The adult Broad-winged Hawk photographed on 7/7 at Heckscher S.P. in East Islip
township on Long Island is interesting, if not a local-breeder. As were,
obviously, the sightings of Brown BOOBY from both Tues. 7/5, and (perhaps same,
or?) on 7/7 off the east-end area of Long Island NY (with N. Gannets also, in
low no’s.) And congratulations to 2 keen observers for the confirmed sighting
of South Polar SKUA - *from shore*, at R.Moses SP, Suffolk County (Long Island)
NY back on Sat., 7/2; that early-morn’ sea-watch also featuring a ‘westbound’
Black Tern, & other birds - a pretty decent 81-minutes on the watch. (all of
the above are in various eBird reports.) Plenty of shorebird-activity lately,
including a lot going through and stopping-off in N.Y. City locations - as seen
& reported by many, this week.
______________
New York County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan, Governors and Randall’s
Island[s] and the adjacent skies and waters;
for July, up to Thursday, 7th -
On Saturday, July 2nd, a single HORNED LARK, seen (& photographed, by finder
M.B. Kooper) on Governors Island was undoubtedy the entire county’s
avian-highlight of that day; this singleton also seen by multiple others on the
same day there, in the field not far from the “glamping” territory of the
island.
And (following day) on Sunday, July 3rd, also from Governors Island, a single
Least Tern was reported as a fly-by ‘moving north’, which from there could
simply mean moving about in NY Harbor, rather than purposefully headed-north
as-if on ('too-late') migratory movement. This species may possibly be a
little more regular in the county (or as-seen from the county!) than is
realized, but far more attention would be required in particular in the 'summer
season' for maximal tern activities.
The ongoing movements of Red-breasted Nuthatches continued, with at least 17
noted for Manhattan by Saturday, 7/2 and as found in multiple locations - which
included parks and green-spaces from n. Manhattan to at least City Hall Park in
lower Manhattan. (Also, on 7/2, the species was also noted in the multiple in
Kings County / Brooklyn NYC - as this was a nice little ‘outbreak’, worthy of
some follow-up, region-wide.) We are fairly likely to find more of these in
coming weeks. Time and serious observations will tell. Thanks to the
Kings-birders -and many others- who have been tracking these birds as well.
A drake Wood Duck has remained in Central Park, at least one (and earlier in
the year, often more, some days or weeks many more) having been present all
thru the spring into this summer. Lately, also at least one in eclipsed-plumage
(as regularly will be seen here) was also ongoing. A N. Pintail was reported
(A. Drogin) at the West 79th St. boat-basin on the Hudson River (as accessed
via Riverside Park), listed as female in appearance and then: it was present
again on Thursday, 7/7 - although it took this observer a while to locate and
get any confirming views - the marina area there (a.k.a. “boat-basin”) has
plenty of wooden piers & pilings and some of the fowl go under those structures
in their watery-ways.
The chance for other duckage to begin to reappear is also there as summer
continues, esp. the earliest-returns of N. Shoveler, usually in low no’s. (at
Central’s waterbodies) in their first summer-returns or stop-overs. Another
Wood Duck, an apparent female, was on Randall’s Island as of Tuesday, 7/5.
Spotted Sandpiper, which had been present already on Randall’s, was again there
from at least the 4th of July through Thursday, 7/7. And the Cliff Swallow
numbers as I had reported on (with their initial discovery made by A.
Cunningham there, and since observed by many dozens of watchers) again had a
conservative-count of seven, including some young, but very-probably up to 9
-or even ten- present with as many as 4 nests viewable - with effort - lately.
There are also Barn (many) and Tree Swallows, & on occasion there have been a
few N. Rough-winged Swallows about, more generally. A far-more productive site
for (breeding) Tree Swallows continues to be on Governors Island in N.Y. County
- the largest colony of the latter in the county. Barn Swallows were flying in
Central Park (alone) in the many dozens as of 7/7, these likely including both
breeders (nests watched from CP reservoir shore running-track) and also
non-breeders, maybe even a few ’shorter-distance’ summer movers.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron has been ongoing (although not noted in each visit
there..) at Randall’s Island, often, when found, in a favored area of the
island. Black-crwoned Night-Heron is the much more-often seen, and that
includes fly-bys and feeding birds seen far into some evenings as well as
pre-dawn mornings, etc. and in multiple locations. Other (and also much more
regular) sightings are of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and a bit
less-often reported but still regular, Green Heron, from various sites in the
county including some fly-bys, as is usual, esp. for the 2 egret spp. Some nice
sightings of Common Ravens continued, from around Manhattan in particular (and
still at least occasional on the outer-isles of the county). Some of these have
appeared to be young-of-the-year, & there also have been vocalizations which
support that, as well as intercations.
