This likely bears little direct relationship to the find of a Willow Ptarmigan at the eastern edge of Lake Ontario in NY state... In Newfoundland, Atlantic Canada, there are an impressive number of Eurasian-breeding "waders" (as most of the world refers to them in the English language), or (as we prefer, in the States) "shore-birds" - these including as of today & seen & photographed by a number of birders there on Newfoundland: 4 (FOUR) Black-tailed Godwits & up to 17 (seventeen) European Golden-Plovers, the latter far more regular of occurrence on the island of Newfoundland (NFLD.) This Godwit species is scarce (!) - & particularly so in any number above a 'single' on NFLD. (incidentally these sightings on the heels -so to say- of a Common Shelduck having been found on NFLD. at the start of this April.) The possibility exists for more of some Eur[opean]asian birds to arrive up there, or perhaps even farther south or west in Canada &/ or in the northeast U.S. Oh, "mysteries" of migration... it happens.
Thanks to the blog maintained by Bruce Mactavish for Newfoundland birds, & tangentially to Paul A. Buckley for a heads-up on this news. http://brucemactavish1.blogspot.com/ - for photos, great info. and a whole lot of Newfie... For anyone really wanting these on a N.A. list, one can reach Newfoundland from northern NY in about 2+ days of 'crazy' driving & little sleep excepting on board the lengthy ferry* ride. * during which one can dream of Bermuda Petrels as that photo'd off Nova Scotia - Canada's first record! Or by air in about 6-8 hours from central or southern NY airports to Saint John's, NFLD. (the provincial capitol), & then some hours drive. In coming days & perhaps weeks there may be a number of these &/or other exciting "Icelandic" or in basic sense, European birds found. Also, & worthy of double-checking thru any groups of ducks, there have been a few Garganey showing in the lower 48, including a male confirmed today in Vermont a few miles north of Burlington, and seen by multiple obs. The species could turn up with other teals, and it may be in less-open situations, but also can be in open water. It obviously deserves photos & getting word out if one is discovered. The male is distinctive; females as with a lot of ducks rather more a challenge unless very familiar. it's also Ruff & Reeve time as a few sightings in the eastern U.S. affirm... & these days, well worth a close look at virtually any bird that just doesn't seem all that familiar. Incidentally, as the bag is off the cat to use a twisted metaphor, I had a prev.-private email with a birder in the western part of NY state, who has questioned whether the ptarmigan at Point Peninsula might be not of natural occurrence; harumph & all that! My assumption is that it is (a natural vagrant); assume too that many other birders believe so also ... but it would be reasonable to ask questions & receive answers to extent possible, regarding the provenance of such a rarity for the lower 48 United States, as regards both historic records & contemporary records. It is a fascinating & enigmatic bird for the state... or most anywhere this far from its typical haunts... ..................................... Sunday, 27 April, 2014 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Among other migrants, this was a 4-vireo day for the park with Yellow- throated VIREO, White-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, and Blue-headed Vireo found in separate, various locations; NB: Karen Fung photographed the Yellow-throated Vireo that was seen on the n. end 'ridge' trail area west of the Meer... and it was (at least) a 10- Warbler day, with a decent showing by Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers, and also Pine, Palm, Black-and-white, Yellow, Prairie, Black-throated Green, Northern & Louisiana Waterthrushes, & perhaps first-of-season- in-Central Northern Parula. A modest flow of birds was found in many areas, but some areas also were "quiet". Time of day mattered a bit too. Broad-winged Hawk movement is in full progress locally & region-wide*, with at least 37 seen (in 4 hrs. from Central Park north) - additional raptor & vulture fly-overs today included Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle (3, all adult or sub-adult), Osprey (7), Northern Harrier (1), Cooper's Hawk (2), American Kestrel & Peregrine Falcon (the falcons both perhaps local area residents) plus Red-tailed Hawks of which those seen today are very likely the NYC/Manhattan residents. Also noticed as fly-overs across the n. end of Central Park were 2 Common Loons, 1 loon species (poss. red-throated loon but not good angle), 5 Snowy & 18 Great Egrets, 1 Greater Yellowlegs (calling bird), 4 Chimney Swifts, 8+ Tree Swallows, 17+ Barn Swallows, 15 Yellow-shafted Flickers, 1 Eastern Kingbird (tail pattern seen, diagnostic in addition to fully white underparts & distinctive flight style; about 40+ feet above ground headed north & not re-found much later at n. end), 65+ Blue Jays, 120+ American Robins, & 100+ unidentified [small] passerines at fairly high elevations, plus the usual gang of gull spp. - Ring-billed, Herring, & a few Great Black-backed Gulls. Chimney Swifts were in the air in general over the park, but hardly very numerous; soon they could be. A few House & Winter as well as resident Carolina Wrens are about, and some Brown Thrashers continue to sing here & there... as are N. Mockingbirds. The sky-watch was basically between 1 & 4 p.m. with some earlier looks. I finished birding at sunset... Ten thousand & one other folks with bin's or cameras or both were in the park, too. Or maybe it was only 9,999. That's almost 0.5% of all the visitors to the park in a day such as this. * Today may be (?) the first on which NYS hawk watches recorded above or near 4,000 raptors - minus vultures - in 2014. Some birds lingering a bit include Wood Duck, N. Shovelers, Buffleheads, a few Ruddy Ducks, Slate-colored Junco, and not lingering but starting to get slightly "late", a Rusty Blackbird female in spring plumage, at the Loch late in the day. Sparrows included - Savannah, Swamp, Field, Chipping, Song, White-throated; also E. Towhee in that family. The Blue-gray Gnatcatchers & ruby-crowned Kinglets are still going. As was a male Baltimore Oriole... a winterer, or an arrival? Getting to that time now... 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/ --
