Monday, 25 April 2011 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City (& Riverside Park, briefly... today)
I was just made aware of reports of YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER found on a walk by Starr Saphir's group, with sightings from Lenore Swenson - the location noted at the so-called "humming tombstone: in the Ramble, which is an electrical circuitry box (and slightly resembles a large tombstone) at the edge of a large lawn area, about 100+ yards south of Belvedere Castle within the NW portion of the Ramble. A path meanders from the "Castle" into the Ramble and intersects the location - that path is the one to the right (of several choices) if facing south from the Castle (ie, not the stone steps that lead down into the Shakespeare Garden area, but the narrow path that passes the west edge of the fenced weather station and then continues to a junction of 3 paths. The "humming tombstone" area is immediately beyond that junction of those paths. It is a bit closer to the West Drive of the park than to the E. Drive. The bird was apparently seen a bit north of the junction of paths - it seems likely that others are seeking, or perhaps right now watching, this much-sought species. Also reported from Starr Saphir's morning walk was another Blackburnian Warbler - and many other species as well - a really exceptional day in Central Park, for April 25th and even on almost any day of the spring migration. It might take a long time to sort thru many sightings that will be and have been made! I may respond on-list to Scott Haber's thoughful response to an early Empidonax sighting (by me) reported here & seen on Sunday, 4/24, a putative Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, the ID of which I'm reasonably sure of (seen & heard singing, not calling, at fairly close range in Riverside Park, Manhattan) - and am interested to try and look up records from the region of this and other Empidonax species, including any available specimen & banding records as well as any video-audio- photo records, and sight reports in the early season, particularly any before May 1st. This is not the first Yellow-bellied Flycatcher I have seen & heard singing &.or calling in New York City in the beginning stages of the spring push of neotropical-wintering migrants 9as opposed to shorter-distance migrant species that may primarily overwinter in the southern U.S. or nearby, such as Pine Warbler & any number of others that appear as early as March in our area almost each spring - I do not agree that Yellow-bellied is "among the last" and while I respect the writing of John M.C. Peterson as regards breeding information for New York, I do not think it reflects accurately on the status of migrants in the southern section of the state, with regards to this species of Empidonax. It would be interesting to read and hear from any others who have looked as well as listened carefully to the Empidonax group here in NY and nearby states. I visited Riverside Park (in Manhattan) for a short time early this Mon. morning but not to seek that (or any) flycatcher; rather to look and listen for a Blackburnian Warbler I found there Sunday. As it turned out, that part of Riverside seemed rather quiet, in the early hour I visited and I did not stay all that long looking, so: I quickly made my way to Central Park's north end, and with an apparent new push of freshly-arrived migrants in that part of Central was busy birding there for many hours this morning. In so doing, I found a male Blackburnian Warbler in the trees at and near what we "north end" folks refer to as the "high meadow" which is a smallish open area with some small rock outcrops on either side, which looks down upon the Lasker rink (a swimming pool in summer) and to the western edge of the Meer below. At least 4 other birders right there at the time were able to see the Blackburnian as well, and we tried to maintain it in view for a while but it eventually seemed to move to a new set of tree-tops. It was non-vocal as we watched it, a total of 15+ minutes. Also present in that general area (the northwest woods of Central Park) were at least 2 Worm-eating Warblers seen simultaneously by some of us, a Brewster's-type hybrid warbler, which was Blue-winged-like in most aspects but with clearly yellow wing-bars and a bit of white in the throat (it was a singing male with an odd, somewhat cut-off "bzzz-bzzz" song) - some of us looked for this bird again a bit later with no success in re-finding & at that point, some of the hectic activity had already quieted a bit. The morning's birding the north end found at least 18 species (plus one hybrid) of warblers, with a male Hooded (and as that bird is now singing regularly it no longer need be referred to as in "male-type plumage, as I had done... thanks, David S. for asking about that... it is possible for female Hooded Warblers to have plumage that appears almost identical to an adult breeding-plumaged male... but a female Hooded will not be heard singing!) in the same area of the north end as had been, as well as N. Parula, Nashville, Prairie, Blue-winged, Yellow, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Myrtle [Yellow- rumped] (a very substantial a.m. movement of these, many continuing on north from C.P. as the morning continued into the 3rd hour of daylight, with hundreds seen streaming past 110 Street still going north above trees), Palm (highest numbers I've seen of these so far this spring in NYC), Black-and-white (also in impressive numbers and now including a fair number of adult females as well as males), American Redstart, Ovenbird (an obvious up-tick in their numbers overnight), Northern (multiple, and some well away from water) & Louisiana (at least one lingering and singing a bit, at the Loch in early a.m.) Waterthrushes, and Common Yellowthroat (also increased in numbers overnight) - and to keep a running "tally", a Cape May Warbler is reported from the Strawberry Fields area of Central Park, which is near the West 72 Street park entrance, plus more sightings of rather early Chestnut-sided Warbler, & ... there are a LOT of other migrants all over Central, and almost certainly in many other locations this Monday. If you are able, take an hour or more after work, school, etc. and see what's around in your local park or "patch"! For those with interest, a Common Loon in breeding plumage continues on the C.P reservoir. And: the female VARIED THRUSH, and the RED- HEADED WOODPECKER also continue... (as reported previously, in same respective locations as previously in Central Park!) Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
