Manhattan, N.Y. City - into Friday, December 6th - A Dickcissel was found at Riverside Park on Nov. 30th - K. Fung - and subsequently seen by multiple-many observers, and is still present, seen at various times again on Friday, 12-6, in the same area, which is just-slightly south of tennis courts located inside the park near about W. 118th-119th St., and the Dickcissel seen around an area formerly known to local birders as The Drip, but which will be called by a different name in the future, with the water flowing thru that small slope only coming when there is a big rainfall, or a very moist period of weather. Formerly, a broken pipe gave the area its name for birds that would come in to drink or bathe in the waters dripping from that pipe - now, the pipe is fixed and there is no such leak, but a tiny natural watercourse is established, if-and-when rainfalls allow.
The Dickcissel lingering here can be tough to find at times, let alone see well, and a lot of patience may be required -but- it also can appear suddenly either by a small, low hanging suet feeder and under that, or anywhere in that area. It is clearly moving about the general area and may associate somewhat with both House Sparrows, and-or White-throated Sparrows, and-or the various other common smaller birds in the area which come to ground. There may - or may not - continue to be a small suet feeder giving a bit of a chance that the Dickcissel and any other birds nearby will show, but it is not a guarantee of a sighting at any given hour, however some of the sightings have been fairly early, and also late in days, but that may also be due to few trying to look for that bird in midday hours and it could appear at any time. Please be aware of your surroundings when coming to visit this area, occasionally you may be the only person to be in evidence nearby, i.e. it can seem slightly isolated, even though close to a tennis court that is active in warmer weather. One full week now for this Dickcissel lingering and of course it will be interesting to know if it stays thru the upcoming CBC date. Here is a link to the photo taken -again- by K. Fung, this birds finder on 11-30, this new photo from Friday, 12-6, and showing by now a progression of plumage brightening-up over just the past 7 days, archived in the Macaulay Library - https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/627180856 Some late warblers were still being seen into the start of December, including a very late and lingering Tennessee Warbler re-found -A. Deutsch- at Union Square Park on Friday, 12-6. Orange-crowned Warblers, as well, the most-recent sightings of the latter at Carl Schurz Park on Manhattans Upper East Side, while Ovenbird and Common Yellowthroat, as well as Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warbler have also shown again in Manhattan this week. Slightly less-regular but not very rare so late, some Pine Warblers are still lingering in Manhattan There may well be at least a few other warbler species still lingering in Manhattan, as well as possibly elsewhere in the same county on its other adjacent islands. An Eastern Phoebe was reported from Central Park at a late date of Dec. 4, not re-found again and perhaps wisely moved on. Unfortunately, if photographed at all, such was not made publicly available in the sole report from one observer. Other, rarer - i.e. vagrant - species of flycatchers are a possibility here in the early wintertime. A late Lincolns Sparrow was seen and photod at Battery Park, lower Manhattan at least to Dec. 2 - that species can and will sometimes linger in Manhattan sites into winter in the recent era. Some finches coming thru and-or lingering a bit into December have included Pine Siskin and Purple Finch, with American Goldfinch still just in modest numbers here. At least a few Rusty Blackbirds have been found on Manhattan, so far this month, and that species could well be lingering, even all winter if there is no deep-freeze. Plenty of American Robins, plus what have seemed a modest further - later arrival of Hermit Thrushes, and very small numbers of Cedar Waxwings have been around, with some parks or greenspaces having even hundreds and hundreds of robins at one time lately. Many Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice continue the irruptive appearances they have made this fall, into early winter. There are a wide variety of other bird species still in Manhattan, this week, and some or most might be found in the upcoming bird-count, where observers will be spread from one end of Manhattan to the other in many sites, looking - as well as covering other islands, and for this count, also having a portion as always in a bit of northeastern New Jersey, as well as in New York County, which is why the count overall is titled the Lower Hudson CBC. Thanks to all observers and to those adding their energies to upcoming bird-counts, best of luck - Good birding to all, Tom Fiore manhattan -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") NYSbirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
