[nysbirds-l] Central Park /North Woods & 59th St.

[Debbie Becker]

Highlights of today’s bird walk include:

KENTUCKY WARBLER
Louisiana Waterthrush-1
Common Yellowthroat-2
Palm Warbler-2
Prairie Warbler-2
Worm eating Warbler-1
Blue headed Vireo-2
Warbling Vireo-1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -1
Eastern Towhee
Ruby crowned Kinglets -12
Hermit thrush-5
Black crowned Night Heron -2
Song Sparrows -59th St.
White-throated sparrows
Swamp Sparrows-59th St.
Chipping Sparrows
American Goldfinch
Red winged Blackbird
Grackle
American Crow
Red-tailed hawk
Downy woodpecker 
Red bellied woodpecker 
Yellow bellied Sapsucker-59th St.
Mourning dove
Blue Jays -8
Cardinals -5 male 1 female
Brown Creeper
Tufted titmouse
Red breasted nuthatch
American Robins
Great Egret
Mallards

Good Birding,
Debbie Becker
BirdingAroundNYC.com

Check out BirdingAroundNYC on Meetup
https://meetu.ps/c/4jdMz/2cN9X/a







--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Central Park /North Woods & 59th St.

[Debbie Becker]

Highlights of today’s bird walk include:

KENTUCKY WARBLER
Louisiana Waterthrush-1
Common Yellowthroat-2
Palm Warbler-2
Prairie Warbler-2
Worm eating Warbler-1
Blue headed Vireo-2
Warbling Vireo-1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -1
Eastern Towhee
Ruby crowned Kinglets -12
Hermit thrush-5
Black crowned Night Heron -2
Song Sparrows -59th St.
White-throated sparrows
Swamp Sparrows-59th St.
Chipping Sparrows
American Goldfinch
Red winged Blackbird
Grackle
American Crow
Red-tailed hawk
Downy woodpecker 
Red bellied woodpecker 
Yellow bellied Sapsucker-59th St.
Mourning dove
Blue Jays -8
Cardinals -5 male 1 female
Brown Creeper
Tufted titmouse
Red breasted nuthatch
American Robins
Great Egret
Mallards

Good Birding,
Debbie Becker
BirdingAroundNYC.com

Check out BirdingAroundNYC on Meetup
https://meetu.ps/c/4jdMz/2cN9X/a







--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Weird stuff happening to the south of us

[Angus Wilson]

Birders in coastal NY (at least) should be on the lookout for WHITE IBIS.
There have been multiple reports in recent days from Cape May County, New
Jersey of flocks of White Ibis that appeared to be "heading north".
Indeed Terry Carruthers and Pete Shen submitted eBird checklists from 20
April of an estimated 130 (yes, you read that right!) White Ibis "drifting
northwards at great height". Where these birds are ending up is anybody's
guess.

Along these lines, many species more typical of the southern states are
being found up and down the mid-Atlantic region, from Swainson's warbler
and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in NJ to a fulva ssp. Cave Swallow near the
Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

This is not an exhaustive summary but something atypical (in my view) is
happening. The Violet-green Swallow in near Albany, NY, and less so the
multiple reports of White-faced Ibis (NJ, CT, MA) also hint at a
west-to-east component.

There's a lot of fresh data to digest but it is hard to believe many of
these species are not finding their way in the lower tier of New York State
at a minimum.

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City, NY

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Weird stuff happening to the south of us

[Angus Wilson]

Birders in coastal NY (at least) should be on the lookout for WHITE IBIS.
There have been multiple reports in recent days from Cape May County, New
Jersey of flocks of White Ibis that appeared to be "heading north".
Indeed Terry Carruthers and Pete Shen submitted eBird checklists from 20
April of an estimated 130 (yes, you read that right!) White Ibis "drifting
northwards at great height". Where these birds are ending up is anybody's
guess.

Along these lines, many species more typical of the southern states are
being found up and down the mid-Atlantic region, from Swainson's warbler
and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in NJ to a fulva ssp. Cave Swallow near the
Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

This is not an exhaustive summary but something atypical (in my view) is
happening. The Violet-green Swallow in near Albany, NY, and less so the
multiple reports of White-faced Ibis (NJ, CT, MA) also hint at a
west-to-east component.

There's a lot of fresh data to digest but it is hard to believe many of
these species are not finding their way in the lower tier of New York State
at a minimum.

-- 
Angus Wilson
New York City, NY

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC, Fri. Apr. 23, 2021: Kentucky Warbler, Lousisiana Waterthrush, Warbling Vireo

[Deborah Allen]

Central Park NYC
Friday April 23, 2021
OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, m.ob. 

Highlights: Kentucky Warbler, Lousisiana Waterthrush, Warbling Vireo (FOS). 

Canada Goose - nesting east side of Reservoir at 92nd Street
Gadwall - pair at the Pool
Mallard - around 20
Bufflehead - 3
Mourning dove - 5
Herring Gull - 7
Great Black-backed Gull - 1 Reservoir
Double-crested Cormorant - 5
Great Egret 9 (4 flyovers)
Snowy Egret - 1 flyover
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 perched at the Pool
Red-tailed Hawk - 2 nesting pairs (Cardinal Cooke & E. Blowdown at West Drive)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 4
American Kestrel - male Conservatory Garden
Blue-headed Vireo - 3
Warbling Vireo - 1 singing Conservatory Garden (first-of-season)
Blue Jay - 7
American Crow - flock of 5
Tufted Titmouse - 1 Loch
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 McGown's Pass
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Loch
Brown Creeper - Loch (Mark Kolakowski) 
Carolina Wren - 1 Conservatory Garden
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 Loch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 6
Hermit Thrush - around 10
American Robin - 30+
Northern Mockingbird - 1 east side of North Woods
House Finch - 5
American Goldfinch - 11 including a flock of 7
Chipping Sparrow - 5
Field Sparrow - 1 McGown's Pass
Dark-eyed Junco - 3
White-throated Sparrow - 30-40
Swamp Sparrow - 2
Eastern Towhee - male Wildflower Meadow
Red-winged Blackbird - 12
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 female Loch
Common Grackle - around 15, some nesting at McGown's Pass
Louisiana Waterthrush - 2 (Pool & Loch)
Black-and-white Warbler - 1 male west of Blockhouse
Kentucky Warbler - male at the Loch (continuing for the 3rd day)
Common Yellowthroat - 3 (2 male, 1 female)
Pine Warbler - McGown's Pass
Palm Warbler - 2 Loch
Northern Cardinal - 6

