Extra-limitally, the STELLER’S Sea-Eagle, still of course one of, if not the, rarest [wild-&-free] birds in North America this summer / year, was ongoing thru Thursday, 8/11 at ’Spaniard’s Cove’, Trinity Bay on Newfoundland, the eastern Maritime province of Canada, where it has been for some while this summer. Many observers have lately been out to that area of NFLD. to view the Steller’s Sea-Eagle just this month; also as some will have recalled, super views of that sea-eagle are not at all guaranteed and also not especially ‘easy’, however and nonetheless some very nice documentation images have been obtained in recent days. And a GRAY Heron was being seen on Prince Edward Island, one of Canada’s Maritime (eastern) provinces, from at least Aug. 6th to 8th, first (apparently) reported by Bonnyman & McCarthy and subsequenly seen & further confirmed by multiple others. *If* that heron has moved on, while New England states (& other eastern provinces in Canada, of course) are possible stop-over destinations, NY state is not at all out-of the running as a potential site for such a rare visitor.
- - - Since it was specifically asked-for to this list, the Neotropic Cormorant had been seen in the morning (at least) on Thursday 8/11 (an eBird report w/photos, B. Nott) at the “Global Oil” terminal site near Newburgh NY (Orange County), where it has been on many days this summer. The BAR-TAILED Godwit was still being seen into Wed., 8/10 at Cupsogue Beach Park in Suffolk County (Long Island) NY; this may reasonably be held as the rarest bird recently in NY state. For some additional context, the juvenile / immature White Ibis seen on Staten Island [Richmond County, N.Y. City] on 8/10 by at least 3 observers who all made eBird-confirmed reports soon-after, and again seen by more observers Thurs., 8/11 - was a part of a broader general movement of Ibis-species along with other 'wading-types’ of birds - it’s worth keeping eyes-out for any Ibis anywhere at all - in the entire region. The reports of (at least) 15 - that’s fifteen - White Ibis, all apparent juvenile / immature birds at Wells, MAINE, suggest the scale of some of this movement recently. Also, those looking at (or there to see from) New Jersey and other mid-Atlantic-states' sightings may have been seeing the sometimes-high no’s. of White Ibis, more-frequently seen in recent years, and for this year - this summer - in particular. There had been an adult-plumaged White Ibis in Quincy, Massachusetts for at least 4 days from Aug. 2nd thru 5th. At least 14 White Ibis were seen in Salisbury Maryland on 8/11. There are more examples such as from Ohio. - - - New York County (in N.Y. City), including Manhattan, Randall’s Island and Governors Island; Wed. and Thursday, August 10th & 11th: The Dickcissel found & priorly-reported to this list (D. Gochfeld) was also seen later the same day at Governors Island, and further photo-documented; that species will of course sometimes move on soon after a find in some areas however some individuals may also linger for days, weeks and occasionally longer, so that’s a bird to keep in mind (and also as more may pass in the rest of all of this year’s southbound movements) for that location and just generally including of course all of N.Y. County. (A lot of small patches of habitat fairly conducive to that species in fact exist scattered about, and it’s also worth recalling that Dickcissels will sometimes spend inordinate amounts of time around House Sparrow flocks.) The Black Tern also reported from Governors Island is a further reminder of what is potentially ‘out there’, and moving through as fall-migrations & movements are here, & as well that a willingness & ability to carry a scope, &/or a seriously powerful lens on camera or video-device, will potentially give some dividends, albeit often combined with good old-fashioned work, a.k.a. time and efforts. Blue-winged Warbler was among species of that group of birds which were starting to arrive (in N.Y. County, including in Central Park & also elsewhere in the region as arriving / passing migrants, including also at least 2nd-of-season-movement Prairie Warbler, as some changes to weather-fronts were occuring regionally. Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, American Redstarts, Yellow Warblers and both species of Waterthrush (bit more of Northern, as expected by now) were some of other warbler spp. coming along in their numbers, with small or single-no’s. of Tennessee, Worm-eating, Canada, and the possibility some Common Yellowthroats also were on the move (although some of the latter have been in a number of areas thru later in spring and to recently, nest-attempting or at least lingering for summer). Some observers have been managing to find at least a few warbler spp. in some locations even in short watches, this week. Certainly the larger uptick in both diversity and numbers of warblers came by Thursday, a trend which may go on, with weather that is anticipated. Also passing thru N.Y. County (esp., from n. Manhattan, and esp. from Wed. 8/10) and headed s.-s.-w. were E. Kingbirds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and among Icteridae, some Bobolinks (not very many), and Brown-headed Cowbirds along with Red-winged Blackbirds, and one or two orioles (likely Orchard, although some Baltimore might be moving a bit by now), & a miscellany of misc. passerine-type smaller migrants (at distances). There’ve been Common Grackles seen (much of if not all summer long) and some may appear to be ‘moving’, however that species is a not-uncommon nester around the county and some or all of the movements by that species may simply be local, from roost-areas to feeding & then return-flights, as with a number of other species seen around the county in summer. A modest number of Indigo Buntings also have been moving, with perhaps a very small uptick into this week. Also still passing thru, with some lingering a bit are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, often being noted where flowers are more numerous as may be expected - this can include in garden-settings and also will include native-woodland flowers of some kinds. Mentioned previously and again now, at least a few cuckoos have been passing through, and of those it’s Black-billed which don’t breed in the city (as far as I’m aware!) and so those passing thru, in N.Y. County, and at locations such as Jamaica Bay Refuge (where Yellow-billed can and have bred) are almost-certain migrators, with many or all of the Yellow-billed (in N.Y. County) likely pertaining to migrants as well, esp. by this point in the southbound-season. The Empidonax [genus] Flycatchers passing thru are mostly of species that have bred or could breed in the county, those being Willow, and Acadian, while there are some reports for Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in the wider region on the move just lately. The most evident movements by flycatchers in N.Y. County thus far this month have been of E. Kingbirds migration, albeit still in quite-modest no’s., and also as some locally-breeding birds are tending to fledglings (of that same species). However still more diversity in flycatchers as migrants ought to be noticed soon. Wood Duck[s] were again seen at Central Park, it seems somewhat likely more than one were present there, or if not, one had started to move from one water-body to others in short succession after long periods not doing-so there. Many (or even all) of White-throated Sparrows that summered are still doing so in Manhattan, and this includes a few in Central Park, although far more have been and still are in some of the smaller parks and urban green-spaces. good birding to all, Tom Fiore N.Y. City, and points-north -- 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/ --
