A White Ibis was continuing into Monday, 8/22 at Staten Island (Richmond County), N.Y. as previously, in the Oakwood Marsh area.
--- While this point has been made already, some recent sightings make it clear that - every birder in every corner of NY state should try to take 2nd & 3rd looks at ‘all’ hummingbirds now to try to determine their species - Rufous Hummimgbird is in NY state, and other nearby states as well - and, there are possibilities of other western-breeding species of hummers in this region, and certainly a chance for more Rufous in the state. -- Some fairly high-intensity migration was noted overnight late Monday night and esp. into the ’small-hours’ of Tuesday, 8/23, at least in southeastern NY skies; many birds moving-on, passing south-by-southwest on south of N.Y. City, and at least on to New Jersey, or even farther. - - - - New York County (in N.Y. City), including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, & Governors Island Friday, Aug. 19th, thru Monday, Aug. 22nd: Friday, 8/19 featured some lingering birds, and at least a bit of fresh migration, including expected diurnal flight. Slightly early for the species, good numbers of Baltimore Orioles were noted, particularly at sites on or nearest-to the East River as well as the Hudson River; some staying in parks and green-spaces the day, and some visibly moving south-by-southwestward. Also on the move were E. Kingbirds, and modest no’s. of hummingbirds, with the latter partly-presumed to be Ruby-throated (as many could be ID’d to species) however take note that multiple species of western-breeding hummingbirds have made appearances in the eastern U.S. in recent weeks and certainly more may do so. A Solitary Sandpiper was noted from Randall’s Island, a species that had been somewhat ‘missing’ just-recently, while the most-regular of fall-migrant shorebirds were ongoing - Spotted and Least Sandpipers, each in fairly good numbers from various locations, and also some ‘peep’ (Calidris-species) which may or may not have been Semipalmated Sandipers; Killdeer also are ongoing, a species which is the most widely-seen in terms of seasonal occurence of all the shorebirds of N.Y. County and ‘the’ one which breeds in the county. Black Vulture (and some Turkey Vulture) sightings continued from - in particular - the n. parts of Manhattan, and at least 4 of the former reported. Also seen -some on the move- were Bald Eagles and Ospreys. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was seen from Randall’s Island. At least twenty species of American warblers were found in the county on Friday (with at least 18 or more of those seen within Central Park on the day), which included ‘another’ [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped Warbler, a species which is more typically first noticed at either the end of Aug., if then, or more-likely in the month of Sept., in this county - this species however was seen previously, and there also are a number of sightings from the broader region, among which a fair number were near-unprecedently early in southbound migrations for their particular locality. --- Saturday, 8/20 featured a visit by a trio of early-arriving birders on Governors Island, and one species sighted, if at a distance off-island, were a reported 3 American Oystercatcahers. It also seems there was at least a bit of other shorebird movement, & on the island early were a good count of 21 Killdeer, however the morning flight might have been seen as ‘light’, although it is tough to get onto Governors at first-light, as typically a first boat is later on, in the half of the year with lengthier days than nights. A Mourning Warbler was among passerine species landed, also noted was Blue-winged Warbler. As already reported, two Golden-winged Warblers were seen by scores & scores of observers, thanks in great part to a number of both earliest, and later keen watchers (M.B. Kooper; L. Brock just 2 of those) who kept track of, & reported early as well as much later, for those who came seeking, & (for the most patient, or simply skiiled, and as always with some luck) caught-up with one of these or for fewer, two individuals. It also is worth a note that, apparently, these were not banded (‘ringed’) birds. There were nice pockets of activity in a number of locations in the county, and at least some flight, but seemingly not an intensive diurnal flight. Also it seemed possible that some migrants were the same as had lingered a day or more, although this is often a somewhat-subtle thing to discern on days when there is a mix or a middle-ground, between all-out major migratory moves, & days where seeminly no discernible movements are occuring (or at least, are recorded). --- Sunday, 8/21 generally seemed ‘quieter’ for migrants, and by mid-day perhaps a slower day for any observers out and about. A Semipalmated Plover was a nice find, with multiple obsevers, on the flats off the n. end of Inwood Hill Park, accesseed most-directly from W. 218th St. in northern Manhattan (a short way west of Broadway). Also seen there were a few Least and Spotted Sandpipers & a report for Solitary Sandpiper as well. At multiple (additional) locations in the county, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, and a small number of Least Sandpipers were noted. --- Monday, 8/22 … At the same general area where on Saturday 8/20 a duo of Golden-winged Warblers were seen by a good many people, a Lawrence’s-type hybrid (of Blue-winged X Golden-winged) Warbler was seen, that being in the eastern Ramble area within Central Park in Manhattan - seen by relatively fewer given a number of factors, a weekday-sighting this one, and the showers of rain - more much-needed rain for any and all of the entire northeast & beyond - as well as whatever moving-about by this formerly-quite-rare hybrid form, in recent years not as rare and sadly, an indicator (as are Brewster’s-type hybrids of these 2 parent warbler species) of the ongoing moves by Blue-winged into more territories on breeding-grounds, into where in some places only the Golden-winged were known, esp. in the more-northern and western edges of the range of Golden-wingeds. Despite it’s seeming ‘rarity’, this form - Lawrence’s - has occurred in Central Park multiple times over the years and, once-upon-a-time might have pulled in 100+ seekers rather-rapidly *before* the advent of any cellular phone, 2-way radio usage or even ‘beepers’ or other devices that birders have taken to in various places and ‘eras’ with the now-near-ubiquitous use of everywhere-connected devices & the like. Among a good variety of other warblers seen on Monday, one worth a note is a Black-throated Blue in male-plumage, on the Hudson River waterfront (A. Evans). Also interesting (and my own hunch-only, a bird that summered-in-the-city) was a sighting of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Union Square Park in mid-lower Manhattan. That species is a very-regular one in a surprisingly high variety of locations in many winters (as well as near-common in peak-weeks of spring and autumn migrations here) throughout Manhattan (in particular, although also seen on the outlying islands of the county, esp. on migration-peaks) - and is also a regular into late-late spring & sometimes into summer as well - possibly overlooked once their overall density in summer is ultra-lower. Contrary to what some may assume, this sapsucker species can be very unobtrusive, when not drumming, calling, &/or making a huge fuss over courtship and territorial issues in a lot of breeding areas - and sometimes where not breeding but staying for a winter, or a part of another season. And very much later on, at least 2 Semipalmated Plovers were found & photo’d. at that location where perhaps just the one was on Sunday, at the flats around the northern edge of Inwood Hill Park, in n. Manhattan. — in total for the county, in the 4 days of this report’s period, [at least] the following American warbler species (and 1 form) were found - Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Waterthrush, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Lawrence's Warbler (a hybrid form, of Golden-winged/Blue-winged Warbler), Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler (one), Black-throated Blue Warbler, Pine Warbler, [Myrtle] Yellow-rumped Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Canada Warbler - a total for the 4 days of at least 27 species of warbler, & the one form of a hybrid-type. Many other migrants pushing thru in the 4 days ending Monday; the earlier part of the period having been especially busy for migrants. — A good -to occasionally, excellent- diversity of insects have been found recently in N.Y. County, on each of the 3 larger islands which are all named above for this report. peaceful birding to all, Tom Fiore [N.Y. City] -- 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/ --
