[nysbirds-l] N.Y. County (NYC), Feb. 3 & 4 - Gr. W.-fr. Goose, W. Tanager, Iceland Gulls, etc.
New York County, including Manhattan & Randall’s Island, N.Y. City Wed. Feb. 3rd, & Thursday, Feb. 4th - On Wed. 2/3, the Greater White-fronted Goose (of the form flavirostris) was continuing at the Central Park reservoir, among many Canada Geese; on Thursday, I was unable to find it there and am not sure of anyone else finding it then; I checked on Randall’s Island (after going into Central, & then Carl Schurz Park) & while I scanned thru more than 450 Canada Geese (with 1 ‘runt’ sized Canada not passing muster for a poss. Cackler) there, in multiple flocks and areas, no white-front was found. Iceland Gulls (all presumed the form kumleini) have been seen in both Central Park at the reservoir, and to the east, with one on Thursday at Randall’s Island/Bronx Kill; there also was a general mixed-gull flock of 300+, at the eastern edge and outlet to that waterbody, and for a small drama in early afternoon, a sudden frantic lift-off of all the previously lazily-loafing or half-heartedly feeding gulls there, was a signal - sure enough, less than a minute later, an adult Bald Eagle came along, drifting southwest, looping with no flaps around the area all the gulls had just vacated, and then soaring back north. Some but not all of those gulls resettled; the many Canadas did not react nearly as strongly, and none took off as the eagle came near. Out on the waters of westernmost L.I. Sound, towards Queens NYC, were some 11+ Common Goldeneye (one hen actually dared poke into NY County waters), & several Red-throated plus one Common Loon[s], some Red-breasted Mergansers, [Atlantic” Brant, & extremely distant other waterbirds on the waters. Randall’s Island also featured 3 ardeid spp. on the day, the adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron which was hunkered in a non-regular winter-spot, but still at Little Hell Gate saltmarsh, and a young Black-crowned Night-Heron, also very skulking when seen, and a couple of sightings of Great Blue Heron, perhaps 2 different, or the same moving about in the course of a few hrs. Additionally seen from Randall’s were at least 3 Turkey Vultures (seen simultaneously) which seemed to be ever-so-slowly drifting n./n-e. - there had also been at least one T.V. going north over Manhattan (seen from Central Park) and another sighting from by the East River. Other birders also reported the species over Manhattan, at differing hours. A Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler was seen at Randall’s Isand later on Thursday, perhaps a bird overwintering. Carl Schurz Park on Thursday had the Western Tanager (female) which I saw (& photo’d) just 2 minutes after arriving in the morning, at the suet/nut-cake or log, along with other more-usual birds there; the Orange-crowned Warbler, long-lingering now as well, was tougher, & gave just a short showing, near the Peter Pan statue in the park’s n.e. sector, and may have flown off, as I did not connect with that as hoped for closer photos. That tanager has been available lately at times for photos taken from a yard out. I began Thursday with a walk ‘round all of the North Meadow in Central Park, at first-light & while no really amazing sights were seen by doing so, I was slightly surprised to find a Common Grackle flock, coming into the park from the s.w. at about W. 96-97th, & consisting of 650+ birds as it passed over, low-ish but possibly flying on northeast out of the park, unless the flock settled in the area not far from or at the Meer. A somewhat larger number of that species, for so early in Feb., than I’d think ‘usual, although they have been around all this winter so far, but in lesser numbers, at least recently. On the reservoir, although lacking (as far as I found) any white-fronted goosage, a drake Wood Duck, a hen Red-breasted Merganser, & a Common Loon all were continuing, & a nice bonus bird was an Iceland Gull which was not the same individual as seen later at Randall’s, the latter an older gull. As far as I’m aware, there have been no further sightings of that potential / putative 'Nelson’s Gull' (hybrid of Glaucous & Herring) at the C.P. reservoir, nor anywhere else in the county, however it could well return to where first noted. Other sightings in Central for Thursday 2/4 included Field, Chipping and American Tree (latter also being seen elsewhere) Sparrows in a little group at ther park’s n. end (all continuing from at least the day before; Chipping has been overwintering there & in a couple of other Manhattan locations); a Rusty Blackbird long-lingering in the Ramble of Central, all 3 falcon species (Merlin, Am. Kestrel, & Peregrine Falcon), a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (& there’ve been a few others in other parts of Manhattan, all assumed wintering), & plenty of other overwinterers, such as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird (esp. in some of the smaller parks and green
[nysbirds-l] N.Y. County (NYC), Feb. 3 & 4 - Gr. W.-fr. Goose, W. Tanager, Iceland Gulls, etc.
