A WOOD Sandpiper was New Jersey’s first (if accepted by that state’s avian records committee), found on Sept. 20th by Milton Collins & (later) with many-many-dozens of others observing well before day’s end; see the New Jersey rare bird alerts and so forth for details, photos & commentary etc.- a true proper ‘twitch’, that! New Jersey’s Cape May (Pt.) was enjoying a 2nd day of a Black-throated Gray Warbler Sept. 19-20th, and there have been multiple documented Connecticut Warblers found in that state over recent days along with many other migrants.
.. New York County, including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island & adajcent waters - Thurs.-17th thru Sunday-20th September. Highlights include: BLUE-WINGED TEAL, N. PINTAIL, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK, ongoing LARK SPARROW, prior CLAY-COLORED Sparrow, an early-ish PINE SISKIN flight (early on Sunday, 9/20) - - - - and at least 30 SPECIES of American Warblers with Connecticut Warblers amongst them, multiple Mourning, as well as Orange-crowned, Golden-winged, and a few slightly-late-ish (date) warbler spp. - many of these various rarities seen in the diverse rush of migration on Saturday/19th and throughout New York County, albeit with a strong emphasis on Central Park, and its' hundreds of active observers. One of the multiple Connecticut Warblers, prior to this report’s period was photo’d. at the Loch in Central Park, on 9/15 (T. Plowman). Even with some departure, there were still at least 21 warbler species present in Central Park alone on Sunday, 9/20, and more species in all of N.Y. County. Some additional details to these many warblers & other many species, & in a dedicated full species list, below. Among the vireo species seen (& photo’d) on Wed., 9/16 just in Central Park was a White-eyed Vireo, making for a day when 6 vireo species were present in N.Y. County, and at least five (possibly all 6) of those sp. just in Central Park. The presence of White-eyed in the fall season in N.Y. County is less-regular than are Philadelphia Vireos, an uncommonly-identified but regular migrant of the fall season (unlike spring, when Philly Vireo is by far the least-expected of the 6). None of the 6 vireo spp. were firsts-of-fall season for the county, however. A Yellow-throated Vireo was still present on the weekend, as noted on Sat. to a number of others by A. Rubenfeld at the Turtle Pond dock. Now uncommon for N.Y. County, 2 Blue-winged Teal (one hen, & one likely a young male) were noted in Central Park on Sat. 9/19, and also dropping in at the same location there were a presumed/apparent-hen Northern Pintail, and additionally, Green-winged Teal which latter species had already been present in the same park. (Thanks to original finders R. Zucker, & A. Burke; also to Gloria’NYC' for the early report, on the rarer teal & pintail.) There have been scores & scores of observers. More G.-w. Teal (3) were seen in Central on Sun., 9/20, although at least one was previously present there. The aforementioned finders of the uncommon 3 duck species in Central Park also were among those aware of a very strong a.m. flight on Saturday, 9/19 of Yellow-shafted Flicker; their efforts denoted hundreds on the morning’s flight. That flight was also noted by some from all points within N.Y. County, & well beyond. Also a component of the morning flight were Purple Finch, into double-digits, and also to some extent noted area-wide. A scant few seemed to stick around. Further obvious components of the morning flight of 9/19 included Scarlet Tanager (which had increased a bit the day prior), & esp., Rose-breasted Grosbeak, but above all, the diversity & abundance of warblers, with the 2 above-noted keen observers alone noting up to 23 species of American warbler, and many undefined to species as higher / farther fly-bys in the strong a.m. flight. Again, that flight was widely-detected in the region, & including most points of the county. A few PINE SISKINS that came along in the early morning of Sunday, 9/20 may turn out to be indicators of a potential further flight (south) of the species, as autumn rolls on and winter then arrives - however, at this early date, it also may simply be a not-that-unusual few which have taken off in a very strong & diverse overall migration, as has been seen in many other years. The sightings were from both Central & Riverside Parks, & consisted of not more than a few individuals, as far as noticed. Also, there was not any obvious corresponding flight on the day of other finches, at least not in the same noted locations of Manhattan. ... Thursday, 9/17 - A warm front continued to stick, with an approaching cold-front moving southeast through the day down past east-central NY state. Skies were very hazy despite a lack of many clouds, due to the ongoing high smoke-haze from wildfires in the far west, from Pacific Coast states and picked up by the jet, streaming across the continent to our region. A Lark Sparrow, & 2 Clay-colored Sparrows continued around the compost area in Central Park’s n. end, again with many observers. At first-light, at least 5 Common Nighthawks moved across