Deb Allen
Follow us on twitter @BirdingBobNYC & @DAllenNYC

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC, Fri. Apr. 23, 2021: Kentucky Warbler, Lousisiana Waterthrush, Warbling Vireo

[Deborah Allen]

Central Park NYC
Friday April 23, 2021
OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, m.ob. 

Highlights: Kentucky Warbler, Lousisiana Waterthrush, Warbling Vireo (FOS). 

Canada Goose - nesting east side of Reservoir at 92nd Street
Gadwall - pair at the Pool
Mallard - around 20
Bufflehead - 3
Mourning dove - 5
Herring Gull - 7
Great Black-backed Gull - 1 Reservoir
Double-crested Cormorant - 5
Great Egret 9 (4 flyovers)
Snowy Egret - 1 flyover
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 perched at the Pool
Red-tailed Hawk - 2 nesting pairs (Cardinal Cooke & E. Blowdown at West Drive)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 4
American Kestrel - male Conservatory Garden
Blue-headed Vireo - 3
Warbling Vireo - 1 singing Conservatory Garden (first-of-season)
Blue Jay - 7
American Crow - flock of 5
Tufted Titmouse - 1 Loch
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 McGown's Pass
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Loch
Brown Creeper - Loch (Mark Kolakowski) 
Carolina Wren - 1 Conservatory Garden
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 Loch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 6
Hermit Thrush - around 10
American Robin - 30+
Northern Mockingbird - 1 east side of North Woods
House Finch - 5
American Goldfinch - 11 including a flock of 7
Chipping Sparrow - 5
Field Sparrow - 1 McGown's Pass
Dark-eyed Junco - 3
White-throated Sparrow - 30-40
Swamp Sparrow - 2
Eastern Towhee - male Wildflower Meadow
Red-winged Blackbird - 12
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 female Loch
Common Grackle - around 15, some nesting at McGown's Pass
Louisiana Waterthrush - 2 (Pool & Loch)
Black-and-white Warbler - 1 male west of Blockhouse
Kentucky Warbler - male at the Loch (continuing for the 3rd day)
Common Yellowthroat - 3 (2 male, 1 female)
Pine Warbler - McGown's Pass
Palm Warbler - 2 Loch
Northern Cardinal - 6

Deb Allen
Follow us on twitter @BirdingBobNYC & @DAllenNYC

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Yellow-thr. Warbler, Fort Tryon Pk, Manhattan, NYC Friday p.m., 4/23

[Thomas Fiore]

Friday, April 23rd addendum - Manhattan, N.Y. City

Happy to add that a singing male Yellow-throated Warbler (photographed) is 
giving views to multiple observers at Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan, in 
an area south-southeast of the Cloisters museum there, & not far from a 
(fenced) dog-run which is just to the east.  Look for birders and photographers 
in the area, this is a bit north of the parking pullout for the New Leaf 
restaurant, & north of the “A” train subway stop at 190th Street & Fort 
Washington Ave. in northern Manhattan.  It is a well-used area of the park.  
The bird was discovered by 9-yr.-old Asher Perkins, one of our many great young 
birders!!  First reported in afternoon, and already seen by many others.  A not 
entirely unexpected arrival given the other species showing in NYC, etc. but a 
**great** find, and particularly for that beautiful area of northern Manhattan. 
Be sure to check out the Hudson river views, and the lovely heather garden too 
if not a regular to the area.

good luck if you can go,

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Yellow-thr. Warbler, Fort Tryon Pk, Manhattan, NYC Friday p.m., 4/23

[Thomas Fiore]

Friday, April 23rd addendum - Manhattan, N.Y. City

Happy to add that a singing male Yellow-throated Warbler (photographed) is 
giving views to multiple observers at Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan, in 
an area south-southeast of the Cloisters museum there, & not far from a 
(fenced) dog-run which is just to the east.  Look for birders and photographers 
in the area, this is a bit north of the parking pullout for the New Leaf 
restaurant, & north of the “A” train subway stop at 190th Street & Fort 
Washington Ave. in northern Manhattan.  It is a well-used area of the park.  
The bird was discovered by 9-yr.-old Asher Perkins, one of our many great young 
birders!!  First reported in afternoon, and already seen by many others.  A not 
entirely unexpected arrival given the other species showing in NYC, etc. but a 
**great** find, and particularly for that beautiful area of northern Manhattan. 
Be sure to check out the Hudson river views, and the lovely heather garden too 
if not a regular to the area.

good luck if you can go,

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/

--

Re: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet

[Richard Guthrie]

Gee, I'm sorry everyone for my dumbass mistake yesterday. There's no excuse.

I should probably have waited till I got home and could actually see what I
had typed into the tiny cellphone  keyboard.

It won't happen again, at least I hope not.

So now would be a good time to end this thread and let these lists go back
to their intended purposes.

