SATURDAY, 28 April, 2012 - Central Park, & Bryant Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
First (although not quite first stop of the day in my wanderings), the male PROTHONOTARY Warbler was still present today at Bryant Park (in mid-town Manhattan,located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40 and 42 Streets) - the Prothonotary again being seen in London Plane trees (which surround the large green lawn west of the NY Public Library main branch building) - that warbler in high branches on the south side and then for a very short time actually coming to the large fountain at the west end of the large lawn, all between 7:15 - 7:30 a.m., and with a few other migrants again present as well, including Black-and-white. Yellow, Yellow-rumped, and Black-throated Green Warbler[s[, plus Blue-headed Vireo, Gray Catbirds, Hermit thrush (at least 2), E. Towhee (3), & White-throated Sparrow, and probably a few other non-resident species. While I did spot the Prothonotary twice in a fairly short time, I'd emphasize that this bird has been mainly high in the trees and thus not that easy to see, despite what seems a relatively small space, overall... once again there also seemed very few birds at all on the Fifth Ave. side (where a Prothonotary had spent many days in fall, more than 18 months ago). - - - - - Central Park had some bird-song as early as first light as it virtually always does this time of year, no matter the weather, and the same male KENTUCKY Warbler was in Shakespeare Garden, giving a softer song at about 6:15 a.m. & seen at the lower/west part of the garden proper - I sent a few birders in that direction well before 7 a.m. and I assume they, like many others, were rewarded if they were patient. For other/additional warbler species in Central, at least 20 more species were noted including Orange-crowned lingering at the Ramble & north end, Hooded, Magnolia, Blue-winged Prairie, (modestly late:) Pine, Palm, Worm-eating, "Black-throateds": Blue & Green, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, and more. (If a Chestnut-sided or any brand new arrivals were seen there would then have been over 20 warblers for the park). Overall it felt like fewer individual birds than the day before, yet they clearly were scattered all over, as an example, a male Scarlet Tanager singing from very near Columbus Circle near W. 60 St. in the early morning - little-birded area of the park & with some reason, yet occasional migrants do move through that waterless area at least for a short time. For those able or willing to stay in and wander greatly today may have offered a wide variety of migrants, otherwise it was hardly a really big day. Of interest as a lingerer is a female-looking Hooded Merganser persisting on the reservoir, where 4 Snowy Egrets flew over at first light; the trees south of the reservoir (esp. the Turkey Oaks) are receiving migrants lately, two full weeks ahead of when they;d have been in leaf in a normal (well, until this millennium) spring. Mpst of these trees line the old cindered bridle path south of the reservoir, and can be a very productive area, especially for some later-arriving warbler species thru the mid-spring period. There are a few other areas in the park that also can be productive in big migrant-wave days in particular, that are not in or next to the Ramble nor the "north" end of the park, as we move into May, shortly. PS, there are reports for Blackburnian Warbler as well in Manhattan, but i don't have the details of those reports. They and other species may have also been seen in northern Manhattan. 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/ --
