We of this great city reflect and remember on this day and give our
blessings to those who are not with us now and to those many who gave
the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow citizens.
one smaII remembrance - " I'm on the 35th floor, okay, okay? Just
relay to the command post we're trying to get up. There's numerous
civilians at all stairwells, numerous burn injuries are coming down.
I'm trying to send them down first. Apparently it's above the 75th
floor. I don't know if they got there yet. Okay, Three Truck and we
are still heading up. Okay? Thank you. " (*FDNY radio transcript from
9/11/2001, released 8/16/ 2006.) – Captain (Pat) Patrick "Paddy" J.
Brown, F.D.N.Y. (& U.S.M.C. -Sgt.- Vietnam-2 tours; 6-time NYC
Marathoner), who with two fuII tours (shifts) of his men from Ladder
Company 3 traveled to their final firefighting, 15 years ago; Company
Three was created on September 11, 1865. Every person is remembered
who we lost on that fatefuI day and in the days and years to foIIow
from this history we share.
- - - - - - -
Sunday & Saturday, 11 & 10 September, 2016 -
Central Park, Manhattan, New York City
This 2nd weekend in September, despite some hot, humid, summer weather
has seen a good migration including ongoing very good diversity, which
especially from about 100 Street south within Central Park, and
highlighted by more than 25 species of warblers each day, & as many as
29 warbler species (if not more) for the 2 days, as found by many,
many scores of birders; two standouts among the migrants being a
Yellow-breasted Chat for a 2nd time this "fall" - and with 2 further
locations for Connecticut Warbler[s] now having been seen in at least
3 or more separate areas in the park this "fall", the chat rightly
noted as among the least-often found species amongst the warblers that
do show annually in Central - & it may be known to many that this
species is actually seen by more observers in NYC in the "winter"
season overall, when individuals sometimes linger in (sometimes odd)
sites where they may be more conducive to observation.
Reports came in of an American Bittern by the Azalea Pond, found first
by birder Kyu Lee on Saturday morning, who observed it to move to near
the Point; and seen again first on Sunday by birder Brenda Inskeep at
the same 'generaI' area, from the Point, & perhaps stiIl around the
lake-shore; this is a somewhat early date for the species in Central
where it is of course not at all common or really expected, yet shows
semi-annually, albeit often shyly in such a busy inner-urban location.
The bittern could well still be present in the park or it may have had
sense enough to move on to quieter quarters! In addition, there were
many, many other highlights and the north end of the park did see more
bird activity as of Sunday, while areas south of about 100th Street
stayed a bit more so (and of course with easily 50+ times more
observers in the Ramble & vicinity than elsewhere- a normal
situation). A Virginia Rail was still present at about first Iight on
Saturday, but couId not be re-found as the sun rose; a few shorebird
species that were present at the reservoir's dike (now much exposed in
its center areas) couId no Ionger be seen after the wind-shift, by
Sunday afternoon aIthough many guIIs continued there thru near-
sundown, with 4 (typicaIIy-seen, this time of year) guII species
present as weII as a Iingering Pied-biIIed Grebe east of the dike,
where mainly seen. A good variety of raptors were on the move very
late on Sunday, and a few were also seen ahead of the wind-shift; a N.
Harrier being the less-regular of these in Central (in contemporary
times!) While diversity of species appears quite good now amongst
migrants, this is aided by so many of 'our' (north American) breeding
warblers headed through now, & in fact with many more species to come
in weeks ahead: waterfowl, more raptors, sparrows & kin, & others, the
diversity is expected to pick up even as warbler diversity most likely
drops off as expected.