R. Guthrie

On Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 1:27 PM ArieGilbert 
wrote:

> I went in search of the VG er, Violet-green Swallow, and did not catch
> up with it - though I did catch up with Richard Guthrie.
>
> Most if not all of us like short cuts, which include banding codes. They
> may serve banders well who use them professionally and are intimately
> familiar with that group’s vernacular, but for others, it can ( and
> obviously does ) lead to discord.
>
> I admit that at times being stumped by a code whose meaning escapes me.
> While there may have been temporary frustration, speaking for myself it
> does not foment much ado. To me, its no different to throw a HERG into the
> text, as it is to throw in the terms remiges, or patagial bar. I can look
> it up, because I have an interest in birds and birding and it’s a learning
> experience.
>
> When I am unfamiliar with a term I used to look it up in the dictionary.
> Now, all I have to do is double-click to highlight the word, right-click on
> it, and select “ search google for (the word)”.  For band codes, I use the
> Sibley app when necessary. It allows one to search for a bird by band code.
> Mystery solved.
>
> Yeah, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and incorrect band codes etc
> can interrupt the cognitive flow, but I suspect that some do not want to be
> ‘inconvenienced’ by having to do such odious work as ‘looking it up’ or
> knowing that the author used the wrong choice between they’re, their, or
> there. Oh well.
>
> In lieu of band codes I have found simple abbreviations to work as well if
> not better in saving my lazy self from the tortuous chore of spelling out
> the complete name. W pel may be easier than AWPE, for example. At other
> times I have found that 3-3 is better than the standard 2-2 of band codes.
> BarSwa and BanSwa eliminates one of many collisions that are inevitable,
> and only requires 2 more letters typed!
>
> Even the spoken word has room for simplification; one might say
> “Rough-wing” instead of Northern Rough-winged Swallow or “Moe Doe” instead
> of Mourning Dove. I enjoy the portmanteau and find that Redhatch rolls off
> the tongue so much better than Red-breasted Nuthatch; as does Americrow,
> Rublet, and many others.
>
> So while an erroneous band code may be upsetting to some, trust me, its
> nowhere near as upsetting as attempting to relocate that swallow several
> hours distant and not succeeding.
>
> At least peak migration is just around the corner!
>
> Arie Gilbert
> North Babylon NY
>
>
> Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
>
>
>  Original message 
> From: Richard Guthrie 
> Date: 4/22/21 2:44 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: NYSBIRDS_L , Hmbirds 
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet
>
> Several birders here. No swallow
>
> Yet
>
> Rich Guthrie
>
> --
>
> 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/
>
> --
>


-- 
Richard Guthrie

--

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/

--

Re: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet

[Richard Guthrie]

Gee, I'm sorry everyone for my dumbass mistake yesterday. There's no excuse.

I should probably have waited till I got home and could actually see what I
had typed into the tiny cellphone  keyboard.

It won't happen again, at least I hope not.

So now would be a good time to end this thread and let these lists go back
to their intended purposes.

R. Guthrie

On Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 1:27 PM ArieGilbert 
wrote:

> I went in search of the VG er, Violet-green Swallow, and did not catch
> up with it - though I did catch up with Richard Guthrie.
>
> Most if not all of us like short cuts, which include banding codes. They
> may serve banders well who use them professionally and are intimately
> familiar with that group’s vernacular, but for others, it can ( and
> obviously does ) lead to discord.
>
> I admit that at times being stumped by a code whose meaning escapes me.
> While there may have been temporary frustration, speaking for myself it
> does not foment much ado. To me, its no different to throw a HERG into the
> text, as it is to throw in the terms remiges, or patagial bar. I can look
> it up, because I have an interest in birds and birding and it’s a learning
> experience.
>
> When I am unfamiliar with a term I used to look it up in the dictionary.
> Now, all I have to do is double-click to highlight the word, right-click on
> it, and select “ search google for (the word)”.  For band codes, I use the
> Sibley app when necessary. It allows one to search for a bird by band code.
> Mystery solved.
>
> Yeah, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and incorrect band codes etc
> can interrupt the cognitive flow, but I suspect that some do not want to be
> ‘inconvenienced’ by having to do such odious work as ‘looking it up’ or
> knowing that the author used the wrong choice between they’re, their, or
> there. Oh well.
>
> In lieu of band codes I have found simple abbreviations to work as well if
> not better in saving my lazy self from the tortuous chore of spelling out
> the complete name. W pel may be easier than AWPE, for example. At other
> times I have found that 3-3 is better than the standard 2-2 of band codes.
> BarSwa and BanSwa eliminates one of many collisions that are inevitable,
> and only requires 2 more letters typed!
>
> Even the spoken word has room for simplification; one might say
> “Rough-wing” instead of Northern Rough-winged Swallow or “Moe Doe” instead
> of Mourning Dove. I enjoy the portmanteau and find that Redhatch rolls off
> the tongue so much better than Red-breasted Nuthatch; as does Americrow,
> Rublet, and many others.
>
> So while an erroneous band code may be upsetting to some, trust me, its
> nowhere near as upsetting as attempting to relocate that swallow several
> hours distant and not succeeding.
>
> At least peak migration is just around the corner!
>
> Arie Gilbert
> North Babylon NY
>
>
> Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
>
>
>  Original message 
> From: Richard Guthrie 
> Date: 4/22/21 2:44 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: NYSBIRDS_L , Hmbirds 
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet
>
> Several birders here. No swallow
>
> Yet
>
> Rich Guthrie
>
> --
>
> 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/
>
> --
>


-- 
Richard Guthrie

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City, 4/22 & 4/23 - Kentucky & other Warblers, R.-t. Hummingbird, & more

[Thomas Fiore]

Manhattan, including Central Park (& visits to Carl Schurz, Riverside, 
Morningside, & some other local parks)

Highlights include an ongoing Western Tanager (female, seen Thursday), and many 
recently-arrived migrants for N.Y. County.

