New York County (in N.Y. City), including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island 2023 thru the 8th of January...
Some of the sightings of the week+ since the year rolled over to 2023, into Sunday, Jan. 8th, with just under 100 species reported for the county in the year so far... A Purple Sandpiper was seen and photo’d by several observers on Governors Island by 1/6, and this seems to be first of winter season at that known but not always checked location, for that species, in the county. Also, ongoing at Governors Island has been at least one Orange-crowned Warbler, the latter clearly having a big winter so far through the region, N.Y. County included. Also seen recently from Governors Island were Greater Scaup, and for sheer numbers - the flicks of Bonaparte’s Gulls there which have been counted at various times and days from a few dozen or less, up to higher counts in the multi-hundreds. These gull flocks ought be checked closely for the *possible* presence of Little Gull, as well as other much-rarer smaller gulls which might feed with Bonaparte’s at times. Randall’s Island has continued to see interesting species, with a Black-headed Gull seen again although as a flyby-only, on 1/8, contrasting with the less regularly noted appearances by this gull species actually sitting on that island of the county. A photo of the Black-headed Gull *on* Randall’s from Thurs., Jan. 5th is archived here: https://Macaulay library.org/asset/520651861 A Ruddy Turnstone was also again present off Randall’s Island thru at least 1/5. A Baltimore Oriole has continued its winter stay at Union Square Park (& close vicinity), seen and photo’d there to Sunday, 1/8. Multiple Orange-crowned Warblers had continued thru and beyond the short frigid period of weather in late December, and multiple locations in the county continue to produce this species. Other warblers noted in the new year have included Palm, [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped, and Ovenbird, and at least 2 Common Yellowthroats just in Manhattan. There might be some others still hanging in which stayed thru -and survived- the prior frigid spell here. There is also a fair chance that a White-crowned Sparrow (in first-fall plumage) has continued at Bryant Park, lurking in the shrubberies etc. there. Going back to Jan. 2nd, an Iceland Gull was found by I. Shulgina, at Roosevelt Island’s Four Freedoms Park. That very inhabited island in the East River is connected to Manhattan by tram-way, and by a small vehicular bridge to northwest Queens County of N.Y. City; the island is considered part of N.Y. County. Other recent or ongoing birds of the county include a Horned Grebe (reservoir), and drake Redhead (returned to The Pool in the n.-w. corner) at Central Park, and some further American Woodcock sightings, as well as of course many more birds. Good birding to all, Tom Fiore manhattan, and elsewhere. -- 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/ --
