Northern Wheatear was found today (9/23) in Connecticut, which has done well on that species: http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org/Week-of-Mon-20100920/021527.html http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org/Week-of-Mon-20100920/021543.html The above are merely the first & most recent reports on the N.Wheatear sightings on the CT list. White-tailed Kite, lingering 7+ weeks at Stratford and occasionally at Milford Point, Connecticut.
N.B. - An adult Fork-tailed Flycatcher has been photographed on Wed. 9/22 at Belfast (mid-coastal) Maine, with an additional note that the folks on the road "don't want to be swamped with visitors" - and yes, with that town lying right on a main route, it would attract plenty of us, if it sticks & gets re-seen. A 'regularly-occurring' rarity on the east coast - and obviously, with that sort of bird, the faster word gets out the more birders may get to see - and of course many of these, as with Scissor-taileds, may be young birds not showing all that tail extension (as this latest sight does)... http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds/browse_thread/thread/ecd2fd08769f77d5# (Interestingly, a modestly-belated report came in on the Newfoundland Canada bird list, for a Fork-tailed Flycatcher seen there, on 9/19 - and apparently just for 15 minutes at the location where that far-eastern (Atlantic Canada) bird was photographed.) The 15 minutes-&-gone is a bit of a rapid departure but is a bit more typical rather than a long-staying easy-to-relocate bird of this species in N. America. Ron Pittaway's traditional Winter Finch Forecast for this winter of 2010 into 2011: http://mailman.hwcn.org/pipermail/ontbirds/Week-of-Mon-20100920/025247.html This is the original version as put forth and then archived at the Ontario Birds list. - - - Manhattan larger parks: Riverside & Central, N.Y. City - Some of the smaller parks also have been getting good variety as a strong indication of good migration lately, with a dozen or more warbler species as an example of this collectively seen in parks from 42 Street to lower Manhattan over the past week. A report from "uptown" areas that took in such excellent fall sites as Fort Tryon & Inwood Hill Parks would also likely show off this good movement in just this one sliver of the megalopolis that we call Manhattan island. Also sometimes of interest can be Carl Shurz Park on the East River not far from the west-most end of Long Island Sound - it may be most productive first thing in the morning & in the seasonal peak migration periods. As is relatively typical and common to this time of the year around here (the greater northeastern region of North America, that is) there have been tremendous flights of migrants over the last few nights - and days. Millions of birds have moved through and over our state, actually tens of millions in the few days of this week. The Broad- winged Hawk migration is fully underway with most of the active watch sites in the region reporting multiple thousands going south and likely more yet to be seen in the next week or so as a definitive push of 5-digit proportions seems not to have materialized at most (any?) northeastern watches - yet. Most of the other regularly-seen diurnal raptors have been building in numbers, as well. This weekend certainly looks great for overall migratory activities throughout. I will see if the cold front affects what's seen in the Amazonian regions of Brazil ;-) - there for a few weeks! I hope to read a lot of good reports for the region upon my return to the states. - - - Sunday-Thursday, 19-23 September, 2010 Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - The flow of migrants has continued here as well, with perhaps especially heavy flow over and thru on 20 & 21 September, that is last Sunday & Monday, as noted by multiple "early-birders", and some who also lingered long. The flavor of seasonal movement also acquired a taste of Autumn (officially beginning shortly before midnight but really the first full day is now, this Thursday, 23. On Wednesday, in addition to the other 17 warbler species collectively reported in the park, a "here-now & gone- next-minute" Yellow-breasted Chat made a brief daring appearance in the north woods, up along the east ridge foot trail well north of the Loch & although sought a bit more, not relocated around that isolated area of the woods. A number of flurries &/or hot-spots offered multiple migrants, many in super-close views at and around mid-day times, in areas from the Meer to the Loch, on Wednesday. A nice collection of thrushes was available for viewing in the north woods areas by today, 23 Sept. with Veery the "least-likely" among all Catharus thrush to linger late into a fall season, one in the north end, and multiples of many others including a few early-ish Hermit Thrush (told by tail-coking behavior and call as well as other physical attributes) and a fair number of Gray-cheeked types - those I had good looks at all appeared to be true Gray-cheeked and not Bicknell's. The funny thing with birds today was how much "slower" it became after about 10 a.m., with a lot of birds seeming to have moved on in daylight hours. But, in 'pockets' there were some nice flocks and also by a few well-watered areas, ongoing activity. A birder who frequents the north end of Central Park noted at least 3 Lincoln's Sparrows, which is again an indication that more than a bit of migration movement can be found, even today. - - - At Riverside Park in Manhattan, a nice selection of songbirds, plus a few raptors lingering or passing thru, both Wed. & today, including Osprey, Sharp-shinned & Cooper's Hawks, and 2 uncommonly-seen in the park Broad-winged Hawks (hunting) as well as Red-tailed Hawk & American Kestrel, Merlin, & nearby locally-resident Peregrine - and finally going down-river or more to the SW, a couple of less-than- adult Bald Eagles on the wing. For songbirds and the like, Riverside served up E. Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebes, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, both Nuthatches, both Kinglets (just 2 of Golden- crowned, & multiple Ruby), Winter Wrens, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird (in the many multiple), Cedar Waxwing (several flocks), Warblers of at least a dozen species - Nashville, N. Parula, Black-throateds Blue & Green, Myrtle [Yellow-rumped], Palm (multiples), Chestnut-sided, Black- and-white, Pine, Blackpoll, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat, plus Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, & these Sparrows: Field, Chipping, Song, Swamp, White-throated (30+), White- crowned (in with some White-throated), and a single well-seen Lincoln's, also Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbirds (flyovers) & Common Grackles, plus American Goldfinches in modest numbers. A fun sight were the six Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that buzzed through the drip area within less than 1 hour, all following the widening path south just above a buried railroad corridor! A very good day for this park in this year which previously seemed a little lackluster at Riverside Park on many of my 2010 visits, albeit I'm a little more loyal to Central Park on most days. - - - - I got word of a Virginia Rail seen a week earlier in Manhattan, along an Upper East Side street in a building's area way - with apparently no injuries, but just modestly out of usual habitat! Incidental to that rail-report there also have been a surfeit of injured or stunned birds found in Manhattan this past week & prior with recent parulid recoveries running to N. Parulas and Black-and-white Warblers, plus varied other usual migrant passerines. Happy Autumnal Equinox & first full day of fall - which is now: Thursday. Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- 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 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