The male Kentucky Warbler continued on Friday, 4/23 at the north end of Central 
Park, in the Ravine (“Loch”) area, with many observers again; seen from 
first-light & into Friday morning, & onward.  This warbler has been moving a 
bit since its’ first sighting the day before yesterday, & had moved to the e. 
end of the Loch, near where the park’s East Drive crosses over the Loch.  
Birders were lingering and are likely to be around the full day with this & 
other migrants around.

An Orchard Oriole (male) was again present in Central Park, as well as Wood 
Thrush, Veery, & multiple White-eyed Vireos - & other very recently-arrived 
neotropical-wintering migrants are scattered about in Manhattan, including some 
that are still a bit early for the area, all a bit ahead of their *typical 
first-arrival* periods.

Not extra-early now, but first (& now fully-confirmed) sighting of Worm-eating 
Warbler also in Central Park, for Friday, and with multiple observers.  At 
least one dozen warbler species (the Kentucky among them) were in Central Park 
alone for Friday morning, 4/23; most were previously seen & reported by 
multiple observers as well, some for some time, others only this week. A bit 
tougher to find Pine Warbler (than ten days prior), but they are also still 
around, in the county.  At least 18 species of American warblers have been seen 
in Central Park this spring, so far; one of those species definitely 
overwintered: Orange-crowned.   The Spotted & Solitary Sandpipers may or may 
not have lingered, at least one of these was spooked at one point by a worker 
(unintentionally, to be clear!), and was not seen to return to its’ feeding.  
The C.P. reservoir also will be worth looking over.  And a lot more migrants 
are likely in the coming week, esp. as a warmer air mass arrives.  Purple 
Finches seem to have quieted for the time-being, but more of those may well be 
passing again in coming days.

..
And on Governors Island (within N.Y.,County) among over 40 species noted (by B. 
Cacace for Friday, 4/23) were 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, as well as Ovenbird.

. . .
Thursday, April 22nd (“Earth Day”) -

The long-staying female Western Tanager was present at Carl Schurz Park in 
Manhattan on Thursday, 4/22. It will be interesting to see if that bird is 
still there once our expected tanager species shows in numbers on passage (that 
being of course Scarlet Tanager), which might be in May, if arrivals are in 
typical order.

Despite temp’s starting out in the mid-30’s (F.) with a below-freezing 
wind-chill factor, there were numbers of observers out & about for Earth Day, 
finding spring birds, including many (more) again seeing a male Kentucky 
Warbler in Central Park’s n. end (continuing from the day prior, and it might 
be noted, for hunger or for whatever reasons of its own, being less skulking 
than is expected of the species much of the time thus far since its initial 
discovery), and also seen were male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (and again by 
many observers, following the one in Fort Tryon Park the day prior).  There 
were at least 3 R.-thr. Hummingbirds in 3 distinct locations in Central Park, & 
often seen coming to lush flowers. 

Great Crested Flyctacher, & several Orchard Orioles were found in Central Park, 
and my guess (only) is that these could have arrived locally on the day prior, 
but I was not aware of any prior reports. The two I saw in the Ramble area were 
males, one an adult, another a first-spring. It is possible that yet others 
were about, from other observers, although many folks were (rather 
understandably) on 'Loch-duty' birding in Central on the day. I also heard the 
unmistakeable calls (not song) of Baltimore Oriole from near Delacorte Theater 
/ Great Lawn in Central Park on the day as well.  My impression in general was 
of some individual birds lingering in essentially same areas where seen on 
Wed., 4/21, but there just may have been some migration-hops made by some birds 
overnight on Wed. to Thursday. (It’s been an odd & unpredictable spring so far 
& we’re still a week out from May 1st…)

Other warbler species seen included some of those found the day prior & in 
recent days in Manhattan, such as Prairie, N. Waterthrush and Louisiana 
Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, Palm, 
Pine, & Myrtle/Yellow-rumped, with perhaps some others present as well.  My 
route in Central was from the n.w. corner of the park, to the east edges, to 
the s.e. corner, and back again to the far n. end, on the other (w.) side of 
reservoir, with a later walk in 2 other nearby parks (and earlier to east side 
of Manhattan). There were at least 4 White-eyed Vireos present in just Central 
Park on Thursday, a slightly 

[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City, 4/22 & 4/23 - Kentucky & other Warblers, R.-t. Hummingbird, & more

[Thomas Fiore]

Manhattan, including Central Park (& visits to Carl Schurz, Riverside, 
Morningside, & some other local parks)

Highlights include an ongoing Western Tanager (female, seen Thursday), and many 
recently-arrived migrants for N.Y. County.

The male Kentucky Warbler continued on Friday, 4/23 at the north end of Central 
Park, in the Ravine (“Loch”) area, with many observers again; seen from 
first-light & into Friday morning, & onward.  This warbler has been moving a 
bit since its’ first sighting the day before yesterday, & had moved to the e. 
end of the Loch, near where the park’s East Drive crosses over the Loch.  
Birders were lingering and are likely to be around the full day with this & 
other migrants around.

An Orchard Oriole (male) was again present in Central Park, as well as Wood 
Thrush, Veery, & multiple White-eyed Vireos - & other very recently-arrived 
neotropical-wintering migrants are scattered about in Manhattan, including some 
that are still a bit early for the area, all a bit ahead of their *typical 
first-arrival* periods.

