A Smith’s Longspur was seen in **Connecticut** on Tuesday, Oct. 18th, at Sandy Point, in West Haven - which is in New Haven County, CT. Multiple observers there and photos from the finder, and also by others later. The species has occurred in NY state, and is considered rare in any part of the northeast.
- - - - New York County, N.Y. City - including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island For Tues., Oct. 18th, **Red-headed Woodpecker** was ongoing at Central Park, although we are also in the thick of a time of the season when that species may be on passage, and multiples (even in one day) are *possible* in a lot of areas, including within Manhattan. A **Grasshopper Sparrow** was also ongoing, in Central Park. One of the nice photos (this from D. Hannay on Tues. morn') of this lingering bird on Tuesday is in the Macaulay Library archive: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/495134221 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/495134221> These (and many other species) seen in part on various guided walks led by experienced leaders for not-for-profit org’s., including for the A.M.N.H.- New York, and the Linnaean Society of New York, and the NYCAS (NY City Audubon), etc., as well as by multiple independent birders; the Grasshopper Sparrow lingering in the park since at least 10/13, with earlier sightings of the species on Randall’s Island (and also seen there by multiple observers). Another lovely photo of the Central Park Grasshopper Sparrow from 10/13 in the Macaulay Library archives: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/493489661 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/493489661> It’s been a very productive few weeks for sparrows in migration movement - some of those lingering on a while, some not, and also for a number of arriving species which can or will be staying on and perhaps wintering - such as [Red] Fox Sparrow and others. A Clay-colored Sparrow from Oct. 11th at Randall’s Island is one of the many species of this fall, that one nicely documented in a photo (D. Aronov) now in the Macaulay Library archive: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/492779421 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/492779421> - on a day with other good arrivals as well. A Lark Sparrow was on Randall’s Island back on Oct. 9th, seen and documented by 2 keen observers on that morning, which featured more than one dozen members of the sparrow tribe including Nelson’s, Saltmarsh, Vesper, Lincoln’s, White-crowned, and many Savannah Sparrows along with other species of 'new world' sparrows. Some Nelson’s Sparrows as well as Saltmarsh Sparrows were ongoing for Randall’s Island thru Tues., Oct. 18th, and multiple other regularly-occuring sparrows were in various areas of the county. A Dickcissel (in first-year plumage) found at Inwood Hill Park (with J. DiCostanzo’s ID of this bird) on Fri., 10/14 was seen by multiple other observers, and photographed, both that day and then a short distance away, in the same park on Sat. 10/15; this bird just might be lingering on in that area, as has happened in previous autumn-winter seasons in that park with that species - it’s been a good season already for Dickcissels, thru much of the wider region, with as is typical a lot of movement at and near the Atlantic shore, but also some farther inland. After one full week, the Barred Owl also found at Inwood Hill Park is being reported. This making for 3 owl spp. in the one location, 2 of those being resident and which have bred there. Great Horned Owl also had been appearing again at Central Park as again seen by many. A photo (B. Stadler) of E. Meadowlark in Central Park, always a much-sought species there even if fairly regular for most if not all years in proper migration-time, is in the Macaulay Library, that from Sat., Oct. 15th, and this bird also seen by numerous others. See: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/494191321 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/494191321> E. Meadowlark was also present again to Oct. 17th at Central Park, and multiples were present recently on Randall’s Island. There are some further N.Y. County reports of interest and some await additional confirmations, including odd-location or "late-ish" date sightings in the county. Black-billed Cuckoo was present on Randall’s Island to at least Oct. 12th, with at least 2 observers there (and photos taken). Monk Parakeet sightings may have increased a little, and a few sightings have come from the southern tip of Manhattan, with a chance that some birds have been wandering a little recently. This is a species that has increased (including nesting) and is seen in a few adjacent states along the shores and adjacent areas of Long Island Sound, as well as a little way into southern Massachusetts. The species might again nest in N.Y. County, and has at times nested in all five counties of N.Y. City. - - - Such species as Pine Siskins (in very small no’s.) and Purple Finches have shown in recent weeks in the county, as well as further numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatch coming through, and we may anticipate at least the possibilities for additional irruptive type species of late fall thru winter birds appearing, the more likely with keen listening and watching for them all thru coming weeks and months. A fairly strong push of Tufted Titmice has been ongoing for at least several days here, with many hundred noted passing thru the county on Oct. 15th, and further passage (before and since). This is not at all unprecedented here, and it is yet to be seen if the trend continues, and whether or not it also seems to be correlated with other species of passage birds. Thus far there is not much, if any related incidence of a strong chickadee (in the same family with the Chickadees) movement locally, a species that in the past has sometimes also moved in numbers fairly coincident with Titmice in this county. Tufted Titmouse is certainly a species which has pushed northward in high numbers (as a breeder, as well as perhaps some outliers truly north of ranges known for the species in the prior millennium in the northeast region) - the surveys done in eastern Canada’s Maritime provinces excluding Newfoudland and Labrador, and in Quebec and Ontario as well suggest that Tufted Titmouse may be increasing, perhaps even explosively, in some areas of those provinces where