New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan -
with Central Park featured for all of the species noted in the above
subject-line -
And all of Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt islands, as well as
adjacent waters and the skies above -
Thru Mothers Day May 12th -
It has been a busy-birding week with a lot of interesting species and great
diversity appearing lately all through the county and of course, in the broader
region as well. Just some highlights are featured below, with over 160 species
of birds having occurred in this county in recent days, and with more than 120
of those just within and over Central Park in Manhattan.
Central Park features for a good number of recent highlights - perhaps top
amongst these, even if surely annual of occurrence, was a sometimes-singing
BICKNELLS Thrush, in the Ramble area of Central, on May 11 and found by
Benjamin Van Doren, for all other many observers to admire later that day,
sometimes going silent but fairly obliging for views. Scores and scores of
observers to this much-hope-to-see-and-hear species.
A further addition to Blue Grosbeak sightings for this county came on May 9 at
Central Park, with a well noted adult male seen there, albeit not seen by many
or in subsequent days at the site.
Summer Tanager has been near common in comparison with almost any past spring
in this county, with as many as 6, and probably up to ten-plus individuals in
varying plumages and molt sequences, over just the past week or so in the
county, and up to five or likely more individuals within Central Park alone
this month of May. Many photos of the various Summer Tanagers will show some of
the differing plumages, in addition to some widely separated locations on some
same-day reports of the species. Young females, young males, as well as adult
females, bright breeding males and also 2nd-year plumages are all among the
multiplicity of these birds occurring in what might almost be termed
SummerTanagerSpring of this county.
The May 9 Cerulean Warbler, a singing male, and the second of this species for
the island of Manhattan this spring, and this month, to be fully documented,
was found on the noted date by some women birders who early in the day put out
word via non-X alerting systems which the majority of birders use these days,
as well as thru eBird alerts in very common use everywhere, those early reports
by several women birders helping to bring more observers to the sites at
Central Parks northern end, where many eventually saw, as well as heard, the
5-9 Cerulean, always a much-hoped-for species in this county. There is a chance
that more than one individual singing male Cerulean was within the north end of
Central Park on that day, going by the several locations, although of course
also possible one individual was mobile in its feeding places in that sector of
the park on that day.
At least 30 species of migratory American warblers have been seen this past
week in the county, with up to 25 or more regularly being seen in Central Park
PER day, on most days of the past week here. Some Mourning Warblers have been
found and at least some of that species also slipped thru - typically for any
year - nearly undetected. Some among more commonly seen species of warbler in
recent days, esp for May 11 and 12th, included Ovenbirds, Common Yellowthroats,
and just lately, Magnolia Warblers, with American Redstarts and N. Parulas also
being rather numerous still. Many other species were still being seen into
double or even triple digits for particular days, within N.Y. County, and
overall including active morning flights, the migratory American Warblers have
been passing in the neighborhood of high 6-digit to over 1 million birds on
migrations, not unusually in peak mid-May movements. Some of that detected from
NFC, nocturnal flight calls data. Many many other species besides the
above-noted have been widely seen in nice numbers, including the
boreal-breeders such as Cape May, Tennessee, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Wilsons,
and various many othe r warbler species.
An adult Red-headed Woodpecker at the Central Park Ramble was noted only from
May 11, at least going from all reporting thus far. On May 11th at Governors
Island, a couple of Purple Sandpipers were still found, a nice sighting well
into May. Many more birds of interest have also been seen in or from Governors
Island in this month.
Some of the Glossy Ibis sightings of this month included a trio of them moving
past lower Manhattan on May 8, with thanks to C. Williams for a report on
those. It has been good to see some reports include Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
for sightings recently from Randalls Island.
A very odd-for-location Wild Turkey was seen for at least a few days in the
area of mid-Manhattans Park Ave. near 49th St, by many many surprised
observers, with a lot of photos and videos made of this wanderer, from just
where is perhaps to stay a sm