Not extra-early now, but first (& now fully-confirmed) sighting of Worm-eating 
Warbler also in Central Park, for Friday, and with multiple observers.  At 
least one dozen warbler species (the Kentucky among them) were in Central Park 
alone for Friday morning, 4/23; most were previously seen & reported by 
multiple observers as well, some for some time, others only this week. A bit 
tougher to find Pine Warbler (than ten days prior), but they are also still 
around, in the county.  At least 18 species of American warblers have been seen 
in Central Park this spring, so far; one of those species definitely 
overwintered: Orange-crowned.   The Spotted & Solitary Sandpipers may or may 
not have lingered, at least one of these was spooked at one point by a worker 
(unintentionally, to be clear!), and was not seen to return to its’ feeding.  
The C.P. reservoir also will be worth looking over.  And a lot more migrants 
are likely in the coming week, esp. as a warmer air mass arrives.  Purple 
Finches seem to have quieted for the time-being, but more of those may well be 
passing again in coming days.

..
And on Governors Island (within N.Y.,County) among over 40 species noted (by B. 
Cacace for Friday, 4/23) were 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, as well as Ovenbird.

. . .
Thursday, April 22nd (“Earth Day”) -

The long-staying female Western Tanager was present at Carl Schurz Park in 
Manhattan on Thursday, 4/22. It will be interesting to see if that bird is 
still there once our expected tanager species shows in numbers on passage (that 
being of course Scarlet Tanager), which might be in May, if arrivals are in 
typical order.

Despite temp’s starting out in the mid-30’s (F.) with a below-freezing 
wind-chill factor, there were numbers of observers out & about for Earth Day, 
finding spring birds, including many (more) again seeing a male Kentucky 
Warbler in Central Park’s n. end (continuing from the day prior, and it might 
be noted, for hunger or for whatever reasons of its own, being less skulking 
than is expected of the species much of the time thus far since its initial 
discovery), and also seen were male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (and again by 
many observers, following the one in Fort Tryon Park the day prior).  There 
were at least 3 R.-thr. Hummingbirds in 3 distinct locations in Central Park, & 
often seen coming to lush flowers. 

Great Crested Flyctacher, & several Orchard Orioles were found in Central Park, 
and my guess (only) is that these could have arrived locally on the day prior, 
but I was not aware of any prior reports. The two I saw in the Ramble area were 
males, one an adult, another a first-spring. It is possible that yet others 
were about, from other observers, although many folks were (rather 
understandably) on 'Loch-duty' birding in Central on the day. I also heard the 
unmistakeable calls (not song) of Baltimore Oriole from near Delacorte Theater 
/ Great Lawn in Central Park on the day as well.  My impression in general was 
of some individual birds lingering in essentially same areas where seen on 
Wed., 4/21, but there just may have been some migration-hops made by some birds 
overnight on Wed. to Thursday. (It’s been an odd & unpredictable spring so far 
& we’re still a week out from May 1st…)

Other warbler species seen included some of those found the day prior & in 
recent days in Manhattan, such as Prairie, N. Waterthrush and Louisiana 
Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, Palm, 
Pine, & Myrtle/Yellow-rumped, with perhaps some others present as well.  My 
route in Central was from the n.w. corner of the park, to the east edges, to 
the s.e. corner, and back again to the far n. end, on the other (w.) side of 
reservoir, with a later walk in 2 other nearby parks (and earlier to east side 
of Manhattan). There were at least 4 White-eyed Vireos present in just Central 
Park on Thursday, a slightly 

RE: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet

[ArieGilbert]

I went in search of the VG er, Violet-green Swallow, and did not catch up 
with it - though I did catch up with Richard Guthrie.Most if not all of us like 
short cuts, which include banding codes. They may serve banders well who use 
them professionally and are intimately familiar with that group’s vernacular, 
but for others, it can ( and obviously does ) lead to discord. I admit that at 
times being stumped by a code whose meaning escapes me. While there may have 
been temporary frustration, speaking for myself it does not foment much ado. To 
me, its no different to throw a HERG into the text, as it is to throw in the 
terms remiges, or patagial bar. I can look it up, because I have an interest in 
birds and birding and it’s a learning experience. When I am unfamiliar with a 
term I used to look it up in the dictionary. Now, all I have to do is 
double-click to highlight the word, right-click on it, and select “ search 
google for (the word)”.  For band codes, I use the Sibley app when necessary. 
It allows one to search for a bird by band code. Mystery solved.   Yeah, 
spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and incorrect band codes etc can 
interrupt the cognitive flow, but I suspect that some do not want to be 
‘inconvenienced’ by having to do such odious work as ‘looking it up’ or knowing 
that the author used the wrong choice between they’re, their, or there. Oh 
well. In lieu of band codes I have found simple abbreviations to work as well 
if not better in saving my lazy self from the tortuous chore of spelling out 
the complete name. W pel may be easier than AWPE, for example. At other times I 
have found that 3-3 is better than the standard 2-2 of band codes. BarSwa and 
BanSwa eliminates one of many collisions that are inevitable, and only requires 
2 more letters typed!  Even the spoken word has room for simplification; one 
might say “Rough-wing” instead of Northern Rough-winged Swallow or “Moe Doe” 
instead of Mourning Dove. I enjoy the portmanteau and find that Redhatch rolls 
off the tongue so much better than Red-breasted Nuthatch; as does Americrow, 
Rublet, and many others. So while an erroneous band code may be upsetting to 
some, trust me, its nowhere near as upsetting as attempting to relocate that 
swallow several hours distant and not succeeding. At least peak migration is 
just around the corner!Arie Gilbert North Babylon NY Sent from my T-Mobile 5G 
Device
 Original message From: Richard Guthrie 
 Date: 4/22/21  2:44 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: NYSBIRDS_L 
, Hmbirds  Subject: [nysbirds-l] 
RWSW Not yet Several birders here. No swallow Yet Rich Guthrie--NYSbirds-L List 
Info:http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htmhttp://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htmhttp://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htmARCHIVES:1)
 http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html2) 
http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L3) 
http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01Please submit your observations to 
eBird:http://ebird.org/content/ebird/--
--

