N.Y. County, including Manhattan & Randall’s Island -
Sunday, Feb. 28th:
The adult (winter) Black-headed Gull was again seen back at Randall’s Island,
presumably same individual that had first appeared there earlier in the winter,
& then more recently at Central Park’s reservoir in Manhattan. This
reappearance corresponded with a surge of Ring-billed Gulls, although the
latter also have been appearing in good no’s. at a number of points in the past
week or more (including at the C.P. reservoir). Seen all-too-briefly in the
early a.m. (by at least 2 obs.) the Black-headed Gull was definitively seen
later, on the n.-e. ballfields but also seen flying off by around 4 p.m.; still
tough to know if this bird’s been at all regular in the county, or not (&
presuming the same individual, which is not a certainty). Thanks to R. Zucker
for the persistence! (An even more intriguing gull sighting & report from a
few days previous at Riverside Park South’s pier at W. 70th St. had been a
recurring ‘dark’ white-winged gull, possibly of the Thayer’s form of Iceland
Gull, which as most readers will know was once considered a separate species -
this is rare in the local area; this latter gull was seen on a couple of
occasions at the pier (on the Hudson River at W. 70th) in Manhattan, but seems
not to have been lingering there, on days it was seen. A good many gulls also
can be viewed, distantly, using the opposite shore of the river in that
vicinity, i.e. on the New Jersey side (mainly viewable with a scope in terms of
attempting ID’s while standing at the pier, which juts far into the river).
Gulls were continuing to mass at Central Park’s reservoir on some recent days,
and/but at varying times of day, as is typical there.
Both of the female Western Tanagers were present on Sunday, 2/28 in their
respective Manhattan locations - the Carl Schurz Park tanager coming to a
suet-log (that is often under siege by local gray squirrels), that feeder
set-up just inside the park from East End Ave., & south of E. 86th St. (closer
to E. 85th), best viewed from inside the park near the northwest entry gate to
the adjacent 'Catbird playground’; the tanager appeared there Sun. at 8:35 &
again at 9:05 a.m. (photo’d), while at Chelsea’s W. 22nd-23rd St. locations
just e. of Tenth Ave., the other W. Tanager was tougher to come by (as seems to
have been for many weeks now), & was seen mostly moving in taller trees & over
the roofs of several buildings, not settling in-view for the mid-day hour,
although seen well for short periods. This latter bird might have some
inaccessible (to the public) spots that it favors, in courtyard areas or on
vegetated rooftops, close by. There do not seem to be any feeders out for it or
other birds, at least anywhere that’s viewable nearby. (also, note that the
‘upper-east’ tanager has also shown in other nearby parts of same park, &
occasionally along East End Ave. nearest E. 86th in either direction, so the
feeder array is not the only site, however my own experience had been that
that’s where i’ve seen it most regularly, esp. lately.)
Before visiting Randall’s Island in early morn' as had several others, I
checked thru the 430+ Canada Geese feeding & bathing on the thawing Sheep
Meadow in Central Park in the first hour of day-break; Canada Geese have been
moving about locally, and likely also moving on, with the chance of a rarer
goose appearing anywhere. No luck on that in Central (or just shortly later at
Randall’s Island, with fewer geese overall seen there than in all parts of
Central Park, but that could change in a hurry…) As noted below, a Horned
Grebe was seen off Randall’s Island on 2/28. Some other birds of note were a
lingering Lincoln’s Sparrow in Central Park’s n. end, Rusty Blackbird still in
the Central Park Ramble (a wintering individual); some Killdeer; American
Woodcock in multiple locations; ongoing Common Raven sightings (& heard), &
more.
Some of the other species also being seen in N.Y. County thru Sunday, 2/28
included -
[Atlantic] Brant (many, in select locations)
Wood Duck (on the move, with up to 5 off Randall’s Island, and multiples in &
adjacent to Manhattan, as well as a few flyovers)
Gadwall (good numbers in some locations; again present in Central Park)
American Wigeon (on the move early Sun., with a few flyovers past Randall’s
Island, Bronx-bound - or beyond)
American Black Duck (increased a bit)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (many seen in flight on Sunday, also present in numbers at
Central Park, and seen elsewhere)
Northern Pintail (at least one female is continuing at & near Swindler Cove
area / Sherman Creek, northeast of the east end of Dyckman St., Manhattan)
Ring-necked Duck (fly-bys at Randall’s Island, headed n.e.)
Greater Scaup (multiple, esp. at the N.Y. harbor & lower parts of two rivers)
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye (still off Randall’s Island, & not in N.Y. County waters)
Hooded Merganser (continuing in s
