Date: Saturday, 30 July 2011 (2:50p-7:25p) Location: Manhattan - Swindler Cove Park & Sherman Creek Reported by: Ben Cacace
This upper Manhattan park is situated along the Harlem River at the end of Dyckman St. & 10th Avenue across the island from Fort Tryon Park. Three new birds added to the park list: single SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER & LEAST SANDPIPER were feeding for hours on the mudflats on Sherman Creek. They were never more than a few apart while I was watching them. The single BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, in Swindler Cove Park, was feeding in the trees above the fresh water feature. A pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS were coming in from the east. One dove on a local RED-TAILED HAWK and then both falcons fled south. The other shorebirds were a pair of KILLDEER and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER. ** Total species - 32 ** July checklists only [6]: - # of birds seen on the last 6 trips were 32, 34, 32, 27, 30 & 32 respectively for a combined total of 43. - Additional birds seen [4]: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Tree Swallow & Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Birds missed [11]: American Kestrel, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Warbling Vireo, American Crow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole & House Finch Last 3 birds seen: Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird & Common Grackle. Weather for 30-Jul for New York, NY (2:51p-7:51p) < http://tinyurl.com/3c2do69 >: - Conditions: Clear - Scattered Clouds - Temperature: 89.1 - 91.0 - 86.0 F - Wind direction: Variable - Calm - Wind speed: 4 - 7 mph (no gusts reported) Abundance categories from 'The New York City Audubon Society Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area' published 2001. Abundance season is 'early Fall', mid July - mid September, and applies to all of New York City. 'Scarce' seen in habitat, but not daily [1 spp]: - Peregrine Falcon - Pair from the E diving on Red-tailed Hawk 'Uncommon' seen in small numbers; 1-3 per day in habitat [1 spp]: - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 in Swindler Cove Park over the fresh water feature 'Fairly Common' usually seen; 3-12 per day in habitat [9 spp]: - Great Egret - 1 on Sherman Creek - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 adult on Sherman Creek - Red-tailed Hawk - 2 incl. a juvenile & an adult - Killdeer - Pair on Sherman Creek at low tide - Spotted Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek plus 1 at S end of park - Chimney Swift - 3+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ seen & heard - Northern Cardinal - 3+ incl. a fledgling & an adult building a new nest - American Goldfinch - 6+ seen & heard 'Common' seen easily; more than 12 per day in habitat [21 spp]: - Canada Goose - 18+ - Mallard - 10+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 1 adult on the Harlem River - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek - Least Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek - Ring-billed Gull - 30+ - Herring Gull - 1 - Great Black-backed Gull - 1 adult - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Eastern Kingbird - 2+ incl. a fledgling - Blue Jay - 2+ seen & heard - Tree Swallow - 2 over Sherman Creek - Barn Swallow - 4+ - American Robin - 12+ - Gray Catbird - 12+ - European Starling - 24+ - Song Sparrow - 6+ seen & heard - Red-winged Blackbird - 2 adult males seen & heard - Common Grackle - 12+ - House Sparrow - 12+ Taxonomic order: - Canada Goose - 18+ - Mallard - 10+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 1 adult on the Harlem River - Great Egret - 1 on Sherman Creek - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 adult on Sherman Creek - Red-tailed Hawk - 2 incl. a juvenile & an adult - Peregrine Falcon - Pair from the E diving on Red-tailed Hawk - Killdeer - Pair on Sherman Creek at low tide - Spotted Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek plus 1 at S end of park - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek - Least Sandpiper - 1 on Sherman Creek - Ring-billed Gull - 30+ - Herring Gull - 1 - Great Black-backed Gull - 1 adult - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Chimney Swift - 3+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ seen & heard - Eastern Kingbird - 2+ incl. a fledgling - Blue Jay - 2+ seen & heard - Tree Swallow - 2 over Sherman Creek - Barn Swallow - 4+ - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 in Swindler Cove Park over the fresh water feature - American Robin - 12+ - Gray Catbird - 12+ - European Starling - 24+ - Song Sparrow - 6+ seen & heard - Northern Cardinal - 3+ incl. a fledgling & an adult building a new nest - Red-winged Blackbird - 2 adult males seen & heard - Common Grackle - 12+ - American Goldfinch - 6+ seen & heard - House Sparrow - 12+ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