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/

--

RE: [nysbirds-l] RWSW Not yet

[ArieGilbert]

I went in search of the VG er, Violet-green Swallow, and did not catch up 
with it - though I did catch up with Richard Guthrie.Most if not all of us like 
short cuts, which include banding codes. They may serve banders well who use 
them professionally and are intimately familiar with that group’s vernacular, 
but for others, it can ( and obviously does ) lead to discord. I admit that at 
times being stumped by a code whose meaning escapes me. While there may have 
been temporary frustration, speaking for myself it does not foment much ado. To 
me, its no different to throw a HERG into the text, as it is to throw in the 
terms remiges, or patagial bar. I can look it up, because I have an interest in 
birds and birding and it’s a learning experience. When I am unfamiliar with a 
term I used to look it up in the dictionary. Now, all I have to do is 
double-click to highlight the word, right-click on it, and select “ search 
google for (the word)”.  For band codes, I use the Sibley app when necessary. 
It allows one to search for a bird by band code. Mystery solved.   Yeah, 
spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and incorrect band codes etc can 
interrupt the cognitive flow, but I suspect that some do not want to be 
‘inconvenienced’ by having to do such odious work as ‘looking it up’ or knowing 
that the author used the wrong choice between they’re, their, or there. Oh 
well. In lieu of band codes I have found simple abbreviations to work as well 
if not better in saving my lazy self from the tortuous chore of spelling out 
the complete name. W pel may be easier than AWPE, for example. At other times I 
have found that 3-3 is better than the standard 2-2 of band codes. BarSwa and 
BanSwa eliminates one of many collisions that are inevitable, and only requires 
2 more letters typed!  Even the spoken word has room for simplification; one 
might say “Rough-wing” instead of Northern Rough-winged Swallow or “Moe Doe” 
instead of Mourning Dove. I enjoy the portmanteau and find that Redhatch rolls 
off the tongue so much better than Red-breasted Nuthatch; as does Americrow, 
Rublet, and many others. So while an erroneous band code may be upsetting to 
some, trust me, its nowhere near as upsetting as attempting to relocate that 
swallow several hours distant and not succeeding. At least peak migration is 
just around the corner!Arie Gilbert North Babylon NY Sent from my T-Mobile 5G 
Device
 Original message From: Richard Guthrie 
 Date: 4/22/21  2:44 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: NYSBIRDS_L 
, Hmbirds  Subject: [nysbirds-l] 
RWSW Not yet Several birders here. No swallow Yet Rich Guthrie--NYSbirds-L List 
Info:http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htmhttp://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htmhttp://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htmARCHIVES:1)
 http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html2) 
http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L3) 
http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01Please submit your observations to 
eBird:http://ebird.org/content/ebird/--
--

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/

--

Re: [nysbirds-l] Four-letter Codes for Birds

[Mike]

While I don’t remember the Birdwatcher’s Digest article that Shai refers to, 
there was an article in N.A Bird Bander from 1978 which proposed a four letter 
code pretty much like the one used today.  
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/nabb/v003n01/p0016-p0025.pdf

I also remember a stretch of time when the ABA tried assigning a (3 digit?) 
number to each species.  
Mike Cooper
Ridge

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 23, 2021, at 9:15 AM, Shaibal Mitra  wrote:
> 
> When Rich posted yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting any news at all from 
> him and read it immediately on the basis of the sender's name, regardless of 
> the subject line. I and many others appreciated his efforts to re-find the 
> Violent Green Swallow in the cold and wind. That said, the "RWSW" in the 
> subject line caught my eye. I haven't seen that code since I finally tore 
> myself away from it in the late 80s or 90s, but my old childhood notebooks 
> contain many such entries, prior to the standardization of four-letter codes 
> and the splitting of the Rough-winged Swallow complex into several species, 
> including our NRWS. I'm guessing that Rich's use of codes goes back at least 
> that far, and that his typo dates him to the earliest years of this 
> expedience.
> 
> I vividly remember my first exposure to the idea of four-letter codes for 
> birds: an article in Bird Watcher's Digest around 1981. I thought it was a 
> great idea and adopted it in my own notes immediately. My early notebooks 
> need a little tlc to interpret: my "BWWA" meant Black-and-white Warbler, a 
> super-familiar species that nested behind my house, rather than Blue-winged 
> Warbler, which took me a couple of years to find in its much lower numbers 
> and more localized breeding sites within biking distance of my house. When I 
> finally found my first Blue-winged Warblers in the Great Swamp, I realized I 
> had a problem. Ditto for my discovery of a colony of Bank Swallows at the 
> Plains Road super fund site, which was accomplished only after a couple of 
> notebooks were filled with "BASW," referring to the ubiquitous, chirpy, 
> long-tailed one.
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to commend the use of four-letter codes, not just for 
> note-taking, but for efficiently navigating eBird. Standard codes work in 
> eBird for any search at the species level, and, in certain kinds of 
> navigation, down to subspecies level, for those that have codes assigned 
> (e.g. searching media for "YPWA" brings up photos and recordings of Yellow 
> Palm Warbler). This last observation reminds me of a significant and largely 
> under-appreciated virtue of four-letter codes. Fluency in them will teach you 
> a lot about taxonomy and field-identifiability at the subspecies and 
> superspecies levels. Subspecies that have been assigned codes are those that 
> are distinctive enough that banders are expected to be able to distinguish 
> and record them as such. So why not birders, too? In fact, many of the codes 
> that were initially applied to distinctive subspecies, such as "ETTI" (vs. 
> Black-crested Titmouse), have since been split. In other cases, it was 
> enlightening to learn that I wasn't supposed to use "WIFL" when banding the 
> locally common breeding Empid, because of difficulties in distinguishing it 
> from "ALFL" i

