Manhattan, N.Y. City - including Central, Riverside, & multiple other Parks Monday, 2 July, thru Tuesday, 10 July, 2018 - and -
… Update for Wed., July 11th, a Louisiana Waterthrush has come back, a southbound migrant, in Central Park’s n. end Loch; silent & seen at 5:50 a.m.) It is resaonable to assume that some other / additional migrants may be around; certainly some more will with any further cool fronts. While many nesting birds have had either / both nestlings & fledglings in the city parks, there also have been a modest passage of southbound migrants - which at this time of year, are part of a subtle-enough passage that not all that many are noted. It’s reasonable to assume there are more than have been or are now being reported, in this half of July, especially for a lot of land bird migrants, in areas where (now) few are looking much. Some of the migrants that have passed thru or are still being seen include[d]: Spotted Sandpiper, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, & the following Warblers - Prairie (as of 7/9, Monday), Worm-eating (as of 7/10, Tuesday), & also multiple Yellow Warblers (besides those lingering) and at least a half-dozen more American Redstarts (beisdes a few that may have been lingering since mid June), plus Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-white, the latter at least a single female staying in the same area, & the male Magnolia Warbler which just never left since late spring… these 7 warbler spp. all just in Central Park, while at least a few Yellow Warblers & Common Yellowthroat (the 2 regularly-breeding species of warbler in parts of Manhattan) have been noted in some other parks, including Riverside’s less-frequented areas, & also farther to the north on the island of Manhattan. Lightly annotated list of species seen over 10 days: Double-crested Cormorant (rather common) Great Egret (common as fly-overs, in east-west & west-east movements, also a few stopping in to feed in Central Park) Snowy Egret (flyovers, mainly east-west & west-east as is customary on the local summer flyway) Green Heron (multiple nests and some successful now) Black-crowned Night-Heron (common if sought in eve’s. or very very early a.m., including multiple fly-overs those hours) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (East River, n. of 104th St.) Turkey Vulture (several sightings of fly-overs) Canada Goose Wood Duck (ongoing in Central Park) Gadwall (2, Hudson River) American Black Duck (few, river edge) Mallard Northern Shoveler (2, drop-ins at Meer, Mon. 7/9, not seen 7/10) Green-winged Teal (1, as above) Osprey (several sightings on several dates) Red-tailed Hawk (near-common city resident; 15+ in & near Central Park alone; w/ far more thru all of Manhattan island) Spotted Sandpiper (Tues., 7/10, Central Park) Laughing Gull (few) Ring-billed Gull (rather few) [American] Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove (common nester, many young around) American Kestrel (fairly common city residents, many fledged young out now) Peregrine Falcon (uncommon city resident, multiple fledges recently) Yellow-billed Cuckoo (northern Manhattan, early July) Chimney Swift (ongoing) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (several sightings, with 2 on 7/9 at Central Park) Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee (nesting, in several parks including Central Park) Great Crested Flycatcher (as above) Eastern Kingbird (as above) Warbling Vireo (as above) Red-eyed Vireo (as above) Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow (modest no’s of migrants, mostly higher flying & headed S.) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (few) Barn Swallow (fairly common, esp. in past 5 days, some also nested and fledged young) Black-capped Chickadee (few) Tufted Titmouse (few) Red-breasted Nuthatch (modest movement, up to 5 one day; part of a continent-wide, but so-far modest irruption) White-breasted Nuthatch (nesting in multiple parks, including Central Park) Carolina Wren (as above) House Wren (as above) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2, nesting; but have not seen young) Wood Thrush (some nesting - and some young now fledged) American Robin Gray Catbird (common nester) Northern Mockingbird (fairly common nester) Brown Thrasher (few, but already fledged young, including in Central Park) European Starling Cedar Waxwing (multiple nesting & some young also out; and more will be) - Yellow Warbler (multiple, including small no’s. nested in northern Manhattan) Prairie Warbler (male, Central Park - Ramble; Mon., 7/9) Magnolia Warbler (male, lingering / summering / non-breeding, Central Park) Black-and-white Warbler (females, Central Park, poss. all just lingering from spring migration; non-breeders) American Redstart (multiple, but not many yet; these are migrants and have been in several parks including Central) Worm-eating Warbler (Monday, 7/9; not esp. unusual as a July migrant, this species also breeds within 10 miles; Central Park’s north end) Common Yellowthroat (several, including 2 males lingering at Central Park, plus some breeders in other parks) - Scarlet Tanager (northern Manhattan; ongoing male) Eastern Towhee (several breeding pairs and now with fledged young) Chipping Sparrow (more than a few pairs bred, & at least 2 successful nestings in Central Park) Song Sparrow (fairly common nester) Swamp Sparrow (1 lingering in Central Park, non-breeding) White-throated Sparrow (several lingering in a few places, summering non-breeders) Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Inwood Hill Park, nested and has young now) Indigo Bunting (northern Manhattan; nesting possible, but not determined) Red-winged Blackbird (small movements already going s.) Common Grackle (some probably migrating and massing, as well as local nesters) Brown-headed Cowbird (relatively few) American Goldfinch (as above; & also nesting) House Finch (scattered & many nesting lately) House Sparrow (very ubiquitous pest species) .. A GULF Fritillary (butterfly) was found in Central Park’s Conservatory Garden (which is near E. 103-106th Streets, just west of Fifth Ave.) on July 4th, photographed there by Mike Freeman, and this regional rarity (an individual of this species was found & photo’d by Steve Walter, at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens County, about ten years ago) has persisted at the garden, most often being seen at & near pink blossoms, within the “South” garden, at that site. There has been plenty of other insect and arthropod life noted in the last 2 weeks, but none noted that are as rarely-seen as this fritillary, which is not so uncommon in Florida, but rarer as one gets much north of that state, in the east. To make it clear, the unexpected fritillary was still around as of late Tues. p.m. 7/10; it has shown some interest in other-color blooms in the garden, but seems a bit partial to pinks-’n’-purples. . . . . Out in Queens Co. after a visit to the many-times-mentioned shores with those many Terns (& Piping Plovers, Black Skimmers, & other nesting species), on return through parts of mid-Queens, I encountered a loud pair of Monk Parakeets, not far from the junction of Woodhaven & Rockaway Boulevards; just a little more of that species getting to be further established in a variety of areas in the city; I’ve seen & heard them in parts of all 5 boroughs (counties) of New York City in the last 2 years. This Queens sighting was on July 3rd. ----- "O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." - Frederick Douglass, American orator - writer - abolitionist - July 5th, 1852. good -quiet & ethical- birding to all. 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/ --
