Not fair! We all want to be on governors island! What gift can we get Annie Barry for access ?
Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________ From: bounce-125404431-10223...@list.cornell.edu <bounce-125404431-10223...@list.cornell.edu> on behalf of Ben Cacace <bcac...@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:06:24 AM To: Thomas Fiore <tom...@earthlink.net> Cc: NYS Birds <NYSBirds-L@cornell.edu> Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - 2/15-18 - W. Tanager, L.-t. Duck, earlier Cackling Goose, interesting towhee, etc. Tom, Thanks again for the updates. Correction to the CACG report. The name on the checklist and the photo of the Cackling Goose are both from Cathy Weiner ... not Annie Barry: Also well worth noting is the [Richardson’s] Cackling Goose photo’d. by Annie Barry at Governors Island (which is closed to general public access for the winter & into early spring) on the previous Thursday, 2/11; the report is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80841692 All the best. On Fri, Feb 19, 2021 at 6:54 AM Thomas Fiore <tom...@earthlink.net<mailto:tom...@earthlink.net>> wrote: N.Y. County, including Manhattan, Randall’s & Governors Island[s], in N.Y. City - Worth a look at the photo placed in the Macaulay archives by Alan Drogin of an apparent hybrid Spotted/Eastern (the duo that used to be merged in “Rufous-sided”) Towhee, found by Alan on Monday Presidents Day, 2/15, in the Hudson Yards area of mid-west Manhattan, by the playground - it might be worth reading up further on hybrids in this 'sub-clade’. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/308216661 Also well worth noting is the [Richardson’s] Cackling Goose photo’d. by Annie Barry at Governors Island (which is closed to general public access for the winter & into early spring) on the previous Thursday, 2/11; the report is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80841692 ….. The female Western Tanager continues, at Carl Schurz Park; with a new supply of suet (log), which I learned contains not just nuts but also mealworms, the tanager had access again to a favored addition to its winter diet at that park. It was seen by me & others in the mid-day hours & photo’d. by me & others; the feeder array is along the inside edge of the park above East End Ave. & south of E. 86th St. - with forays to the n. of the feeder area also seen, as has been typical. (Also, an Orange-crowned Warbler has been seen more recently than public reports suggest; the tanager there at C. Shurz Park also has been seen quite regularly by local park-goers, but is not always reported on-time. The warbler’s been mainly by Gracie mansion edges & occasionally at the Peter Pan (statue) area, in the n. sector of the park (the mansion grounds are fully fenced & off-limits to the public). NO recent reports at all from Chelsea of the first of the season in Manhattan (2) W. Tanagers: that earlier bird, first found at West 22nd St. was a different individual and had been seen simultaneously as well as earlier to the one continuing to be seen at Carl Schurz Park (separated by several miles as well). It’s quite possible the Chelsea-area tanager is still in that neighborhood somewhere, although it also may have moved on. A female Long-tailed Duck was off Pier 45 on the Hudson river (first noted, first reported, & photo’d. by T. Olson) near Christopher St., west of the greenway, on Thursday. One dozen SNOW Buntings were seen on Randall’s Island on Wedneday 2/17 before evening, next to Field 31, e. edge of the n.e. sector (D. Aronov), & only noted at day’s end; I was out there a bit earlier, and walked all of the island (4.5 hours), and hadn’t noticed these, so it’s possible they stopped in for a short time (& were reported flying off, but this & some other ‘field’ species are worth checking for in such areas, which was part of why I also had walked the island, with snow-melt & some tundra-esque areas occurring, and will occur again as winter winds down. I'd also checked for a long-lingering/wintering Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Randall’s, but was unable to find it on this visit (last seen & photo’d. in reports on 2/15). On my walk I did a one-by-one count of N. Shoveler there, which were in at least 3 locations, esp. hiding/lurking on both sides of the Bronx Kill and also lurking on the ‘inner’ edges of the Little HellGate salt marsh cove & vicinity; the total was 161, with a count of 92 at Bronx Kill alone (some on the Bronx side, & many not). At least 5 Hooded Mergansers (3 of them drakes) were seen simultaneously at one point on ther Bronx Kill; these ducks & other waterfowl were photo’d. Far out in the w. portion of L.I. Sound were the regularly-seen Common Goldeneye, plus Red-throated Loon. Elsewhere, in a few places, both Great & Double-crested Cormorants were seen, each regular this winter. Fair numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers & Buffleheads in waters around Randall’s. Worth noting, even if in the Bronx, was an Iceland Gull on a roof & in flight just north of the Bronx Kill (before noon) & I waited there a bit to see if it might come to where many other gulls (of the regular 3 species, but mostly Ring-billed) were loafing & feeding a little, in the lower-tide mudflats at the east edge of the Kill, but the Iceland did not cooperate. A Rusty Blackbird continues in the Central Park Ramble. One of the Great Blue Herons in Central Park was well tucked-in out of the sleet/snow on Thursday n. of Hernshead; another was sheltered at Hallett Sanctuary. 