Friday, 1st of April, 2016
Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
Among migrant birds in evidence thru the mid-afternoon, here were some
seen in Central Park by a number of us:
Great Egret (again at Turtle Pond, & also some fly-overs seen from the
n. end of the park)
Belted Kingfisher (around the n. end)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Yellow-shafted Flicker (multiple, & the
latter especially esp. numerous in some areas)
Eastern Phoebe (not a lot); N. Rough-winged Swallow (2 over Meer,
seen in p.m. hours, not noted earlier a.m.)
Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets (with the latter species having
increased just overnight)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (6+, with over half seen in the n. end, var.
locations- modest yet clear overnight increase)
Hermit Thrush (thinly distributed in park so far); Brown Thrasher
(several); Gray Catbird (at the Ramble, not a "new" spring migrant;
this one wintered in park)
Palm Warbler (2, n. woods near Blockhouse); Pine Warbler (in a few
locations, as seen in recent days), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1, drab
plumage, Great Hill)
E. Towhee (modest but multiple numbers); Field, Chipping (15+ thru
all the park), Swamp, Song, & White-throated (hundreds) Sparrows.
Dark-eyed Junco (in flocks of up to 20 or so in a few locations)
Purple Finch (2 briefly at feeders in Ramble, also heard in a few
spots); American Goldfinch (uncommon but in multiple locations away
from the feeder-flocks).
loads of grackles in many locations, some with behavior like a Rusty
BB, but not the characteristic call or song, which is diagnostic if
heard (a real song, that is).
Reservoir today contained at least the following: Pied-billed Grebe,
Double-crested Cormorant (12+), Canada Goose, Gadwall, American
Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler (many), Bufflehead (14+),
Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck (30+), American Coot (3), Ring-billed
Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull.
and generally, other typical-common-visitor & resident species. Other
stuff: E. Chipmunks (n. end), butterflies (in warmer p.m.) included
Cabbage White, E. Comma, Mourning Cloak, & Red Admiral. Very good
variety of insect life now appearing (and good for all the arriving
birds), and literally far more blooms out in just 24 hours.
Thanks to the dozen or more other birders I saw, spoke with, & birded
a bit with. The best story was about the man who'd seen more than 2/3
of the world's birds.... I'll need to hear more on that, from his
friend.
Good April birding (& no fooling),
Tom Fiore
Manhattan
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