Interesting but not at all extraordinary nor unusual were a few Purple
Finches in the north end on Sunday; with the near-explosion of Red-
breasted Nuthatches being widely noted (finally!) by observers all
around the northeast & mid-Atlantic, plus some intriguing sightings of
Red Crossbills not so very far from even NY City, & a very few Evening
Grosbeak reports having come in all this summer from areas in the non-
boreal parts of the northeast, this may be an interesting autumn &
winter, a little time & close observation may tell us as these seasons
change.
thanks to the many offering reports and birding in a quiet,
respectful, and courteous manner.
among the sightings for the 2 days of the weekend, 9/10 & 9/11 2016 at
Central Park, N.Y.C:
Pied-billed Grebe (reservoir)
Double-crested Cormorant (multiple)
AMERICAN BITTERN (Ramble, on Saturday)
Great Blue Heron (the Pond, & elsewhere at times)
Great Egret (north end fIy-overs, ongoing)
Snowy Egret (north end fIy-overs, still going)
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron (muItipIe Iocations)
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall (muItipIe Iocations)
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Osprey (fly-overs)
Bald Eagle (fly-over, Sunday)
Northern Harrier (fly-over, Sunday)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (fly-overs)
Cooper's Hawk (fly-overs)
Red-tailed Hawk (muItipIe Iocations)
American Kestrel (muItipIe Iocations)
Peregrine Falcon
Virginia Rail (v. early Saturday only-?)
Greater Yellowlegs (reservoir, Sunday)
Solitary Sandpiper (reservoir, Sunday)
Spotted Sandpiper (reservoir)
Least Sandpiper (reservoir, Sat-Sun)
Laughing Gull (regular recentIy reservoir)
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo (north end, Saturday)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (severaI)
Common Nighthawk (few noted, evenings)
Chimney Swift (common & many noted)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (common and some flying thru on diurnal
migrations)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker (muItipIe Iocations)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Great HiII, Sunday)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (muItipIe Iocations)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Empidonax [genus] Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird (muItipIe locations and some flying thru on diurnal
migrations)
Yellow-throated Vireo (muItipIe Iocations)
Warbling Vireo (many)
Philadelphia Vireo (near Blockhouse, Sunday)
Red-eyed Vireo (many)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (dozens are continuing daiIy now)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, north end, Sunday)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (muItipIe Iocations)
Catharus [genus] thrush species ("gray-cheeked" types, possibly of the
rarer species)
Veery (muItipIe Iocations)
Swainson's Thrush (muItipIe Iocations)
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird (multiple Iocations)
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (muItipIe Iocations)
Blue-winged Warbler (still at Ieast severaI)
Tennessee Warbler (severaI, ramble & north end)
Nashville Warbler (severaI)
Northern Parula (more than a few)
Yellow Warbler (multiple)
Chestnut-sided Warbler(multiple)
Magnolia Warbler(muItipIe)
Cape May Warbler (at least several, various locations in addition to
Pinetum)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (multiple)
Myrtle [aka "form of" Yellow-rumped] Warbler (few)
Black-throated Green Warbler (multiple)
Blackburnian Warbler (female, Summit Rock on Sunday)
Pine Warbler (severaI)
Prairie Warbler (at least severaI)
Palm Warbler (modest numbers, "eastern" form)
Bay-breasted Warbler (ramble and north end)
Blackpoll Warbler (at least severaI)
Black-and-white Warbler (multiple)
American Redstart (very common)
Worm-eating Warbler (several locations)
Ovenbird (multiple)
Northern Waterthrush (multiple locations)
Connecticut Warbler (ramble in at least 2 separate locations)
Mourning Warbler (north end, near the Blockhouse, Sunday)
Common Yellowthroat (common)
Hooded Warbler (severaI)
Wilson's Warbler (severaI)
Canada Warbler (severaI)
Yellow-breasted CHAT (Sat & Sun, near east end of ramble)
Scarlet Tanager (muItipIe Iocations)
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (small numbers)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (muItipIe Iocations)
Bobolink (earIy fIy-bys both weekend days & on prior days aIso)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole (muItipIe Iocations)
Purple Finch (few, Sunday earIy am)
House Finch
American Goldfinch (muItiple Iocations)
House Sparrow
+ + + + + + + + +
"All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the
individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. ~
The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to
include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land. ~
A land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the
land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect
for his-her fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such."
- Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) - U.S. wildlife biologist, conservationist,
professor, author, best known for his book "A Sand County
Almanac" (1949), which has sold more than two million copies.
good birding to all -
respectfully,
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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