3 Brown Thrashers that have been wintering were still in the same areas, one of those by The Pond next to Hallett Sanctuary. At least 8 [Red] Fox Sparrows were seen from the park’s s. through n. ends, including several in the Ramble. American Tree Sparrows were also seen in the multiple, & these have been continuing elsewhere in the county. 2 Field Sparrows plus American Tree Sparrows were seen in the snow on Thursday, continuing at Highbridge Park. Several E. Towhees continue in the several locations they’ve been in at Central Park for snowy-Thursday. The highest counts of Am. Tree Sparrow have continued to be from Randall’s Island, within N.Y. County, and that is likely the usual best site for them in the county that has access. Continung to winter have been Winter Wrens in several parks including Inwood Hill & Central Park; Red-breasted Nuthatch, including one at Riverside Park near the northern Sanctuary & ongoing at Central Park; Brown Creepers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Gray Catbird (in Central Park, & multiple other sites), & even a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets in multiple parks, at least into the early part of the week and likely able to survive the recent snows. Back on Presidents Day Monday/15th, a solo drake Common Merganser was photo’d. (M. Ross) at Swindler Cove/Sherman Creek Park in upper Manhattan (Harlem river), that the most-recent report of the species from N.Y. County after a small spate of other sightings this month. Also on Presidents Day, I checked for the 2 drake Greater Scaup in the Hudson south of West 12th St., which have been meandering there for some days, & was able to photo. them that day. A Mute Swan has been continuing on the reservoir in Central Park, with hundreds of observers (many birders & others). There’ve been NO new sightings of a Greater White-fronted Goose from the county, although it’s possible that one is still lurking (or in plain view) somewhere, likely with a flock of Canada Geese. Some other species that had been reported in January in Central Park have been ongoing there. Additional species also seen in N.Y. County this week - [Atlantic] Brant (many), Wood Duck (drake, lately at the Pool in Central Park’s n.w. sector), Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Ruddy Duck (a few have been found on the E. River, various locations), Common Loon, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture (from n. Manhattan), Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk (Red-shouldered Hawk may still be present in n. Manhattan), American Coot (multiple, Central Park reservoir, even with all the ice forming there), Ring-billed Gull, [American] Herring Gull, Iceland Gull (most recently off Randall’s Island, although the bird was -barely- in the Bronx when seen), Great Black-backed Gull, ['feral'] Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, owl species & no’s. of sites, Belted Kingfisher (at Randall’s Island most recently), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker (the latter 2 spp. now uncommon), Blue Jay, Common Raven (ongoing sightings in multiple areas, some groups of up to 3 at a time, just as often, solo individuals noted), American Crow, Fish Crow (small no’s., including recently at Governors Island and The Battery & vicinity), Black-capped Chickadee (many), Tufted Titmouse (many), White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren (many locations), Golden-crowned Kinglet (this is actually less-regular than Ruby-crowned in many winters in the county; recent sightings in several locations, even at the Hudson river greenway off lower Manhattan), Hermit Thrush (multiple locations), American Robin (fair numbers, scattered), Northern Mockingbird, House Sparrow, European Starling, Slate-colored Junco (seemingly small no’s. now), Chipping Sparrow (at least 2 seem to be wintering in Central Park & may be in some other sites in Manhattan), [Red] Fox Sparrow (as noted in report above), Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow (multiple locations), White-throated Sparrow (still common & widespread, as expected in winter here), Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, & certainly at least a few additional species for the county. Good winter birding, Tom Fiore manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> ABA<http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Ben Cacace Manhattan, NYC -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> ABA<http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- 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/ --