--

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/

--

Re: [nysbirds-l] Four-letter Codes for Birds

[Mike]

While I don’t remember the Birdwatcher’s Digest article that Shai refers to, 
there was an article in N.A Bird Bander from 1978 which proposed a four letter 
code pretty much like the one used today.  
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/nabb/v003n01/p0016-p0025.pdf

I also remember a stretch of time when the ABA tried assigning a (3 digit?) 
number to each species.  
Mike Cooper
Ridge

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 23, 2021, at 9:15 AM, Shaibal Mitra  wrote:
> 
> When Rich posted yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting any news at all from 
> him and read it immediately on the basis of the sender's name, regardless of 
> the subject line. I and many others appreciated his efforts to re-find the 
> Violent Green Swallow in the cold and wind. That said, the "RWSW" in the 
> subject line caught my eye. I haven't seen that code since I finally tore 
> myself away from it in the late 80s or 90s, but my old childhood notebooks 
> contain many such entries, prior to the standardization of four-letter codes 
> and the splitting of the Rough-winged Swallow complex into several species, 
> including our NRWS. I'm guessing that Rich's use of codes goes back at least 
> that far, and that his typo dates him to the earliest years of this 
> expedience.
> 
> I vividly remember my first exposure to the idea of four-letter codes for 
> birds: an article in Bird Watcher's Digest around 1981. I thought it was a 
> great idea and adopted it in my own notes immediately. My early notebooks 
> need a little tlc to interpret: my "BWWA" meant Black-and-white Warbler, a 
> super-familiar species that nested behind my house, rather than Blue-winged 
> Warbler, which took me a couple of years to find in its much lower numbers 
> and more localized breeding sites within biking distance of my house. When I 
> finally found my first Blue-winged Warblers in the Great Swamp, I realized I 
> had a problem. Ditto for my discovery of a colony of Bank Swallows at the 
> Plains Road super fund site, which was accomplished only after a couple of 
> notebooks were filled with "BASW," referring to the ubiquitous, chirpy, 
> long-tailed one.
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to commend the use of four-letter codes, not just for 
> note-taking, but for efficiently navigating eBird. Standard codes work in 
> eBird for any search at the species level, and, in certain kinds of 
> navigation, down to subspecies level, for those that have codes assigned 
> (e.g. searching media for "YPWA" brings up photos and recordings of Yellow 
> Palm Warbler). This last observation reminds me of a significant and largely 
> under-appreciated virtue of four-letter codes. Fluency in them will teach you 
> a lot about taxonomy and field-identifiability at the subspecies and 
> superspecies levels. Subspecies that have been assigned codes are those that 
> are distinctive enough that banders are expected to be able to distinguish 
> and record them as such. So why not birders, too? In fact, many of the codes 
> that were initially applied to distinctive subspecies, such as "ETTI" (vs. 
> Black-crested Titmouse), have since been split. In other cases, it was 
> enlightening to learn that I wasn't supposed to use "WIFL" when banding the 
> locally common breeding Empid, because of difficulties in distinguishing it 
> from "ALFL" i

--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Four-letter Codes for Birds

[Shaibal Mitra]

When Rich posted yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting any news at all from him 
and read it immediately on the basis of the sender's name, regardless of the 
subject line. I and many others appreciated his efforts to re-find the Violent 
Green Swallow in the cold and wind. That said, the "RWSW" in the subject line 
caught my eye. I haven't seen that code since I finally tore myself away from 
it in the late 80s or 90s, but my old childhood notebooks contain many such 
entries, prior to the standardization of four-letter codes and the splitting of 
the Rough-winged Swallow complex into several species, including our NRWS. I'm 
guessing that Rich's use of codes goes back at least that far, and that his 
typo dates him to the earliest years of this expedience.

I vividly remember my first exposure to the idea of four-letter codes for 
birds: an article in Bird Watcher's Digest around 1981. I thought it was a 
great idea and adopted it in my own notes immediately. My early notebooks need 
a little tlc to interpret: my "BWWA" meant Black-and-white Warbler, a 
super-familiar species that nested behind my house, rather than Blue-winged 
Warbler, which took me a couple of years to find in its much lower numbers and 
more localized breeding sites within biking distance of my house. When I 
finally found my first Blue-winged Warblers in the Great Swamp, I realized I 
had a problem. Ditto for my discovery of a colony of Bank Swallows at the 
Plains Road super fund site, which was accomplished only after a couple of 
notebooks were filled with "BASW," referring to the ubiquitous, chirpy, 
long-tailed one.

Anyway, I'd like to commend the use of four-letter codes, not just for 
note-taking, but for efficiently navigating eBird. Standard codes work in eBird 
for any search at the species level, and, in certain kinds of navigation, down 
to subspecies level, for those that have codes assigned (e.g. searching media 
for "YPWA" brings up photos and recordings of Yellow Palm Warbler). This last 
observation reminds me of a significant and largely under-appreciated virtue of 
four-letter codes. Fluency in them will teach you a lot about taxonomy and 
field-identifiability at the subspecies and superspecies levels. Subspecies 
that have been assigned codes are those that are distinctive enough that 
banders are expected to be able to distinguish and record them as such. So why 
not birders, too? In fact, many of the codes that were initially applied to 
distinctive subspecies, such as "ETTI" (vs. Black-crested Titmouse), have since 
been split. In other cases, it was enlightening to learn that I wasn't supposed 
to use "WIFL" when banding the locally common breeding Empid, because of 
difficulties in distinguishing it from "ALFL" in the hand, when these birds 
simply refuse to sing and were coded collectively as TRFL (Traill's 
Flycatcher). This challenged me to seek reliable visual features to distinguish 
them, which I believe I have been able to do, in large part.

