Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
The past week, to today Friday, 21 August 2015, has featured some of
the same species as were around the previous week, and numbers
fluctuating just a bit thru Wed. & Thurs. - a total for the week of 21
warbler species were found, although only about a dozen of those spp.
were regular or seen by many. One 'new' addition to these species was
Mourning Warbler, which was noted both Wed. & Thurs. in a couple of
areas in the Ramble & vicinity. The park as a whole was a lot less
active for migrants by Thurs. and this morning seems not to have
changed a lot, although some diurnal migrants were coming thru on the
heels of the rain, & an arriving front.
In general, the southern half of the park was getting more active,
although the n. end held its own with good sightings as well. The
overall migratory mix was again dominated by warblers, with
flycatchers also putting in a good showing, & vireos continuing to
move as well. The first appearances of a few more boreal-nesting birds
were a sign that bigger movements of some passerines are just about to
start in. The one or two White-throated Sparrows around are not
necessarily recent arrivals, as a couple had been in the park for part
of, or perhaps all summer, and that is actually rather typical, just
non-breeding birds that lingered on from late spring.
The reservoir dike is worth a look anytime: this a.m. a Least
Sandpiper, as well as several Spotted Sandpipers were there (near the
n. end), and Gadwalls & N. Shovelers were again present, although 7
(of 8 Shovelers that had been in the park quite a while) took off and
left behind just 1, perhaps not part of that clique. There will likely
be more shovelers and perhaps other dabbling-type ducks, as migration
picks up. With any shorebirds in Central, the stopovers may be very
transient, & even at the reservoir, turnover can be rapid and
different within an hour. Some Yellow Warblers & Common Yellowthroats
have been appearing in vegetation along the reservoir shores and
adjacent plantings in the past week.
This is coming into the prime time for Common Nighthawk migration,
which has been picking up a bit in many areas in the region, most esp.
to the north & west. Raptors will be starting to get up southbound
'steam' as well, and a modest number had already passed Manhattan on
their journeys southward. Even with a lot less movement overnight to
Friday a.m., there was activity in patches, & I found at least 4
waterthushes just in the area by the Pond in the park's far SE corner
- 3 definitively Northerns plus 1 or more undetermined, waterthrush/
sp. - and there was a lively warbler-flock in Strawberry Fields early.
There are also a few migrants about in most other areas.
Sightings in the past 7 days -
Black Vulture & Turkey Vulture
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret (poss. fewer)
Snowy Egret (poss. fewer)
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck (a few lingering)
Gadwall
American Black Duck (few)
Mallard
Northern Shoveler (few so far)
Osprey
Bald Eagle (subadult)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Solitary Sandpiper (still rather scarce)
Spotted Sandpiper (increased numbers)
Least Sandpiper (one, 8/21)
Laughing Gull (typical late-summer no's.)
Ring-billed Gull (daily at Reservoir)
Herring Gull "
Great Black-backed Gull ( " )
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (increasing)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher (several)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (increase)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow or Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher (increase)
Eastern Kingbird (many moving, diurnal migrant)
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Common Raven (now-regular in Manhattan)
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow (numerous)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (unexpectedly 'early')
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird (multiple)
Northern Waterthrush (many)
Louisiana Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler (2+)
Common Yellowthroat (multiple)
Blue-winged Warbler (multiple)
Northern Parula (several)
Yellow Warbler (multiple)
Magnolia Warbler (several+)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (many)
American Redstart (common)
Worm-eating Warbler (multiple)
Hooded Warbler (several)
Wilson's Warbler (multiple)
Canada Warbler (multiple)
Black-throated Green Warbler (few so far)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (modest numbers)
Blackburnian Warbler (more likely to pass)
Prairie Warbler (more likely to pass, soon)
Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (may have summered locally)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting ('early-ish')
Bobolink (early a.m. only)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (commonly)
Baltimore Oriole (more are moving)
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
--
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/
--
