Central Park (in Manhattan, N.Y. City) Saturday, March 25th - Even with a bit of typical March / early spring weather, showers, drizzles accompanied by some easterly winds, birders (including myself) were out and about and finding a nice variety of species for the day, and the date (and the inclement weather at varying times of the day).
Among highlights for some were at least 2 E. Bluebirds around the n.-w. sector of the park (multiple observers), while at the C.P. reservoir, a very modest touch of variety was seen in waterfowl, with 2 drake Ring-necked Ducks there, as well as 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, and the long-lingering Hooded Mergansers (also on other waterbodies), plus Wood Duck, and at least 5 American Coots lingering on. With the more-regular other duckage also lingering around the park. A Pied-billed Grebe also has been present on the reservoir there, which was not an overwintering individual at that location. Seen very recently, but perhaps not on Saturday 3/25, have been Turkey Vultures in the modest-multiples, and Osprey (both over Central Park as well as seen elsewhere in the county). Multiple Pine Warblers continued while some that have passed thru N.Y. City likely moved-on, as the species is showing in various counties north of the city. Even on a less-than brilliant weather day, some of the male warblers at Central Park were singing a bit, and all were surely calling at more intervals, on Saturday. Rusty Blackbirds wwre still around in a few locations, one by the Pool in the park’s n.w. sector being seen by now by many, many observers to Sat., 3/25. Some of the species from Central Park, Sat., 3/25 & with multi. observers; observations from first light to dusk. Canada Goose Wood Duck (ongoing) Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Mallard x American Black Duck (hybrid) Green-winged Teal (Meer) Ring-necked Duck (reservoir) Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser (reservoir) Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe (reservoir) Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Coot (minimum of 5, reservoir) American Woodcock Ring-billed Gull [American} Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron ** Turkey Vulture (seen thru Friday, poss. not-seen on drizzly-Saturday) ** Osprey (seen Friday, poss. not on Sat.) Cooper's Hawk Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl (& additional owls) Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (multiple, some recent arrivals to Central Park) American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe (multiple) Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet (multiple) Red-breasted Nuthatch (multiple, but not very many) White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Eastern Bluebird (minimum of two, thru Saturday, 3/25) Hermit Thrush American Robin (high no’s. scattered nearly everywhere) House Sparrow House Finch Chipping Sparrow (still very-scarce thru Sat., 3/25) Field Sparrow [Red] Fox Sparrow (multiple - throughout the park) Slate-colored Junco White-crowned Sparrow (continuing south of West 72 St. cross-drive; with many other sparrows) White-throated Sparrow (very numerous, throughout the park) Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Rusty Blackbird (ongoing) Common Grackle Pine Warbler (multiple, but poss. slightly reduced numbers from the past week’s numbers in Central) Myrtle/Yellow-rumped Warbler (a few of these as also noted elsewhere in the county have shown in Central Park, including at the Ramble-area) Northern Cardinal —— Many more trees, shrubs and other plants are showing buds, blooms, or at least hints of colors, and even in cool rainy-cloudy weather some insect-life was detected. Far more will be in the sunnier days arriving now, with a bit of warmth as well. Elsewhere in Manhattan, a Baltimore Oriole was ongoing at Union Square Park, and (with some efforts) the (also over-wintered) Swainson’s Thrush was still present in Bryant Park in midtown. The ‘regular’ fly-bys of a Black-headed Gull, now in breeding-type plumage, have continued on as has been for months, as seen from (*almost* exclusively) Randall’s Island, and mainly in very early mornings. A good vasriety of other species have continued or started to turn up as fresh arrivals on and near Randall’s Island, and the same is so of Governors Island, where a recent close watch (with scope) produced Surf Scoter and a good assortment of other birds, for one keen watcher there. -- It may be worth a brief note that at least to nearly the *end of January*, if not beyond, a Palm Warbler had been seen (and photo’d. at least from 1/29/2023) at the n.w. corner section of Randall’s Island, and given the overwinter of same species that seem to be elsewhere surviving a NYC winter into spring (now), that N.Y. County Palm Warbler might have survived, and stayed around, undetected for months, as well. Good milder-days are coming birds and nature-observing 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/ --