New York County, including Manhattan & Randall’s Island, N.Y. City Wed. Feb. 3rd, & Thursday, Feb. 4th - On Wed. 2/3, the Greater White-fronted Goose (of the form flavirostris) was continuing at the Central Park reservoir, among many Canada Geese; on Thursday, I was unable to find it there and am not sure of anyone else finding it then; I checked on Randall’s Island (after going into Central, & then Carl Schurz Park) & while I scanned thru more than 450 Canada Geese (with 1 ‘runt’ sized Canada not passing muster for a poss. Cackler) there, in multiple flocks and areas, no white-front was found. Iceland Gulls (all presumed the form kumleini) have been seen in both Central Park at the reservoir, and to the east, with one on Thursday at Randall’s Island/Bronx Kill; there also was a general mixed-gull flock of 300+, at the eastern edge and outlet to that waterbody, and for a small drama in early afternoon, a sudden frantic lift-off of all the previously lazily-loafing or half-heartedly feeding gulls there, was a signal - sure enough, less than a minute later, an adult Bald Eagle came along, drifting southwest, looping with no flaps around the area all the gulls had just vacated, and then soaring back north. Some but not all of those gulls resettled; the many Canadas did not react nearly as strongly, and none took off as the eagle came near. Out on the waters of westernmost L.I. Sound, towards Queens NYC, were some 11+ Common Goldeneye (one hen actually dared poke into NY County waters), & several Red-throated plus one Common Loon[s], some Red-breasted Mergansers, [Atlantic” Brant, & extremely distant other waterbirds on the waters. Randall’s Island also featured 3 ardeid spp. on the day, the adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron which was hunkered in a non-regular winter-spot, but still at Little Hell Gate saltmarsh, and a young Black-crowned Night-Heron, also very skulking when seen, and a couple of sightings of Great Blue Heron, perhaps 2 different, or the same moving about in the course of a few hrs. Additionally seen from Randall’s were at least 3 Turkey Vultures (seen simultaneously) which seemed to be ever-so-slowly drifting n./n-e. - there had also been at least one T.V. going north over Manhattan (seen from Central Park) and another sighting from by the East River. Other birders also reported the species over Manhattan, at differing hours. A Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler was seen at Randall’s Isand later on Thursday, perhaps a bird overwintering. Carl Schurz Park on Thursday had the Western Tanager (female) which I saw (& photo’d) just 2 minutes after arriving in the morning, at the suet/nut-cake or log, along with other more-usual birds there; the Orange-crowned Warbler, long-lingering now as well, was tougher, & gave just a short showing, near the Peter Pan statue in the park’s n.e. sector, and may have flown off, as I did not connect with that as hoped for closer photos. That tanager has been available lately at times for photos taken from a yard out. I began Thursday with a walk ‘round all of the North Meadow in Central Park, at first-light & while no really amazing sights were seen by doing so, I was slightly surprised to find a Common Grackle flock, coming into the park from the s.w. at about W. 96-97th, & consisting of 650+ birds as it passed over, low-ish but possibly flying on northeast out of the park, unless the flock settled in the area not far from or at the Meer. A somewhat larger number of that species, for so early in Feb., than I’d think ‘usual, although they have been around all this winter so far, but in lesser numbers, at least recently. On the reservoir, although lacking (as far as I found) any white-fronted goosage, a drake Wood Duck, a hen Red-breasted Merganser, & a Common Loon all were continuing, & a nice bonus bird was an Iceland Gull which was not the same individual as seen later at Randall’s, the latter an older gull. As far as I’m aware, there have been no further sightings of that potential / putative 'Nelson’s Gull' (hybrid of Glaucous & Herring) at the C.P. reservoir, nor anywhere else in the county, however it could well return to where first noted. Other sightings in Central for Thursday 2/4 included Field, Chipping and American Tree (latter also being seen elsewhere) Sparrows in a little group at ther park’s n. end (all continuing from at least the day before; Chipping has been overwintering there & in a couple of other Manhattan locations); a Rusty Blackbird long-lingering in the Ramble of Central, all 3 falcon species (Merlin, Am. Kestrel, & Peregrine Falcon), a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (& there’ve been a few others in other parts of Manhattan, all assumed wintering), & plenty of other overwinterers, such as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird (esp. in some of the smaller parks and green