If anybody has old issues of Bird Watcher's Digest (or superior hacking skills) 
and could share that forty year-old article with me, I'd appreciate it. The way 
I remember it, the proposal wasn't originally geared toward banding, but toward 
ease of field-recording and simplicity of computer entry (at that time, via 
Atari 800 for me).

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore
--

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/

--

[nysbirds-l] Four-letter Codes for Birds

[Shaibal Mitra]

When Rich posted yesterday, I was anxiously awaiting any news at all from him 
and read it immediately on the basis of the sender's name, regardless of the 
subject line. I and many others appreciated his efforts to re-find the Violent 
Green Swallow in the cold and wind. That said, the "RWSW" in the subject line 
caught my eye. I haven't seen that code since I finally tore myself away from 
it in the late 80s or 90s, but my old childhood notebooks contain many such 
entries, prior to the standardization of four-letter codes and the splitting of 
the Rough-winged Swallow complex into several species, including our NRWS. I'm 
guessing that Rich's use of codes goes back at least that far, and that his 
typo dates him to the earliest years of this expedience.

I vividly remember my first exposure to the idea of four-letter codes for 
birds: an article in Bird Watcher's Digest around 1981. I thought it was a 
great idea and adopted it in my own notes immediately. My early notebooks need 
a little tlc to interpret: my "BWWA" meant Black-and-white Warbler, a 
super-familiar species that nested behind my house, rather than Blue-winged 
Warbler, which took me a couple of years to find in its much lower numbers and 
more localized breeding sites within biking distance of my house. When I 
finally found my first Blue-winged Warblers in the Great Swamp, I realized I 
had a problem. Ditto for my discovery of a colony of Bank Swallows at the 
Plains Road super fund site, which was accomplished only after a couple of 
notebooks were filled with "BASW," referring to the ubiquitous, chirpy, 
long-tailed one.

Anyway, I'd like to commend the use of four-letter codes, not just for 
note-taking, but for efficiently navigating eBird. Standard codes work in eBird 
for any search at the species level, and, in certain kinds of navigation, down 
to subspecies level, for those that have codes assigned (e.g. searching media 
for "YPWA" brings up photos and recordings of Yellow Palm Warbler). This last 
observation reminds me of a significant and largely under-appreciated virtue of 
four-letter codes. Fluency in them will teach you a lot about taxonomy and 
field-identifiability at the subspecies and superspecies levels. Subspecies 
that have been assigned codes are those that are distinctive enough that 
banders are expected to be able to distinguish and record them as such. So why 
not birders, too? In fact, many of the codes that were initially applied to 
distinctive subspecies, such as "ETTI" (vs. Black-crested Titmouse), have since 
been split. In other cases, it was enlightening to learn that I wasn't supposed 
to use "WIFL" when banding the locally common breeding Empid, because of 
difficulties in distinguishing it from "ALFL" in the hand, when these birds 
simply refuse to sing and were coded collectively as TRFL (Traill's 
Flycatcher). This challenged me to seek reliable visual features to distinguish 
them, which I believe I have been able to do, in large part.

If anybody has old issues of Bird Watcher's Digest (or superior hacking skills) 
and could share that forty year-old article with me, I'd appreciate it. The way 
I remember it, the proposal wasn't originally geared toward banding, but toward 
ease of field-recording and simplicity of computer entry (at that time, via 
Atari 800 for me).

Shai Mitra
Bay Shore
--

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http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm
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ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
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3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01

Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

--

Re:[nysbirds-l] Violet-Green Swallow 4/22 (Saratoga County, NY) report, w/photo by observer

[Thomas Fiore]

In case not seen by some with interest in this report, a photo had been posted 
of the Violet-Green Swallow found April 22 in Saratoga County to the 
publicly-accessible Hudson-Mohawk group list, and that *photo* by the sole (?) 
observer / photographer John Hershey, is here:  
https://groups.io/g/hmbirds/message/27192 
  & one may follow the reports on 
that H-M group-list at this link: https://groups.io/g/hmbirds/topics 
 (as well as on other bird list-serve 
aggregators).  It’s clear too that a number of other birders came out to try.

The photo seems to show a nicely colored male. Quite rare anywhere in the east, 
of course…. Vischer Ferry & vicinity is a great area; I with several others 
once enjoyed one of the best single hours of birding I have ever had in the 
state of NY there (it was a while ago).

Thanks to all who offered reports & obviously to the finder!  If re-found, it’s 
a species deserving of reports to the NYS list along with any & all other 
bird-report ‘channels’.

good luck,
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/

--

Re:[nysbirds-l] Violet-Green Swallow 4/22 (Saratoga County, NY) report, w/photo by observer

[Thomas Fiore]

In case not seen by some with interest in this report, a photo had been posted 
of the Violet-Green Swallow found April 22 in Saratoga County to the 
publicly-accessible Hudson-Mohawk group list, and that *photo* by the sole (?) 
observer / photographer John Hershey, is here:  
https://groups.io/g/hmbirds/message/27192 
  & one may follow the reports on 
that H-M group-list at this link: https://groups.io/g/hmbirds/topics 
 (as well as on other bird list-serve 
aggregators).  It’s clear too that a number of other birders came out to try.

The photo seems to show a nicely colored male. Quite rare anywhere in the east, 
of course…. Vischer Ferry & vicinity is a great area; I with several others 
once enjoyed one of the best single hours of birding I have ever had in the 
state of NY there (it was a while ago).

Thanks to all who offered reports & obviously to the finder!  If re-found, it’s 
a species deserving of reports to the NYS list along with any & all other 
bird-report ‘channels’.

good luck,
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/

--