Tuesday, 14 September, 2010 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

Certainly some fresh arrivals of migrants from Monday night into  
Tuesday; a modest morning flight included some thrush movement and a  
somewhat thin, but apparently widespread movement of warblers and  
other smallish passerines. The thrushes were made up of more  
Swainson's than all others but some Veery, Wood, and at least a few  
Gray-cheeked types of thrushes were also to be found. As is typical  
the more isolated areas of the n. woods were the best barometer of  
just how much thrush arrival there was. In many sections of the park  
the thrushes are feeding and staying much of the time in the canopy  
and can be under-counted, although their calls may give some away even  
if not seen well. (In the isolated areas (where fewer people & dogs  
roam) the thrushes get to the ground more regularly...)

At least 22 species of wood-warblers were collectively seen in Central  
on Tuesday (likely not by any one observer) and among those a  
highlight for at least a few folks (hopefully more than a few) was a  
canopy-feeding Golden-winged Warbler, first spotted in the Ramble just  
south of the Azalea Pond, by Richard Leiberman leading a Linnaean  
Society of New York bird-walk. The Golden-winged apparently was not re- 
found later and may have been a bit difficult to see in the first  
instance. That species has declined in migration to the point where it  
is essentially as rare a sighting now as some of the more southern- 
affinity warblers we see in the region. To give a sense of overall  
diversity in the park on Tues., the warbler list is below - with (1)  
added for species where I am aware of only one observation on the day.  
As is rather typical the greatest activity was early in the morning  
with the sun just coming up.

Blue-winged Warbler (1)
Golden-winged Warbler (1, Ramble - as reported by others)
Tennessee Warbler (few)
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler (few)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler (1, 1st-year, on north end's Great Hill)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (few)
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler (1, 1st-year, Loch near wildflower meadow)
Wilson's Warbler (few)
Canada Warbler (few)

There are also very modest numbers (so far) of migrant sparrows  
trickling into the city with Chipping Sparrow perhaps leading the  
pack. A number of people in separate locations around Manhattan saw at  
least modest numbers and variety of passerines, particularly of wood- 
warblers, dropping into small pocket parks, gardens, and such small  
urban oases.
-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
At the "Fire Island" hawk-watch site at Robert Moses State Park on the  
outer barrier beach of Long Island, NY, an apparent record-setting  
number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were counted going past the  
watch: 60 'hummers' - and "only" 3 Dickcissels, plus a few Red- 
breasted Nuthatches (not unusual this fall, it seems) & Purple Finch  
as well, among the non-raptor observations from the watch. The 81  
Merlins seen there for the day are no tiny number, either... that  
report is up at:
http://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=359&go=Go+to+site (hawk- 
watch reports often include a lot more than only raptors; even some  
insect sightings are often added)

Hawk-watch sites regionally saw a modest flight of raptors with Bald  
Eagles in good numbers at some sites Tuesday, and some sites going  
into the mid-high hundreds of Broad-winged Hawks on their way south- 
west to S. America...the larger flights generally on the inland ridge  
& mountain watches. Today, Wednesday 9/15 is expected to be another  
good day all around, for raptors and likely many other migrant birds  
to be seen.
-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Apparently no one was able to re-find a possible wagtail or any  
similar such bird as had been reported from Stratford, Connecticut  
(along Long Island Sound's north side opposite Long Island NY) - this  
is a bit typical of the extremely scant reports of any wagtail species  
seen and reported in the eastern parts of N. America.

Good birding; think and act peacefully.

Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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