Date: Saturday, 15 October 2011 (12:53p-5:25p) 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. ** Total species - 31 ** Was much slower than I thought it would be. No shorebirds seen. Three raptor species, all local to the park: COOPER'S HAWK juvenile, 2 RED-TAILED HAWK adults & a juvenile PEREGRINE FALCON. One new park bird was a high flying adult LAUGHING GULL that did not settle down on the mudflats with the 100+ local gulls on Sherman Creek but kept circling higher and heading south. Does anyone know if NYC Audubon, or some other group, is working on an updated abundance by season checklist for the boroughs of the city? The latest one I can find is from 'The NYC Audubon Society Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area' which was published in 2001. In the short decade since the publication things have changed. Last 3 birds seen: American Goldfinch, House Sparrow & Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Weather for 15-Oct for Central Park (12:51p-5:51p) < http://bit.ly/pRitUi >: - Conditions: Mostly Cloudy to Partly Cloudy - Temperature: 63.0 to 64.0 F - Wind direction: WSW - Variable - Wind speed: 6 - 13 mph (gusts to 24 mph) Abundance categories from 'The New York City Audubon Society Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area' published 2001. Abundance season is 'late Fall', mid September - November, and applies to all of New York City. 'Scarce' seen in habitat, but not daily [2 spp]: - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 adult on Sherman Creek - Chimney Swift - 1 over the park 'Uncommon' seen in small numbers; 1-3 per day in habitat [6 spp]: - Cooper's Hawk - 1 juvenile in trees at entrance to Sherman Creek - Peregrine Falcon - 1 juvenile low from park towards The Bronx, climbing - Laughing Gull - 1 above park never settling with the locals - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 female seen & heard - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1+ - Gray Catbird - 2+ seen & heard 'Fairly Common' usually seen; 3-12 per day in habitat [7 spp]: - Great Blue Heron - 1 adult continues on Sherman Creek - Red-tailed Hawk - 2+ adults scaring up the loafing Ring-billeds - Downy Woodpecker - 1 male seen & heard - Eastern Phoebe - 1 chasing a parakeet (budgerigar?) over Sherman Creek - Northern Mockingbird - 1+ - Northern Cardinal - 4+ seen & heard - American Goldfinch - 4+ seen & heard 'Common' seen easily; more than 12 per day in habitat [16 spp]: - Canada Goose - 30+ - Mallard - 11+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 3+ - Ring-billed Gull - 120+ - Herring Gull - 2+ - Great Black-backed Gull - 1+ - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Blue Jay - 6+ seen & heard - American Crow - 3+ seen & heard - American Robin - 2+ - European Starling - 100+ - Yellow-rumped Warbler - 6+ - Song Sparrow - 2+ - White-throated Sparrow - 1+ - House Sparrow - 6+ Taxonomic order: - Canada Goose - 30+ - Mallard - 11+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 3+ - Great Blue Heron - 1 adult continues on Sherman Creek - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 adult on Sherman Creek - Cooper's Hawk - 1 juvenile in trees at entrance to Sherman Creek - Red-tailed Hawk - 2+ adults scaring up the loafing Ring-billeds - Peregrine Falcon - 1 juvenile low from park towards The Bronx, climbing - Laughing Gull - 1 above park never settling with the locals - Ring-billed Gull - 120+ - Herring Gull - 2+ - Great Black-backed Gull - 1+ - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Chimney Swift - 1 over the park - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 female seen & heard - Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1+ - Downy Woodpecker - 1 male seen & heard - Eastern Phoebe - 1 chasing a parakeet (budgerigar?) over Sherman Creek - Blue Jay - 6+ seen & heard - American Crow - 3+ seen & heard - American Robin - 2+ - Gray Catbird - 2+ seen & heard - Northern Mockingbird - 1+ - European Starling - 100+ - Yellow-rumped Warbler - 6+ - Song Sparrow - 2+ - White-throated Sparrow - 1+ - Northern Cardinal - 4+ seen & heard - American Goldfinch - 4+ seen & heard - House Sparrow - 6+ -- 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/ --
