Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - Friday, May 12th: Below-linked, in a Macaulay Library archived photo, is the further documentation on the May 12th Golden-winged Warbler in Central Park’s n. end; this bird enjoyed by a good many, after E. Peterson was able to help others, and with other comrades in birding (A. Simmons, et al) all helpful, in getting this never-common species in view; seems a female, and thus not tracked by song. This looks to be perhaps the first *photo-documented* of this species (rather than hybrids) for both Central Park and for the county, of this spring: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570704511 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570704511> (Thank you's to all who helped on the find, re-find, and direction-finding etc. for this always much-hoped-for species on migrations.)
A male Blue Grosbeak was seen in the north end of Central Park as well, moving about a bit after having shown in one of the (multiple) great Tulip-Poplar trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), which are in bloom and have been attracting a good mix of migrants on many recent days in this and other parks. Also ongoing again are *multiple* Summer (& Scarlet) Tanagers, and Oilve-sided Flycatcher is again noted from at least several locations in Central Park. And, while Central Park receives a vast proportion of the bird-observers of Manhattan-island on almost any given day in May, the other parks and green-spaces of the island (and elsewhere in N.Y. County) are seeing really impressive migratory passage and occurences, with some small and mid-size parks again having (“new”) species added to (at least) their ebird-total checklists. The larger arrival of Blackpoll Warblers - primarily males - has begun now, and is also a 'semi-signal' event on May-migration phenology; however this latter species is no longer quite the ‘laggard' of the Parulidae on spring arrivals in the region or specifically into N.Y. County, as once was considered. At least 27 species of warblers were still being found in Central Park, and some of these necessarily now considered on the ‘late-ish’ side, such as Pine, Palm and a few others - Louisiana Waterthrush ought to be photo’d. or (if singing) audio-documented, if possible. For N.Y. County, there also was still Orange-crowned Warbler being reported, and that in a location near to where one had fully-overwinted this past winter into early spring. It also can be added, for now Blackpoll is not-even-close to being the most-common of the warblers on passage; it is not that likely even (quite) into the top-ten most-common of the Parulidae that are passing this week. At least 3, likely 4 species of the (expected) Empidonax flycatcher group are showing, some have been calling and even singing, in Manhattan - first and still probably most-common, Least Flycatcher, with some Acadian (by calls and songs) and also 'Willow-Alder' types, with some Willows vocalizing well to reveal their identities. (All 4 of the aforementioned have been arriving to some of their local-regional breeding areas in this week.) Both of the expected Cuckoo species have been ongoing, with a number of Black-billed noted, and Yellow-billed seeming still the more numerous cuckoo of those passing. Examples of modestly-‘late’ species of migrants (for N.Y. County) are now somewhat numerous, and include for example, Golden-crowned Kinglet, as well as Slate-colored Junco, just for Central Park, into May 12th. Purple Finches are continuing their good movements all thru this season, so far with some sightings from one tip of Manhattan (south) to the other (north) for Friday, 5/12. Bobolinks were again found passing through Central Park (and elsewhere in the county) for the same day. There were easily far-more than 100 species of birds for all of Central Park on the day, and possibly nearly (or more than) 140 species of birds in New York County on this May 12th - with thanks to the many-hundreds of keen observers all around the county, giving reports - a great many via GroupMe alerts that a lot of local birders now use, and also with eBird reports, including some placed in the county’s RBA, and as-always, many also thru word-of-mouth. On a day of high temperature as measured at Central Park, Manhattan of about 87 [F]., many insects were active - and many also providing food for so many very-hungry migrant birds. The leaf-out and bloom cycle of plants now is closer to what might be ‘expected’ (of at least most-recent decades) for the area, after so much intensely-early bloom and beginning of leaf-out in many plant species, both native and horticultural. We have had a rather dry-warm period in this week with a lot of n. or n-w. winds locally and occasionally, some haze very high in skies from very distant forest-fires, some in western Canada, with that air being transported aloft. (Colorful sunset and sunrise experiences are just a part of the visible evidence of this.) N.B., birders on watch in the greater Pacific Northwest (of N. America) are watching a rapid passage [in some places] of migrants, with what may be “another unprecedented bout of heat” in parts of the coastal & near-coastal areas, where such heat was until-recently almost-unknown - esp. in temperate rain-forest regions. - - - In Manhattan, fascinating observations were made by one of 'our own’ great ornithologists (A. Farnsworth, with Cornell’s Lab. of Ornithology, and team eBird) who watched and recorded some of the huge local migration from the Empire State Building late Thursday night, and amongst many very interesting sightings, a small passage of “larger” sp. of shorebird were noted - many of which could be potentially uncommon, or even rare in N.Y. County. The total passage of migrants even before midnight and the start of Friday (midnight hour, and a wee-bit-more) included over 11,000++ birds, many of those likely to have been neotropical-wintering migrants - pushing thru and across the Manhattan and New York City skies. Among other many spp. noted was Clapper Rail and Common Nighthawk, and all manner of other nocturnal-migrants. Bobolinks were amongst the many, and clearly that latter species was pushing-thru, again on the daylight ongoing flight of this Friday-fantastic. (Some migrants also did not make it past local Peregrine Falcon on the hunt, at the Empire State Building - a species that is not really at all uncommon these days around the city, and nests on multiple high buildings and other structures of the city, including in and around Manhattan.) [and n.b., of course, the overall passage of migrants in (over) the broader region would have been into the many-millions of individual birds, on the 1 night alone.] Also, an always impressive site, though with the far more *impressive efforts* over years to document migrants and visitant birds there, at Canal Park on lower Manhattan’s west side, there was a Tennessee Warbler stopping-by on Friday (5/12), with C. Williams, and ultra-regular A. Evans able to add this species to this spring’s tally there (last noted, by A. Evans at that small site, on Oct. 3rd, 2020!) - this quite small greenspace (a NYC public park) boasts of *26 spp. of warblers*, found over several years of migrations, with (fall-season) Connecticut, and also the (May 15, ‘21) Yellow-throated Warbler, the latter which I’d also caught up with there also later, on May 15, ’21 - thanks to Ms. Evans reporting for those days and many other days. On May 11th, the *100th* e-Birded species was placed on the list for this small park, with Rose-breasted Grosbeak. In the northern-realm of Manhattan-island, there have been some shorebirds for May 12th, including Least Sandpipers, and some others. Good 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/ --
