Manhattan, N.Y. City - thru Saturday, December 7th - A male Dickcissel was being increasingly sought and seen - thru Dec. 7th - in Riverside Park’s northern area at a site formerly called The Drip by birders there, near approx. West 119 St. and immediately-south of the tennis courts and restrooms in that area - the Dickcissel was showing to more seekers in recent few days, and at least occasionally comes to where a small low-hung suet feeder is, and is mostly seen in the general vicinity just south of the tennis courts - restrooms area. Please be cautious in this area at times when no other people are evident, although the area is used by regular park-goers. This area is west of Riverside Drive and also below and just west of the so-called Forever Wild sanctuary grove, historically called the Ladies Grove, with its dirt thru-trail.
Multiple late-running warblers have been appearing in Manhattan with one of the most-uncommon this late in the year a reported Blackpoll Warbler at the Sixth Street and Ave. B community garden in lower-east Manhattan - L. Beausoleil - on Sat., Dec. 7th, which would be one of the latest photographed examples of that species in the area. The leg and foot color in a good photo by the finder at that location is a good potential confirmation perhaps ruling-out such other similar-in-basic plumage species as Pine or Bay-breasted Warblers, the latter one which would be at least as unusual this late in the year. In this fall in N.Y. County and in Manhattan, there were numbers of late-moving Blackpoll Warblers pushing through, and it is also -possible- that some of these Blackpoll when not closely-observed may get tossed-off as Pine or other warbler species at times, in this region. Other warblers in Manhattan included both very-late Tennessee, and Nashville Warblers seen -and photod, A. Deutsch et al- at Union Square Park on Saturday, and 2 ongoing Orange-crowned Warblers at Carl Schurz Park, all for Sat. 12-7, and also lingering was a N. Parula, seen to at-least Friday, Dec. 6th at Inwood Hill Park’s northern end. Additional ongoing warblers in Manhattan have included multiples of Ovenbird and Common Yellowthroat, Pine, Palm, and Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warblers. It is very possible at least a few additional warbler species may turn up this month in Manhattan. Numbers of Purple Finch have held steady, and more are still pushing in, and this might give impetus to listen and watch for any other irruptive types of birds as December goes along, Pine Siskins as have already occured this month, and with some luck possibly additional species of irruptives. Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse are ongoing in good numbers for this county, higher than some low-years in the past decade. Uncommonly noted in or over Manhattan - even though absolutely annual of occurrence - Snow Geese were on the move in the skies on both Friday and to lesser extent on Saturday, 12-6 and 12-7, with hundreds passing overhead going south-erly, and some flocks being photographed. Also photos and reported were a few presumptive, hoped-for Cackling-type Geese in with groups of Canada Geese seen in migration as well. At least one Long-tailed Duck was photod flying along the Hudson River on Saturday, 12-7 - not the first of that species in the county this season, but somewhat notable at any time here. A variety of other waterfowl have also been moving, and some ducks might be found in appropriate sites which were not present until just recently, in species-variety or in further numbers by now. The waterbodies of Central Park in Manhattan continue to hold such waterfowl and associates as Red-breasted Merganser, Hooded Mergansers - this latter in good numbers of 30+ in Central Park recently, Green-winged Teals, Wood Ducks, N. Shovelers, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, Gadwalls, and other usual duckage and goosage as well as American Coots and fairly-recent Pied-billed Grebe. Some Killdeer have favored the flats and areas around Sherman Creek - Swindler Cove Park in northern Manhattan lately, a traditional area on the island for that species, and there have been American Woodcock around this month, some possibly still lurking in some corners of the island. Otherwhere birds of note in N.Y. County in a further report, at some date. Good birding and CBC-scouting 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/ --
