*An 18-page journal article authored in 1995 (Point Reyes Bird Observatory, &etc.) by P. Pyle and S.N.G. Howell gives, within the 2nd page in that article, titled "FLIGHT-FEATHER MOLT PATTERNS AND AGE IN NORTH AMERICAN WOODPECKERS”, a fairly straightforward rationale for the terminology used, and as to how adult plumage in reference to aging - and specifically for the Red-headed Woodpecker (for which extensive notes, and some illustrations, are included in said article), in which the spring-summer of the year after any (Red-headed) Woodpecker was hatched is referred to as **adult age** - notwithstanding variability in some feathers in age-transition (of that species in particular, and as-noted, by specimen-study in the case of that journal-article, as well as by many comm's. with other ornithologists and readings of the long literature in this group of birds, so well-watched by American field and museum workers). They (2 authors noted above) specifically state that there is juvenal, and then an adult, age-molt and plumage, the adult being reached by "the spring-after hatch-year." I would add that I have a very slight extra bit (away from the northeast U.S.) of experience with the species, Red-headed Woodpecker in a portion of its’ central breeding-range, when with ornithologists in Indiana and Illinois I participated (pro-bono) in some summer-season surveying for this and other 'oak-savanna' (and related-habitats) breeding birds, in association (in part) with Chicago, IL (org.-based) programs, and other regional org’s., at that time; the time-frame being before 1995 - as well as the experiences gained in participation on further field-surveys (preliminary to the publication of the above-noted journal article) in other regions and for some additional (many) species of birds. I’ll add that, of little interest to anyone, some of us NYC-birders begin our end-of-May days in bird-observations at an hour when birds (including even Red-headed Woodpecker!), are waking and are visible &/or audible, and those hours lately-begin at around 04:30 to 05:15 AM EDT local-time, or 08:30 to 09:15 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The sun is visibly “up” by 5:28 for the date I referenced in the earlier (prior report) of RHWP from the Central Park Ramble, which was in adult plumage, at 2nd spring or further age. (The barring across some secondary feathers of some RHWP’s is not ‘consistent’ for all aging-purposes, and can in some individuals be retained to as much as 3+ years, while there are also instances of ‘1st-spring' RHWP’s where the white parts of their secondaries are ‘clear’ with no apparent dark-barring. All of this pointed out in the journal-article referenced above, and also much more-simply pointed up in the text-account for Red-headed Woodpecker in the very good 3rd edition, “Complete Birds of North America” by J. Alderfer & J.L. Dunn (editors), 2021, Nat’l. Geo. Soc. (n.b. this is not the field-guide edition, but rather the larger and more thorough desk-reference manual from the team at National Geographic; also I have no associations with the producers or sellers of this publication.) For extra-fun, there is the page (in last-referenced desk-manual, p.532) on the WOWA, or Wood Warbler [Phylloscopus sibilatrix], which is shown to be a ‘casual’ very-rare vagrant to Alaska, mainly in the Aleutians, and which breeds and migrates through Eurasia and winters esp. in tropical Africa. It is unheard-of in eastern N. America. [This volume also adds info. on many rather-rare ‘strays' that have occurred in some part of North America from various origin-points.]