in many instances that species was rare or even unknown in the past. There’ve been some (at least) modestly-late migrants in the county in recent days, and if that trend continues, we may see some even-later reports for various species, to be noted in a future report. Very good numbers of Chimney Swifts were still being seen to this week, in Manhattan but it is possible that many were moving on, southbound as would be expected by now; however there were still some hundreds seen heading to roosts for the county to Tues. eve., 10/18. - - - Going back to some weeks ago, on Sept. 30th of this year, more than 110 species of birds were observed, collectively by active and observant birders on the day, in Central Park alone - that tally included 22 spp. of American Warblers (notably *not” including Prothonotary Warbler, a species not reliably-reported with both good details and other documentary evidence since the end of May of 2022, in that park. If any documentation - detailed notes made during sightings, photos, videos, audio recordings of this species in this county are available from any date after the end of May of 2022, it would be worthy to see any such notes and further documentation, wherever available.) The same would of course be so for species rare in most of the 50 United States, such as ***Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher*** - as was noted - and photo-documented, and e-Birded - for Bronx County by G. Willow et al, from Wave Hill Botanical Garden in the Bronx, during a guided not-for-profit bird walk, Oct. 9th. Among species that were fully documented on 9/30/‘22 included Connecticut Warbler, a species which had showed impressively well in the county over many weeks of this southbound-season. Sept. 30th stood out in some ways as a day combining elements of the early parts of southbound movement (including a few species rather more-expected in Aug. or very early Sept.) and a few further elements of movements that usually grow thru Oct., for N.Y. County. Connecticut Warbler also was photo-documented into the first week of Oct. in the county and from Central Park in Manhattan. Thru Tues., 10/18, from (*starting on*) 10/11, at least 21 species of American Warblers have been reported in the county, most documented by photos and details including such fairly-late-date species for this area as Canada Warbler. Of many of these species, even though some are modestly late for the county, many have been found in the past here into November, and some, more rarely into December including occasionally to C.B.C. periods and including past well-documented and past accepted-confirmed records - albeit not all those in any one year. At least some of those 21 species of warblers were rather likely to have moved on - southbound - by now. Interesting sightings from Oct. 8th at Inwood Hill Park included the 3 Surf Scoters seen there, in a watch period which also recorded American Wigeon, N. Pintails, and Red-breasted Merganser, as well as a count of 70 Brant, all presumed to have been Atlantic Brant, and a modest passage of gulls, including a Laughing Gull for the day. The latter species having become more regular on the Hudson River to the north of N.Y. City in recent years and perhaps especially in 2022 by observations noted, such as in Rockland and Westchester Counties, and some farther-north counties of N.Y. with Hudson River shoreline. - - - - Thanks to all who have provided reliable reports and documented their sightings nicely with some fine photos, and good details when appropriate to particular birds, in many instances. (As noted on the most recent weekly NYC Region R.B.A., unfortunately some reports of *heard-only* Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher from Bronx County, NY in the afternoon hours of Oct. 9th were complicated by some persisent playing of recordings of that species near where the morning’s actual sightings and good photos were made -from in that garden which is open to the general public on weekends- which might disallow any reports of *'heard-only' notes of that species from that area, on the afternoon*. A matter for NY State’s Avian Records Commitee, for archived records of such a very rare-in-region species.) Thanks to A. Baksh for adding the news to this list-serve, for the following day albeit in the negative on the attempts to re-find this mega-rarity for the state and wider region on Oct. 10th in that same area of Bronx County, N.Y. City. [N.B., interestingly a somewhat-related mainly-neotropical species which is also mega-rare in the United States generally, **Variegated Flycatcher** has been **reported** for 10/18 in Huron County, in **Michigan** - where certainly a major rarity.] As some know, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is a breeding species in southern Arizona and also known in far southwestern New Mexico but it is not truly common until into some areas in Mexico and in points south, into Costa Rica; and also into Peru, Brazil and some of Bolivia. - - - For other truly mega-rare species in the ‘lower 48’, there is an actual Wood Warbler - a European-breeding, and African species (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) which breeds in parts of the Eurasian continent (found in Long Beach, Los Angeles County of *California*, and continuing there to at least Oct. 18th), this is not at all closely related to the 'new world’ warblers, i.e. the warblers of the large family Parulidae, which breed in, migrate through, and/or are resident in the Americas, including North, Central, and South America. The actual species known by the (English language) common-name as Wood Warbler winters primarily in (northern-western to central) Africa where, in some places in winters it may be near-common and may be found breeding into what is often known as central Asia, i.e. such as Kazakhstan and vicinity. Willow Warbler (also a more-widespread Eurasian-breeding species in the genus Phyllospcopus which winters south of the Sahara for the most part) was also found in *California’s Marin County* for 10/18. - - In N.Y. County, some Monarch butterfly sightings have been ongoing, and there are some other recent butterfly finds in the county in recent days, and a possibility of more insect observations with milder weather expected to return by week’s end and perhaps for a while after then as well. good birding, 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/ --
