Central Park NYC Sunday December 9, 2018 OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, Deborah Allen, m.ob.
Highlights: Four Barred Owls & one Great Horned Owl. Note: In early January 2013 three Barred Owls were seen together at dusk one evening. According to David Monk three Barred Owls wintered in Central Park in 1979. Long-eared Owls used to be more common species of wintering owl in Central Park, but it appears now that Barred Owls are on the increase. The uptick in Yellow-bellied Sapsucker numbers on Sunday, and the sighting of four Barred Owls is an indication that some migratory movement is still taking place. Canada Goose - around 265 (around 240 Reservoir, 15 on the Lake) Wood Duck - male Reservoir Northern Shoveler - 63 (58 Reservoir, 5 Lake) Mallard - 265 (Reservoir & Lake) American Black Duck - male Reservoir Bufflehead - 13 Reservoir Hooded Merganser - 2 (male & female) Reservoir Ruddy Duck - around 100 Reservoir Mourning Dove - 15 American Coot - 2 Reservoir Ring-billed gull - around 100 Reservoir Herring Gull - 7 Reservoir Great Black-backed Gull - 3 Reservoir Great Blue Heron - flyover - east side of Sheep Meadow Cooper's Hawk - 2 Red-tailed Hawk - at least 3 incl. 2 adults mobbing Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl - continues Barred Owl - 4 (simultaneously seen at 4 locations mid-park)* Red-bellied Woodpecker - at least 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 5 Downy Woodpecker - 2 Evodia Field feeders Northern Flicker - female Turtle Pond American Kestrel - male perched SW Great Lawn Blue Jay - around 20 American Crow - flock of 15 mobbing Great Horned Owl Black-capped Chickadee - 3 at feeders Tufted Titmouse - around 25 Red-breasted Nuthatch - 2 (feeders & Shakespeare Garden (Sandra Critelli)) White-breasted Nuthatch - 8 American Robin - at least 60, mostly around crab apples Cedar Waxwing - 48 (43 SW Great Lawn, 5 Tupelo Field) House Finch - 5 Evodia Field feeders Pine Siskin - 5 American Goldfinch - a few at feeders Eastern Towhee - 2 males Shakespeare Garden Chipping Sparrow - feeders Fox Sparrow - 3 or 4 White-throated Sparrow - 100+ Dark-eyed Junco - 20-30 sparrow Rock, others scattered around Red-winged Blackbird - 4 Great Lawn Common Grackle - around 200 (Great Lawn) plus smaller flocks of up to 40 birds in various locations Northern Cardinal - several *Sunday's Barred Owl count doesn't include any Barred Owl(s) at the North End. One was last seen by us there on Friday. Deb Allen Follow us on twitter @BirdingBobNYC & @DAllenNYC -- 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/ --