*Lengthy-entry-short, unless 2 somewhat-similar-looking RHWP’s were present within the same area of the Central Park Ramble on Monday, May 30th in early a.m. hours - (and then one having been banded/ringed or tracked w/known hatch-site provenance) there is no *definitive* determination that that individual is a “2nd-cycle” bird, although much of the literature (as noted in part, above) allows that age-description as at least possible - but **not-possible to be "proven to precise age-year”, after the hatch-year (1st summer-fall-and-winter), via observation nor by photographs only** unless of a tracked-banded (etc.) individual, which this (1) bird was-is decidely not. My report for Central Park on the day had the note, "lingering on in the Ramble area” to denote that this adult-plumaged woodpecker was still around even after being heard and seen, at 05:35 thru 05:48 EDT (local time); one of several of this spring for N.Y. County & will be esp. interesting should it linger any further there. ….. A note, as much of migration winds-down for spring, this year in N.Y. City and adjacent areas etc. What is the single-most productive park for smaller landbird (mainly passerine) migrants - *PER SQUARE-METER OR SQUARE-FOOT* area - of its’ footprint, *in Manhattan* (and for New York County, by actual confirmed and regularly-documented recent, modern-era records?) Er, so- I will ‘nominate' a small park - which is one of the very-first parks (since at least the late 1600’s, that is around or close-to 350 years of acknowledged open-and-green space in lower manhattan) in the county and also among a small number known for New York City as then understood - and, in the 1920’s, when (now-called) Canal Park was broken-up - literally - to start the construction on the then-not-in-place Holland Tunnel (which connects lower Manhattan with New Jersey via under the Hudson River estuary conduits) - that park, officially designated as such, had already been there for 234 years… and has seen some many goings-on since then… but, also birds of passage - and this small lower-manhattan park has had at least 2-dozen species of American Warblers - in its’ quite small greenspace, including the ever-desired Connecticut Warbler as well as Yellow-throated Warbler, and so many more, in just recent years, as well as a fine array of other species including a few other uncommon or rarer ones (i.e. Summer Tanager). The now-designated park-acreage is listed officially as “0.67" or about two-thirds of one acre. It was re-made as a true city park and greenspace after about the turn of the 21st century (year 2000), and since has had some attention from locals & by some who appreciate the smaller spaces with wildness still showing in the midst of the urban sky-scraping and multi-activities. It was (I believe) more fully opened to the public again after or in 2005, and has attracted the attention of relatively-few birders, with one in particular being so devoted to watching this site, and finding perhaps 95% (+) of its’ migrant species for recent years. I’ve come on down to see some of the rarer, as well as regular, species that were reported from there in recent years. It’s an amazing, even awe-inspiring space, in multiple ways and levels. One report, from the autumn-migration (& just-about right in the fall-equinox’s timing) there has one of the most-typical of all NYC-&-beyond birds noted, and one very special visitor - one I also got to see there at that time, also thanks to the indefatigable observer who first noted it on that occasion, this report from one of our many other active ‘county’ & beyond observers & reporters: https://ebird.org/checklist/S95277634 <https://ebird.org/checklist/S95277634> - just a great testament (in totality), to the works to preserve even such a small space with some green, and of course, also “location, location, location” - as it (Canal Park) is so near to the Hudson River estuary, and (in my opinion, at least) a fine small/green remnant from the days when Canal Street was an actual canal, *and, that further, had been* just a remnant of the incredible and likely very ecologically-intricate web of water & wetlands, of the earliest times of ‘manahatta’ (sometimes interpreted as 'Land of Many Hills') - yet was also a very rich place of estuary meeting some freshwater springs and streams - and later of [Dutch] "Nieuw Amsterdam" and then all that has followed. The history of this area is VERY rich in many ways, and through so much of ‘eons', the birds, including the birds of passage, have looked on this little patch (& many others) for a site that’s been visited and used for foraging and resting, for literally many, many, many centuries. I am also a ‘fan-atic” of many other small parks and green-spaces, and of those who love and keep watch amongst them, in places like that one, & the world over. And I recognize that many may have such small favorites in special places all around the town, the state, and vastly beyond. I’ve ‘chased’ - some with intent, some by pure chance, some of the birds that others [and esp. Ms. Evans] have noted in this one small space, and been lucky enough to see a good many of the commoner and less-common ones there. I think I’ve actually (also) accumulated a “list” (although I don’t technically keep one) for that space that easily rivals another downtown smallish (but larger and better known to all New Yorkers, at least by name) greenspace, called City Hall Park - the area within which New York’s mayor and (someday-her) staff are located in working for the city, also known as W.-Tan.-Place. (or, the bridge-to-Brooklyn-gateway…) Anyhow, all praises and power to all patch-birders, everywhere. - - - For May 28th, also loving the BT-Blue and other migrants seen at Tompkins Square in lower-east Manhattan, the Redstarts (all-American) from virtually every corner of the county, and all the rest of (5/28-) Saturday’s profligate migrators and the many more birds of New York County. The movements of just the last few days of May have been very interesting and intriguing for this far into the passerine & ‘land-bird’ migrations of the spring. A few Blackburnian Warblers were seen around Manhattan & some of those in Central Park, on Sunday May 29th, and as noted in my prior report to this list, again on May 30. Many other notes can be added for the last few days in May and of course, poss. for this last. good birding and fine feather-analyses to all, 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/ --
