Date: Sunday, 4 October 2009 (6:45a-4:30p) Location: Central Park - Strawberry Fields to the reservoir Observers: Eve Levine, Ben Cacace Reported by: Ben Cacace
A brief raptor push during the 1 o'clock hour was seen from Sparrow Ridge, west of the Great Lawn at the latitude of approximately 83rd St., and contained 2 Cooper's Hawks, 6 Turkey Vultures with 1 Osprey tagging along. A Peregrine Falcon was seen heading "Manhattan west" low enough to be a local. One of the resident adult Red-tailed Hawks was climbing on a thermal around the Beresford Building on 81st St. and Central Park West and climbed high enough to appear as a migrant. I wanted to watch to see if it would climb out of the naked eye visibility zone but missed this opportunity. Birds on the reservoir included 2 adult Pied-billed Grebes, 3 Northern Shovelers, 3 Ruddy Ducks and several Gadwall. The warbler highlight was a Nashville Warbler on the south edge of the reservoir east of the SW entrance. Weather for 4-Oct in Central Park (time) < http://tinyurl.com/yeeqpt3 >: - Conditions: mostly clear with scattered clouds - Temperature: 57.2 to 73.0 F (14.0 to 22.8 C) - Wind direction: calm / NE - ESE / variable - Wind speed: calm to 6 mph (gusts to 9 mph) ** Total species - 56 ** Abundance categories below from 'An Annotated Checklist: The Birds of Central Park'. 'Less Common' migrants [11 spp]: - Wood Duck - 3 on the lake incl. a pair (m/f) & 1 adult male - Gadwall - 40+ incl. 36+ on Turtle Pond - Pied-billed Grebe - 2 adults on the reservoir - Turkey Vulture - 6 heading S over Sparrow Ridge - Osprey - 1 heading S over Sparrow Ridge - Laughing Gull - 1 on the reservoir - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 6+ - Black-capped Chickadee - 1 in Shakespeare Garden - Wood Thrush - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - Brown Thrasher - 6+ - Nashville Warbler - 1 near the SW entrance to the reservoir 'Common' migrants [28 spp]: - American Black Duck - 3 on the lake - Northern Shoveler - 3 on the reservoir - Ruddy Duck - 3 on the reservoir - Double-crested Cormorant - 4 on the reservoir - Cooper's Hawk - 2 heading S seen from Sparrow Ridge - Chimney Swift - 2+ - Northern Flicker - 25+ - Eastern Phoebe - 4+ - Red-eyed Vireo - 1 at the Maintenance Meadow - Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6+ incl. 5+ at the Pinetum - Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - Swainson's Thrush - 6+ - American Robin - 50+ - Gray Catbird - 24+ - Cedar Waxwing - 15+ - Northern Parula - 2+ - Magnolia Warbler - 1 in the Ramble - Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 in the Pinetum - Palm Warbler - 3+ - Blackpoll Warbler - 2 around Sparrow Ridge - American Redstart - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - Common Yellowthroat - 3 below Belvedere Castle - Scarlet Tanager - 2 - Eastern Towhee - 4+ - Song Sparrow - 1 in the Pinetum - White-throated Sparrow - 12+ - Dark-eyed Junco - 3+ - Common Grackle - 2 in the Locust Grove Year round residents [17 spp]: - Canada Goose - 2 continue on the lake - Mallard - 50+ - Great Blue Heron - 1 first year bird continues on Turtle Pond - Red-tailed Hawk - 2 adults: 1 from 5th Ave. nest climbing high on thermals & 1 young adult over Strawberry Fields - Peregrine Falcon - 2 sightings from Pinetum & reservoir - Ring-billed Gull - On the reservoir - Herring Gull - On the reservoir - Great Black-backed Gull - On the reservoir - Rock Pigeon - 25+ - Mourning Dove - 6+ - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ - Blue Jay - 15+ - American Crow - 11 over the Ramble - European Starling - 25+ - Northern Cardinal - 6+ - House Sparrow - 50+ In taxonomic order: - Canada Goose - 2 continue on the lake - Wood Duck - 3 on the lake incl. a pair (m/f) & 1 adult male - Gadwall - 40+ incl. 36+ on Turtle Pond - American Black Duck - 3 on the lake - Mallard - 50+ - Northern Shoveler - 3 on the reservoir - Ruddy Duck - 3 on the reservoir - Pied-billed Grebe - 2 adults on the reservoir - Double-crested Cormorant - 4 on the reservoir - Great Blue Heron - 1 first year bird continues on Turtle Pond - Turkey Vulture - 6 heading S over Sparrow Ridge - Osprey - 1 heading S over Sparrow Ridge - Cooper's Hawk - 2 heading S seen from Sparrow Ridge - Red-tailed Hawk - 2 adults: 1 from 5th Ave. nest climbing high on thermals & 1 young adult over Strawberry Fields - Peregrine Falcon - 2 sightings from Pinetum & reservoir - Laughing Gull - 1 on the reservoir - Ring-billed Gull - On the reservoir - Herring Gull - On the reservoir - Great Black-backed Gull - On the reservoir - Rock Pigeon - 25+ - Mourning Dove - 6+ - Chimney Swift - 2+ - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2+ - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 6+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ - Northern Flicker - 25+ - Eastern Phoebe - 4+ - Red-eyed Vireo - 1 at the Maintenance Meadow - Blue Jay - 15+ - American Crow - 11 over the Ramble - Black-capped Chickadee - 1 in Shakespeare Garden - Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6+ incl. 5+ at the Pinetum - Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - Swainson's Thrush - 6+ - Wood Thrush - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - American Robin - 50+ - Gray Catbird - 24+ - Brown Thrasher - 6+ - European Starling - 25+ - Cedar Waxwing - 15+ - Nashville Warbler - 1 near the SW entrance to the reservoir - Northern Parula - 2+ - Magnolia Warbler - 1 in the Ramble - Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 in the Pinetum - Palm Warbler - 3+ - Blackpoll Warbler - 2 around Sparrow Ridge - American Redstart - 1 in the Tupelo Tree in the Ramble - Common Yellowthroat - 3 below Belvedere Castle - Scarlet Tanager - 2 - Eastern Towhee - 4+ - Song Sparrow - 1 in the Pinetum - White-throated Sparrow - 12+ - Dark-eyed Junco - 3+ - Northern Cardinal - 6+ - Common Grackle - 2 in the Locust Grove - House Sparrow - 50+ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES Archives: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
