Wed.-Thursday, 25-26 May, 2011 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Thursday, 5/26 - While not much more than the day before dropped in to the park, there was clearly some movement and among the influx were still more flycatchers, including a fair number vocalizing - highlighted by singing &/or calling Olive-sided Flycatchers (north end, & reported in Ramble), Empidonax of at least 4 (that is, no Least of which i was aware) eastern-breeding species: Alder (calling), Willow (singing a bit & calling), Yellow-bellied (calling) and Acadian (in at least 2 locations in the north end, & at least one active bird reported in the Ramble) Flycatchers, E. Wood-Pewees (in multiple locations, many calling &/or singing at times), Great Crested Flycatcher (ongoing) and E. Kingbird (ongoing, with a seeming influx as well as those already on territories). In addition with a bit of work, it was possible to find more than a dozen warbler species, with Blackpoll, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Canada, and Yellow Warblers, plus N. Parula, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat among those more readily found, at least in the north end. A couple of Mourning Warblers were noted, including at least one female (and a male) in the n. end, and at least one reported in the Ramble. Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrushes, plus Veery, and a few summer-resident Wood Thrush were found.
Wed., 5/25 - A bit less filled with migrants than the previous day, although still fairly good diversity noted. A number of "Ramblers" got looks at a male Mourning Warbler. The park's north end seemed somewhat less active. The exodus of Atlantic Brant from the local area and points south was noted again, as it was up north (as fly- overs, many in early a.m., while the highest numbers - in five digits! - were noted well north of the city, over the Hudson R. in the evening, still streaming north.) At least one Summer Tanager was found in the Ramble; it's been quite a month for them, in general, area-wide. On the nesting front - "Pale Male" the red-tailed hawk, a dad yet again... with a new-this-year mate, and still at the same ritzy Fifth Ave. nest site... Riverside Park (in Manhattan) has also had an influx of flycatchers. The "drip" was apparently shut off, at least in 2 brief visits I made and so there were no birds at all coming into that specific location. Elsewhere, including the nearby sanctuary section of woods, had some migrants. Interesting to me is a male Scarlet Tanager that seems to be lingering a long while. - - - Along with a good number of migrants of other species, a singing male Prothonotary Warbler was reported from Willowbrook Park, Staten Island (NYC) by Richard Veit, with at least 4 additional observers; also reported were Gray-cheeked Thrush and Hooded Warbler and other migrants - from Wednesday, 5/25. The Prothonotary was not seen again by at least one other observer trying the area on Thursday, but an update from R. Veit for Wed. said that 2 Protho's. may have been present. - - - "Down-east" as they say there, in Maine, or rather well off the coast, a male Red-billed Tropicbird has returned, with a report from Wed., here in the Maine Birds list - http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds/browse_thread/thread/2c3003e91b3192f7# Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES 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://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
