New York County [in N.Y. City], including Manhattan, Randall’s and Governors Islands and the skies and waters adjacent. Starting at midnight hour and thru the night - before first-light of Saturday, May 13th - as well as initial sightings of the day.
The Bicknell’s Thrush[es] have come in, with at least two having vocalized so that ID could be confirmed. More details are likely… Also still occurring are Gray-cheeked Thrushes & even some Hermit Thrushes, the latter getting slightly-late, for this county - and of course, good no’s. of Wood and (particularly) Swainson’s Thrushes as well as Veery in nice numbers. More than 110 species for Central Park, as-of 2 p.m. on May 13th, which includes nocturnal listening. The tally is sure to be *much* higher for all of the county. Mourning Warblers and of course many other - more than 24 other - species of warblers are appearing again in multiple locations within the county. There were a minimum of 17 warbler species found on both of the “other” islands of N.Y. County (that have regular-birding coverage) on May 13th - Governors and Randall’s Islands, and many more migrant species as well on and from each. The Yellow-crowned Night-Herons (again, in the multiple) have come on to at least Randall’s Island and to at least one additional area of N.Y. County, and there have been sightings of fly-bys. Cliff Swallows are again being seen on a nest-site area, and a few have also been (again) seen elsewhere in the county, along with Bank, Barn, N. Rough-winged and Tree Swallows. The Alder Flycatchers (yes, more than just one) of Central Park were heard vocalizing, as have been 3 other (expected) species in the genus Empidonax. Those multiple (but not that many, now) Ruby-crowned Kinglets are not all that “late” just yet. - - - Some photos by many N.Y. County birders on the past week’s good migrations plus a couple of specials from a little earlier on: On Friday, May 12th, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak was still present (A. Evans) at Canal Park in lower Manhattan - this park has a history dating to 1686 (as a public space, used as a park) and was so-named at that point due to the actual canal, which was later eventually replaced by the street (major thoroughfare in Manhattan, one of its’ busiest for truck and other vehicle traffic as well as for pedestrians and business activities) of the same name, Canal Street. The park which was designed and built there eventually, starting in 1888, with Calvert Vaux and Samuel Parsons as designers-architects, was unfortunately then displaced by the building of the Holland Tunnel (which connects Manhattan with New Jersey, via Canal Street etc. on the Manhattan-side), thru the 1920’s, meant that an ugly car-parking lot came into the space for decades; eventually by 2005, a citizens group got a new park, with a design somewhat based on the one from Vaux and Parsons, to be made in the adjacent (ex) car-park and is now protected under NYC charter and by a non-profit Canal conservancy as well. In late Oct. of 2005, the new Canal Park was officially opened with many performers in celebration, a diversity of musical genres and peoples being represented, and some from the surrounding neighborhood. The 100th [known] species of bird to show at Canal Park, by May 11th, 2023, as far as records kept in eBird show; photo of that bird by A. Evans who’s contributed a vast share of that park’s records. The total size of this greenspace, a NYC public park, is two-thirds of an acre. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570442861 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570442861> ‘Brewster’s’ Warbler [hybrid back-cross type of Blue-winged X Golden-winged Warblers], (via H. Cordero) at Central Park on May 9th. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569691001 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569691001> A Yellow-billed Cuckoo (via D. Karlson) at Inwood Hill Park on May 9th: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569392851 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569392851> A male Scarlet Tanager (via L. Nasta) in ultra-close view at Central Park, on May 7th: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/568635981 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/568635981> Common Terns around Governors Island in N.Y. County (via L. Beausoleil) on May 7th: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570486671 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/570486671> Spotted Sandpiper at Central Park (via A. Simmons) at Central Park on May 5th: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/567397391 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/567397391> Purple Sandpiper on shore of Governors Island (via C. Weiner), on May 4th: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/567025931 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/567025931> Wood Duck (drake) at Central Park (via S. Thowfeequ) on April 7th, at Central Park: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569049831 <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/569049831> Thanks to all of the hundreds of keen, quiet observers and photographers who’ve been out and about on so many days, all through the county, offering many reports, and also photo-links via many of those sightings-reports. Good birding to all - and a Happy Mother’s Day to all moms everywhere. 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/ --
