Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Thursday, 6 October.2011 -
A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was among the nice discoverioes in Central Park, first reported by Matthew Rymkiewicz, who found it at the so-called "Grassy Knoll" - a low rise with several enclosed flowerbeds and a few small pine trees next to some bedrock outcrops, just north of the northeast corner of the North Meadow ballfields - this is a "traditional" good area for sparrows, and some other birders were able to see the Grasshopper Sparrow as well as a few other regularly- occuring sparrow species, in that area some hours after M.R.'s early a.m. find - the other sightings in late morning & perhaps on into the afternoon. A variety of expected October migrants were again reported as well from Central. - - - - - - - Wednesday, 5 October, 2011 - A huge movement of typical early and mid-October migrants was observed with the quick change to a traditional clearing "cold" front on strong winds out of the northwest. Even if outer-coastal locations fared well with exotica and massive numbers of a variety of species, Central (and likely almost any city park or green-space) gained a big influx of many species, including a number of shorter-distance (non neotropical-winterers) that were previously not being seen much or at all so far this fall... and still a pretty good assortment of warblers, including a Yellow-breasted Chat again found in the area just north of the compost area, roughly west of the East 106 Street park entrance on Fifth Ave. - - - - - Tuesday, 4 October, 2011 - A nice flight took place as observed in the park's northern end, with at least 15 warbler species present including a Yellow-breasted Chat on the slope just north of the compost areas. Later in the day there were many hundreds of Chimney Swifts moving; there were also good numbers of Blue Jays moving south all day. - - - - - On Monday afternoon (10/3), A Yellow-breasted Chat was photographed at the "oven" in the Ramble (just west of The Point, south portion of the Ramble area, a bit east of Bow Bridge, as reported by Jeanette Holmes to the ebirdsnyc birding list. If it's the one seen off and on previously at maintenance field area, it's made a move - it could well be the same, or a different individual. Y.-br. Chat has been quite widely reported around the northeast in general this fall. In all there were at least several dozen birders out enjoying some of these birds on the days mentioned. There may well have been many many many more, too... Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- 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/ --