the west edge of Randall’s Island, headed roughly south, possibly following the course of the East River. A good variety of warblers & some other migrants were found around Manhattan, although almost all seem to be of lingering birds, rather than fresh arrivals. ... Friday, 9/18 - Another interesting weather pattern in the wider region, with the remains of what had been Hurricane “Sally” passing from south slowly northeast, through New Jersey & on into the Atlantic, as a cold front rather slowly pushed thru & arrived in the NYC area only as day was breaking; skies going a bit less cloudy at that point, but again, the obvious haze from western-U.S. wildfires still very much in evidence, as the day got fully underway, and northerly winds picked up. As noted, the 2 rarest sparrow species for the county recently both continued: a Lark Sparrow & Clay-colored Sparrow, at Central Park in about same areas as previously. There was an uptick in numbers of Scarlet Tanager on the day. A good flight of Broad-winged Hawks moved through the area, & at least some of that large flight passed over Manhattan, especially so very late in the day. Once again, many of the same warbler species that have been about were found, but in lesser numbers, generally. Still at least 19 species of warblers, so as in recent days, good diversity in that group, but not many of the species in any great no’s., with perhaps a few exceptions (N. Parula, Amer. Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, and less so, Ovenbird). ... Saturday, 9/19 - A very strong north wind averaging up to 15MPH & higher, part of the prior night, locally nearer the coast, less intensive farther inland. Many birds were on the move early and migration was ongoing all night, and well into daylight hours. Very strong & fairly widespread migration, all around the northeast, into the mid-Atlantic region. Eyes were also on Tropical Storm / Hurricane “Teddy”, with a possible passage up into the N. Atlantic, and affecting eastern Atlantic Canada. Morning flight was highly-diverse, & yet there were a few obvious components to ongoing diurnal migrants (aside from raptors); these included Blue Jays in numbers, Yellow-shafted Flickers in great no’s. (more in-flight than landed in most parks), and Common Grackles as well as other icterids in flight, and above all, warblers of more than 2-dozen species, and many left unidentified to species (some to species-groups, such as the fall-plumaged “Baypoll” types, etc.) Additionally, an ongoing flight of Chimney Swifts, & from some vantage points, raptors of at least 9 species, plus a few resident-raptors, & also a few vultures on the move. There were other passerines along with all of the warblers moving in the a.m. rush, these including (in particular) Rose-breasted Grosbeak, & Scarlet Tanager. Not really a part of diurnal flight, & already well-represented in number, there were many Swainson’s Thrush seen on the day, some likely having freshly arrived - as well as some that may have moved on - southbound, over the prior night. While by far the most birders gathered & wandered thru Central Park, in some other locations around the county, there were exceptional sightings; one such area that’s been productive at times, along the East River (shore & adjacent greenspaces) of lower Manhattan, where a Summer Tanager and a Connecticut Warbler were among the sightings, and these & a variety of other migrant species seen there long after the a.m. flight-period. Early outings in places from one end of Manhattan to the other were productive, as were the observations made on 2 of the other larger islands of N.Y. County (Randall’s & Governors), each of which has a lot of potential to turn up unexpected birds - and sometimes have done just that. Some of the other highlights were noted already, at the top of this report. ... Sunday, 9/20 - A continued flow from Canada, & some of the chilliest overnight temp’s. so far this season, but moderated during the day by strong sun, albeit also chilled by ongoing NNE wind. Eyes continue a glance to the movements of Tropical Storm / Hurricane “Teddy”, with a possible passage up into the N. Atlantic, and perhaps mostly affecting farthest-eastern Atlantic Canada. Many migrants again moving in force overnight, with the strongest flight early in the night. A Lark Sparrow was ongoing at the north end of Central Park, again near & in the compost to plant-nursery area of the park, with multiple observers. These areas are adjacent & east of the East Drive of the park, near about E. 104th St., west of Fifth Ave. (& upslope, up-west of the parks’ fenced, formal Conservatory Garden). 