A Black-necked STILT was discovered & photographed at the main pool in Montezuma N.W.R. in Seneca County, NY on Wed., 5/21 and seen by a number of observers; I believe the discovery was made there by Logan Kahle [?] … & another observer noted a few more specifics as being: “west of the Seneca Flats parking pullout, in far water past corn stubble”.
An adult male Painted Bunting in full living color was photographed at a private residential feeder in Onondaga County NY on Tuesday, May 21st, noted by the photographer / homeowner as staying for just a few moments. Following the report of 60+ (that’s sixty plus) Mississippi Kites seen on the move thru the day from Cape May County, New Jersey on Tues., 5/21 which followed on the 2 dozen (24) of that species counted at the Fort Smallwood Park spring hawk-watch in Maryland, on Monday, 5/20 - it’s clear that that species, & also the much rarer-in-northeast Swallow-tailed Kite, ought be watched for in all parts of the northeast. (For those who enjoy photographed STKI’s, the one seen at Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Tues., 21 May [2019] is here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56576767 <https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56576767> & you can find another from Prince George’s County in Maryland on 15 May [2019] here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56315259 <https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56315259> ) -- Shane Blodgett’s nice flight-shots of the Mississippi Kite he noted to this list on 20 May for Kings County (Brooklyn, N.Y. City) and almost certainly the same bird seen shortly after by J. Malbin & S. Sime at Greenwood cemetery in Kings County (slightly north of the shore-side location from which Shane picked up the kite) are here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56539225 <https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S56539225> - Sean Sime also managed diagnostic flight-shots once the kite passed by Greenwood, thanks to an urgent call from Shane, who knew who might be watching the skies from just north of Brooklyn’s south shore. One can wonder if this individual might have been possible to spot from any N.Y. County locations, perhaps such as Governors Island in New York’s upper harbor. Although a Chuck-wills-widow that was seen by many observers in Central Park on May 18th seems to have been a one-day experience there, another Chuck-wills-widow was also found in (lower) Manhattan, unfortunately this other was injured, & has been brought to a rehabilitator. — Manhattan, N.Y. City - Tues. & Wed., 21-22 May, 2019 The regularly scheduled Tuesday morning spring migration series of bird-walks for the Linnaean Society of New York, led regularly by Richard Lieberman in Central Park, concluded for the spring on 5/21 with a good turnout of at least 25 participants and at least 39 species seen for the walk’s duration. Sightings by the group included Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wood & Swainson’s Thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Bunting (singing male), & Warblers which included Tennessee, Cape May, Bay-breasted, and multiple Blackpoll, plus a variety of other migrants &/or resident & summering or breeding species. The first species I noted on entering Central Park’s n. end on Tues. 5/21 were Cedar Waxwings, and that species continued to show in numbers there, & elsewhere around New York County. On Wed., 5/22 two Summer Tanagers were found in the area south of Fort Tryon Park, west of Cabrini Blvd., this in the northern part of Manhattan, and a female Summer Tanager was seen as well in Central Park, at the Ramble on the same day. In general, a rather good but not extremely diverse (or especially numerous) collection of migrants for the day, yet again, various boreal-breeding warblers were seen &/or heard: Tennessee, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Wilson’s, & others, with at least 21 warbler spp. still detected overall on Manhattan island on the day- Worm-eating, Prairie, & Blackburnian amongst these. A number of Scarlet Tanagers, including multiple males, continued in Manhattan to Wed. 5/22. A single Broad-winged Hawk, possibly with some primary (flight) feathers in disarray, was noted at the n. end of Central Park on 5/21 by Gabriel Willow. There were also a fair number of Catharus [genus] Thrushes about, & in some places such as the most-shaded parts of the n. woods in Central Park and in a few sections of Riverside Park (northern area), Gray-cheeked Thrush seemed at least equal in numbers to Swainson’s Thrush, the latter perhaps by now the most-numerous of this thrush genus, & also the species most expected in numbers by now. There were still Veery, Wood, & at least 1 or 2 Hermit Thrush about, & there was at least one ‘gray-cheeked’ type in the n.w. corner of Central Park which called, once, giving the call (not song) that is most-typical for Bicknell’s. A wait in that area did not provide a song, but the latter species is moving thru & into the region now. Others of Gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s type were found the same day in N.Y. City and in recent days, & a [singing!] Bicknell’s Thrush was reported at Forest Park, Queens County NY (not at the well-known ‘water-hole’ but elsewhere) in the early morning on 5/22, by C. Finger. (N.B., this latter species had also begun to arrive to its southernmost known breeding areas in the Catskill Mtns. of eastern New York this week- some have been documented, & more likely will be in coming weeks there.) The presence, if scattered, of some Manhattan White-throated Sparrows also suggested that there will be more departure soon, & with luck, a bit more of 'drop-in' as well to be seen in Manhattan over the next few days. There certainly will be more migration, even as some attention switches to breeding birds and also to shore- & sea- birds. And the latter parts of spring migration may well turn up some surprises on migration, not that there have not already been some for New York! -- A parade of butterflies on the move again around Manhattan included Red Admirals & American Ladys. Question-mark butterflies also have been appearing- yet another migrant species. A Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) was seen well at the south edge of the Central Park reservoir on 5/22; this is considered at least ‘uncommon' in that park. A variety of other odonates (dragonflies & damselflies) have been starting to appear locally; well worth keeping eyes & camera-lens out for, especially any that seem unusual. Many of these have only just begun to emerge or (more so) show up as migrants on recent more-southerly winds. --- "Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.” - Terry Tempest Williams (contemporary activist, and author of many books) good birding, 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/ --
