted Nuthatches continued, although not a whole lot, however those and any finches on the move are worth listening- and watching- out for. [Some Red Crossbills have been appearing not all that far from N.Y. City, that is, in terms of flights, well-within a day’s journey[s] by nomadic birds.] A Common Loon turned up off Inwood Hill Park on Saturday, and at least by appearance, had a look of the one (very unusual for July in this county) seen quite recently off Randall’s Island’s n. edge, the distance to Inwood being not all that far, even if a very strong swimmer (as loons are) were to go on in that manner. Ring-billed Gulls have been increasing steadily in the past week or so, although still limited in no’s. and where they are (sometimes) gathering in groups. Laughing Gulls are somewhat regular in a lot of locations, if not a guaranteed sighting all around. The only other gulls (being seen all this summer) noted in the county so far this season are [American] Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, however it’s possible a number of less-typical gull (& tern) species could show, as they have been in other parts of N.Y. City. The one absolutely-regular tern species of the county continues, the Common Terns which are best found in and around N.Y. Harbor & the lower parts of the rivers, and in particular at their nest & roost sites on the s. side unused piers of Governors Island. Other spp. of terns ought, if at all possible, be photo or video documented, for this county. Bobolinks having started to move ahead of August’s arrival on the calendar - some were turning up on Governors Island, which has been a fairly good place to try seeking that species for (in) the county: Fort Jay (and its’ vicinity) less-mowed grassy sectors are often a good starting-point. — A very small number of Monarch butterflies that just-might have been migrators were seen although a truly definitive movement of that species was not seen, even on Sunday morning’s weather, also there are ongoing Monarchs in many locations with the flowers offering-up nectar and other ‘opportunities' to those and a vast variety of other insect-life. - - - R.I.P. to 2 iconic Americans who each in their way went beyond the known universe, one inspiring women and men to move in to careers in aerospace and some on to space itself, including the first woman in space, Sally Ride, and one inspiring hoop-dreams far beyond Boston - and setting new standards, both in their way starting more than a half-century ago, as well as a lot of smiles to their legions of fans around the globe - or through the galaxy - Nichelle Nichols, Bill Russell. good August 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/ --