15 species of warblers were found by one energetic observers at Randall’s Island on Sunday, with among the species an adult-male-like (plumaged) Hooded Warbler; the one species in numbers being Palm Warbler; also a bit of the Flicker arrival or movement. One of a number seen in the county over recent days, a Connecticut Warbler was found on Governors Island later on Sunday/20th (B. Cacace), in the Nolan Park area. Also among migrants seen there in the same visit were Winter Wren & 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets. A fair number of later-season species starting to arrive as of this past weekend, with some of those having been seen by Sat. (if not previously) or on Sunday - such species included some of the waterfowl found first on Saturday, and also Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (turning up by Saturday, in low no’s.), E. Phoebe (already seen in N.Y. County but increased by this past weekend), Blue-headed Vireo (also already seen, but increased as of this past weekend), Brown Creeper, diurnal flights of Blue Jay on the move, Winter Wren (1st of season), Golden-crowned Kinglet (1st of season), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (increased a bit, but had been seen even more than a week earlier), Hermit Thrush (increased, some of this species had been found a bit early this season), Brown Thrasher (much increased), Gray Catbird (modest increase in migrants), increases in many sparrow species, especially for Savannah & Swamp, & also Chipping to a lesser extent, & some more Dark-eyed Juncos appearing along with more E. Towhees; among warblers an uptick in Palm, Pine, & Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler, as well as Common Yellowthroat. — One note: some of the “Veery” being reported in the region are not that species of thrush, & at least some reports w/photos show that they are in fact lightly-marked Hermit Thrush. A majority of Veery are now south of the United States - on their way to wintering areas - and some perhaps have reached those, by now. -------- Among the diverse species seen in this report-period (& thanks to the many other observers out & about on 9/19 in particular) were: Canada Goose (ongoing) Wood Duck (several, ongoing at Central Park) Gadwall (ongoing) American Black Duck (ongoing) Mallard (common) Blue-winged Teal (2, one of them a likely non-adult or at least non-breeding drake, at The Pool, Central Park’s n. end, found on 9/19) Northern Shoveler (small no’s., perhaps continuing, but some of the earlier arrivals had moved on; now established at C.P. reservoir) Northern Pintail (in apparent female-like plumage, The Pool, Central Park’s n. end) Green-winged Teal (2 at The Pool in Central Park’s n. end; & a 3rd is lingering at Turtle Pond for at least 3 (female-plumaged) in Central Park as of 9/20) Common Loon (fly-over, in early flight of Saturday, 9/19 - southbound) Double-crested Cormorant (modest no’s. of fly-overs, esp. on Sat. 9/19) Great Blue Heron (ongoing, some movement but poss. just local) Great Egret (few lingering or mostly as fly-overs now, into this report period) Snowy Egret (just a few reports of this species still into this report’s period) Green Heron (ongoing, and poss. a few migrants being detected as well) Black-crowned Night-Heron (ongoing) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (continuing at Randall’s Island) Black Vulture (scant, & as ever, most sightings from the n. end of Manhattan, with sky-scanning) Turkey Vulture (relatively few sightings, but some have been regularly seen) Osprey (many sightings, plenty of migrants moving through) Bald Eagle (multiple sightings, migrants are on the move in numbers now) Northern Harrier (several sightings, on the move now) Sharp-shinned Hawk (multiple migrants, also some have been seen hunting) Cooper's Hawk (at least a few migrants, and a few may be visiting as well) Red-shouldered Hawk (scant, but a few well-documented reports of this typically-later in fall migrant) Broad-winged Hawk (modest no’s. in comparison to the thousands on the move through N. America now) Red-tailed Hawk (local residents) Killdeer (most regular on Governors Island lately) Solitary Sandpiper (small no’s., with departures as of Sat., 9/19) Spotted Sandpiper (ongoing in small no’s.) Semipalmated Sandpiper (esp. from Governors Island) Least Sandpiper (esp. from Governors Island) Laughing Gull (numbers now reduced, still about and along the lower E. River in particular) Ring-billed Gull (common) [American] Herring Gull (common) Great Black-backed Gull (fairly common in some areas; C.P. Reservoir, the rivers, harbor, etc.) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove (widespread) American Kestrel (multiple migrants lately, but also resident individuals holding on in Manhattan) Merlin (a few sightings of migrants) Peregrine Falcon (city residents, ongoing) Yellow-billed Cuckoo (scarce, but a few in this report’s period) Common Nighthawk (still on the move, a few seen to at least Friday, 9/18; potentially into early Oct.) Chimney Swift (ongoing departure flights, a good no. for Sat. 9/19 in particular, into triple-digits then) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (multiple southbound migrants, & cont. to stop in for feeding on flowers) Belted Kingfisher (continuing in select areas, esp. on the out-islands of the county) Red-headed Woodpecker (one report of a fly-by, not too well-documented but is reasonable for the date & on a big flight-day, 9/19, northern Manhattan) Red-bellied Woodpecker (residents) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (small no’s. arriving by 9/19) Downy Woodpecker (residents) Hairy Woodpecker (few) Yellow-shafted Flicker (largest flight of the fall so far, on 9/19, into triple-digits, also some uptick in 'on-the-ground' sightings) Eastern Wood-Pewee (multiple) Emoidonax [genus] Flycatchers (many reports in this period; some are prob. not identifiable to species, in unstudied observations) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (various reports, at least some of them almost certainly correct to species) Alder/Willow Flycatcher (still at least a few of this type of Empid. being reported) Least Flycatcher (fairly regular reports, & at least some likely correct to species) Eastern Phoebe (obvious increases, esp. by 9/19, as would be expected in late Sept.) Great Crested Flycatcher (diminished greatly - any Myiarchus genus flycatcher seen from now thru the fall-winter should be highly-scrutinized for potential vagrant species) Eastern Kingbird (virtually no more reports, a very few still in early flight just into the period of this report) White-eyed Vireo (just a day ahead of this report’s period, well-photographed by G. Yang at Central Park, on 9/16) Blue-headed Vireo (uptick, & just starting to be reported more-widely as of 9/19) Yellow-throated Vireo (small no’s. still being found thru this report’s period) Warbling Vireo (many fewer, now uncommon) Philadelphia Vireo (small no’s. of reports, some of them well-documented & with photos as well; all thru report period) Red-eyed Vireo (ongoing, fairly common, with a good additional push as of 9/19) Blue Jay (modest to fairly good diurnal movement on 9/19) Common Raven (a few well-documented sightings in a few locations) American Crow (fairly common) Tree Swallow (modest no’s. on the wind) Barn Swallow (small no’s. mostly on the move) Black-capped Chickadee (interesting tiny ‘burst' of these on 9/19, the species should be watched IF there is any irruption) Tufted Titmouse (modest no’s., no obvious increase yet) Red-breasted Nuthatch (ongoing in the irruption that is occuring in at least 1/3 of the nation’s 48 states, likely even beyond that number of states; being seen in the deep south) White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper (first arrivals as of 9/19, Central Park, & elsewhere including n. Manhattan 9/20) Carolina Wren (ongoing) House Wren (diminishing with departure) Winter Wren (first arrivals as of 9/19, & also seen on 9/20) Marsh Wren (on Randall’s Island, multiple observers, 9/19) Golden-crowned Kinglet (first few - & early - arrivals as of 9/19 in Central Park; also elsewhere on 9/20) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (uptick in numbers by 9/19, with more observers being aware of them by then) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (perhaps almost gone, but just making it to this report’s period) Veery (few, and any being reported now should be scrutinized & well-documented; most are south of the U.S. already) Gray-cheeked Thrush (few, some of course -potentially- of the ‘sibling’-species bicknelli) Swainson's Thrush (many, with more freshly-arrived for Saturday, 9/19) Hermit Thrush (still modest no’s. as expected - started to arrive a tad early this season) Wood Thrush (most seem to be moved-on, but a few into this report’s period) American Robin (many, including some light movements) Gray Catbird (common, with some very strong migration) Northern Mockingbird (ongoing) Brown Thrasher (obvious increases, and some may stick a while in the county) European Starling House Sparrow Cedar Waxwing (many in flight recently, esp. on 9/19; also found feeding at times) Eastern Towhee (still scant no’s.) Chipping Sparrow (very modest uptick in no’s.) Clay-colored Sparrow (2 had been present as well-documented & prev. reported, Central Park; to at least 9/19 when photo’d.) Field Sparrow (few, & some had also moved on in this report’s period) Lark Sparrow (one, ongoing all thru this report’s period, Central Park - 100+ observers thru the full period since the discovery) Savannah Sparrow (a very apparent uptick, with good no’s. esp. on Randall’s Island, often a good location for the species) Song Sparrow (a breeding species in the county) Lincoln's Sparrow (modest uptick in no’s. being found) Swamp Sparrow (obvious uptick, but still not too common) White-throated Sparrow (small uptick, some had also summered & some of those have lingered on where they had done so) Dark-eyed Junco (small increase, still a tad early for the species) Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak (many, growing substantially in numbers by Sat., 9/19) BLUE Grosbeak (female, at Central Park’s compost area, with multiple observers on Sat., 9/19 - N.B., there have also been Indigo Bunting females at the same location, and persisting there) Indigo Bunting (modest no’s. and not seen all that widely) SUMMER Tanager (a vari-colored individual as reported by finder N. Butterini, 9/19, at the East River park area, by Pier 42 - lower Manhattan) Scarlet Tanager (very strong additional arrival & movement on Sat., 9/19 Bobolink (few still on the move just into this report’s period) Red-winged Blackbird (fairly modest no’s. moving just lately) Brown-headed