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 small mystery. The bird was a female, and was occasionally seen on a sidewalk but more often in some plantings, and also up in street trees of that mid-urban area. Some Pine Siskins and Purple Finches have come thru in recent days, esp for May 9th in this county. There were a few later-lingereRS in some locations, for Central Park including such species as Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers -the latter species in many more locations as well this past week- and Winter Wren, also getting a bit late here, by now. A nice migration of -expected right now- Savannah Sparrows have been noted from many locations all around the country. Some Black Vulture sightings included at least a few away from the northern parts of Manhattan, where these can be regular, and with a good sighting from Central Park on May 11th by multiple observers birding together. Thanks to the many keen, quiet observers of so many migrants, resident and breeding birds recently in and around the county. 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/ --