"Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?" - Rachel Carson (1907-1964; marine biologist, conservationist, author whose books include ‘Silent Spring’. Sir David Attenborough has remarked that that book may have had an effect on science second only to Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”.)
"Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking.” - Wangari Muta Mathaii (1940-2011; activist, author, planter of trees, member of Parliament in Kenya, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the first environmentalist in the world and the first African woman to receive that honor.) - - - - - - - Saturday, 25 March, 2017 - Earth Hour, a global-community outreach on climate-change, will commence locally (eastern daylight time) at 8:30 p.m. this evening, for one hour. Central Park, Manhattan - (N.Y. City) A fresh arrival of spring migrants came along “through the weather-window” afforded overnight from late Friday into today. Many were of expected species, with Golden-crowned Kinglets in multiple locations, and at least 2 species of Warblers showing - Pine - one of the rather expected about now was found in as many as 8 locations totaling a minimum of ten individuals, a good arrival, as there’d not been nearly that number until today, and Myrtle (aka Yellow-rumped in a not-so-old taxon) Warbler, a single of the latter along the eastern part of Sheep Meadow, which featured a nice mix of other migrants, not long after sunrise. I can’t fully guesstimate on Pine Warbler no’s. but there were likely a dozen+ in Central Park alone on this spring day. Rusty Blackbirds were seen in several locations: The Pond, The Lake (west side), & The Loch. Hard to be sure, as many were well up in trees on this mild day, but more than 2 dozen Eastern Phoebes were in today, far more than on any prior day this year. Lots and lots of other birders as well, with temperatures in “the city that never sleeps” trying hard to be as mild today as the city of angels out on the 'left-coast’. With sun as well, many insects were stirring, providing sustenance to the phoebes, kinglets, warblers, & other insectivores… lots of trees, shrubs & other plants had been budding & some had bloomed (the earliest ornamental cherries & azaleas have already been in bloom), while others were ‘wise’ to wait, but will soon enough also be showing some true spring colors. A Red-headed Woodpecker that overwintered is still there, in sprightly spring plumage now, just west of East 68th Street within the park… vocal at times, as well as mobile in that area of the park. All of the 5 other regular woodpecker species were seen, although Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was not all that easy to find, a few, here & there. An interesting report for a snipe, seen earlier in the day by the Lake - it may well have remained & skulking in some rare-quiet spot in the park. The Red-necked Grebe seen recently & again today at the CP reservoir is perhaps not the individual that had been released there, as that bird seemed to have moved on. Common Loon was also present, and there have been more than one individual in recent weeks stopping in at the reservoir. Black-crowned Night-Herons were seen in 3 locations, all somewhat hidden, & a Great Blue Heron continued but then moved, from a regular site it’s been visiting regularly of late. Great Egret was seen only as a fly-over, very early at the north end, a typical expected fly-way for egrets of 2 species as the seasons warm up. Lingering-ongoing birds in Central included a drake Northern Pintail & at least 2 Wood Ducks, American Coot, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, 2 Eastern Towhees, and Swamp Sparrow all at & adjacent to The Pond; an American Wigeon on the Meer in the morning & very late in the day (presumed same individual?) at the reservoir, N. Shovelers in numbers on 2 waterbodies & a smattering on 2 more in the park, 2 Green-winged Teal at the Lake, Hooded Mergansers on 3 waterbodies, Buffleheads on at least 3 as well, and Ruddy Duck on reservoir and Meer. I saw 1 Pied-billed Grebe on the reservoir, two had been present there all winter, and some American Coots continue there, as does one at the Meer. A female-plumaged merganser on the reservoir may have been a Common, but I did not scan closely enough at the time of sighting, & did not see it later - although it may have continued, & could have been a red-breasted, from what I could see early in the day. Another Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the lake’s "Upper Lobe” area likely also represents an over-winterer that’s been around, and the same of a single & plaintively-calling Gray Catbird. American Robins were about but not quite as numerous as I anticipated, in the very high-hundreds, but not thousands - not yet. Additionally on the move, with ‘reinforcements’, were Dark-eyed Junco & Song Sparrow, with likely a modest number of other passerines. I came up with a few Brown Creepers, although not as many as I’d have thought given the good numbers of kinglets. A later look in a few other parks in Manhattan showed further evidence of migration, some of the same species & a couple of others, Osprey flying north up the Hudson river seen from north of West 155 St., & a few duck “sp." not very regularly seen from Manhattan - dark Scoters, i.e. non-white-winged, which could not be put to precise species (either Black or Surf) from a distance, these also seen in the area just off the G.W. Bridge, NY side. E. Phoebes, Golden-crowned Kinglets, & Song Sparrows were in Riverside, and Morningside Parks, & there was a bright Pine Warbler in Saint Nicholas Park (which I daresay is not-too-much-birded). good -and ethical- birding, and thanks to those giving respect to all wildlife and its observers. Tom Fiore, manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