Cowbird (modest no’s. moving & some drop-ins recently) Rusty Blackbird (1 or 2 reports, a possibility by now, with other icterid movement) Common Grackle (modest flights have been ongoing, uptick on Sat., 9/19, esp. right along the Hudson river) Baltimore Oriole (small no’s. including some in morning flights) - A PROTHONOTARY Warbler found window-struck in lower Manhattan on 9/17 is actually the 31st species of warbler within the period of this report for N.Y. County. - Of the following, all of these species were seen within Central Park (and many also in various other parks, & greenspaces), including more rarely-found species, in this report’s period. .. Connecticut Warbler (several sightings including one in the Central Park Ramble on 9/18; that confirmed report by an experienced obs. is in eBird; also confirmed for East River Park on 9/19; a further report for Governors Island on 9/20. An earlier find in the Loch area of Central Park was photo’d. on 9/15. There have been some sightings of this species on various recent dates in ‘odd’ locations, but as is always the case, some of the sad ones to report are those found & documented as part of the cohort of birds which come to grief by striking windows, & in various other urban or human-caused distress & disturbances. Such a sighting came on 9/14, that individual brought in to rehab, in Manhattan, from the World Trade Center site. ... **WHEN OUT BIRDING - GIVE THE MIGRANTS THE PEACE and feeding & REST time they require, PLEASE do not cause the birds undue distress by disturbing them, including any methods of ‘attraction’ that cause migrants to lose all-important time for feeding & rest. These birds have a lot to deal with without any additional stresses. This applies to ALL season, not only spring and summertime. An any student of migration knows, a majority of these birds we see in migration have a very long way to go, & particularly in the southbound season. NOT disturbing them (rather than the opposite) could tip the balance to their survival for the future.** .. Mourning Warbler (few sightings, some nicely-documented; through 9/19) Common Yellowthroat (many, ongoing & an obvious uptick in no’s. lately) Hooded Warbler (still present to 9/19 in Central Park; one photographed 9/20 on Randall’s Island, E. Eden) Wilson's Warbler (through Sunday, 9/20) Canada Warbler (getting a bit late, to 9/20) Blue-winged Warbler (at least a few ongoing to Sunday, 9/20) Golden-winged Warbler (one, 9/18 only as far as known, Central Park, at The Pond, at s.e. section) Tennessee Warbler (multiple, some still present to Sunday 9/20; in multiple parks & greenspaces) Orange-crowned Warbler (Central Park, n. end, 9/17, and also a very few reports from other areas) Nashville Warbler (modest no’s. in various parks) Northern Parula (among the most-commonly seen of the warblers in this report’s period, many locations) Yellow Warbler (became scarce, but ongoing to 9/20) Chestnut-sided Warbler (much more scarce but still a few as of 9/19) Magnolia Warbler (v. widespread, into Sunday, 9/20) Cape May Warbler (good numbers all this season, & ongoing to 9/20) Black-throated Blue Warbler (ongoing, to 9/20) Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (very modest increase, but still awaiting the big fall push of this species) Black-throated Green Warbler (good no’s. in many locations, to 9/20) Blackburnian Warbler (a few into this report’s period, getting a bit late) Pine Warbler (more common in this report’s period, in many locations) Prairie Warbler (multiple & into Sunday 9/20) Palm Warbler (both forms being detected; still far from peak numbers) Bay-breasted Warbler (good no’s. of this species, many locations, to 9/20) Blackpoll Warbler (uptick in no’s. for 9/19, and still in some locations 9/20) Black-and-white Warbler (ongoing in no’s., but fewer than in prior weeks) American Redstart (ongoing good no’s. but starting to drop off further now) Worm-eating Warbler (“late" - several into the report period, including in Central Park’s Ramble on Sat. 9/19) Ovenbird (multiple & ongoing) Northern Waterthrush (many in obvious locations but also, as is typical in migration, some in ‘odd’ spots also) - House Finch (ongoing widespread residents) Purple Finch (modest no’s. but a bit of add’l. flight detected on 9/19; rather few drop-ins so far) American Goldfinch (widespread, no large movements yet) PINE SISKIN (a few in morning flight on Sunday, 9/20; not all that surprising as this may turn out to be a flight-winter. Time will tell!) While many other insects have continued to be noticed by some observers, the Monarch’s migrations are noted by more as they head towards the wintering areas in central Mexico; good numbers of that long-distance-champion butterfly have been seen in recent days. - - - - - "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” - Teddy Roosevelt (26th president of the U.S.A.) "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglass (1818-1895; U.S. statesman, orator, writer) good birding to all, & thanks to many for their observations & good ethics out in the field, 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/ --