Some straightalk on poss. lingerers / potential breeders, and/or ‘early’
returnees; there’ve been at least several Yellow-billed Cuckoos in Manhattan’s
larger parks including at Central Park as of Tues., 7/5 but have these simply
been in or very nearby, nonbreeders, or are they actual returning &
now-headed-south migrators. My sense is more the former than latter, and more
so of a species that is notorious for some years coming through overall (from
the wintering areas) really, really late in a season… Orchard Oriole (and
which also breed in low-ish numbers in N.Y. County) have shown signs of
movement lately, incl. in & around Central Park and vicinity (to 7/7). For
less-showy icteridae, there have been a v. small no. of blackbird movements
this week, including some very low no’s. crossing the Hudson river, northeast
to west-southwest, and seen disappearing over the developments all along that
river south of the G.Wahsington Bridge (as watched from Manhattan’s
farthest-west) - so perhaps not-just ‘local feeding dispersals’.
Warblers have not been that 'well-reported' and that’s for the typical reason
in both end-of-June to earliest-July in this county, not many to be found.
That noted, there are Yellow Warblers that have been nesting and also some at
least lingered-through all of the late spring, into the start of summer (and
some of that type or rather ‘category’ have been in Central Park continuously,
albeit in apparently slim-pickings indeed. Numbers of that species are
almost-always better in breeding-season in parts of n. Manhattan and this
season holds that truism well. Plus at least very modest numbers on the
outer-islands which are regularly visited- Governors and Randall’s. There are
some Common Yellowthroats ongoing and at least a few pairs that were nesting -
or trying to (with hopefully, successes). Also ongoing and in minimal no’s,
relative to the preceding 2 species, American Redstart pairs (or ‘duos’) have
been noted from a small no. of locations.
Among other oddball-for-the-dates warbler sightings, have been still a Magnolia
Warbler in Bryant Park (midtown) into July, as well as a few (or more?)
Ovenbirds - one still in the Central Park mid-south area into this first week
of July, and NOT breeding nor attempting to (in NY County) as not-happening for
any of the warblers not-named “Yellow”, “Common Yellowthroat” or the
potential-nesting “American Redstart”. At least 3 different Black-and-white
Warblers were still present in the county into July. An eBird report was
submitted later in the day Sunday (7/3) for Black-and-white Warbler and the 2
observers’ comments were: "Very late. Small warbler with distinctive black and
white zebra pattern foraging high above the Laupot Bridge. Previously reported,
and well-seen, but no photos.” We also have had at least 1 each of the
following: Worm-eating Warbler, on July 2nd in Manhattan (status not so clear,
but maybe just a non-breeding wanderer or lingerer as those Black-and-whites
have been, this & other previous early-summers), Northern Parula (also status
unclear but more-likely a wanderer or late lingerer), and one of the oddest,
Canada Warbler (which has an injury, but is feeding and simply did not move on
this spring-now-summer). And there are of course possibilities of a few other
species of American warblers that were lingering on this early July.
A report was put into eBird including a “scarlet tanager” for Central Park on
July 1st, which if properlly entered (&/or correctly ID’d) would be somewhat
notable (for the location, by date), although in some years that species has
been present elsewhere on Manhattan all summer long - in this case, no comments
at all were added to that sighting’s report, nor was gender noted, only a
location. Nevertheless, an interesting, intriguing report - for the location
and the date. A number of that species were exceedingly late to pass through
the county, some still around when most that would have been breeding, should
have been on-territory throughout the species breeding-range. The Summer
Tanager of late June in Riverside Park-north (which was near W. 121 St.) has
not been re-found by the few [re]seekers, esp. its’ discoverer, for a while
now, so it is possible it did move out and onward.
Obviously, any ‘blue-headed’ [type of] vireo[s] reported anywhere in N.Y. City
(including N.Y. County) might *best be* documented at least with extensive
notes, so as to rule-out fairly-similar ‘sister’ species such as Cassin’s Vireo
- & even Plumbeous Vireo, and also so as to rule-out many other possible
passerines, or even other types of smaller birds. Any photos of such a vireo,
reported in the first week of July in the center of manhattan, would of course
also be useful for the records, particularly-so if claims of a 'Blue-headed'
were to be established in very early summer, for N.Y. County.
Multiple summering (and all non-breeding) White-throated Sparrows continue in
various locations in the county, that includes at least several in Central
Park, present at least since the spring; multiples of these are to be found in
a number of smaller parks in Manhattan. There are also at least a few lingering
(& also non-breeding!) Swamp Sparrows in the county. Additional reliable,
documented reports have been input for such species as Chipping Sparrow,
Eastern Towhee, Indigo Bunting and other uncommon-in-summer-here species. Those
on top of many, many known breeding species and regularly-visiting ones seen
recently. A few Black Vulture sightings (as well as Turkey Vultures) have been
seen again from the n. end of Manhattan.
Osprey sightings have come from a variety of locations, some around sites that
have been used-as or seem to be nests, and also fair no’s. of sightings
not-directly associated with any known nests. There are also othr raptor
species in the county, some of them extremely-regular as seebn by many, such as
Red-tailed Hawks (and their many many nests and now-fledgeings or also fledged
young) as well as American Kestrels in numbers around the county, and fewer but
still-vigorous no’s. of Peregrine Falcons in multiple locations here.
Plants in bloom now are many, with also many types of arthropods living in and
among those. A quite high diversity of those species are also up-high in trees,
some of which are old, quite tall.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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