It might be worth anyone who is checking out areas around Great Kills Park on Staten Island (Richmond Co., part of NYC) for possible lingering Yellow-headed Blackbirds to try at other sites in the vicinity, as the flocks the Yellow-headeds (an adult male on Tuesday 2/28 - that bird was in a cowbird-icterid flock at Wolfe's Pond Park when noticed, then the other individual in less-ostentatious color, from Thursday 3/2 which was at Great Kills - there are other sites within a short distance where icterids might be flocking, feeding or roosting; there are in fact many such potential sites in the SE portion of the island-borough-county alone, & far more sites around the entire county!)
--- Of possible interest to some readers: http://wildlife.org/migratory-bird-phenology-in-a-changing-climate/ --------- Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Friday, 3 March, 2017 - A less-windy day after Thursday's 50-60mph gusts, but back to 'normal' for early March, weather-wise, at least for this day - yet, with buds, blooms and some small leaves appearing that would, in decades past, suggest a mid-April day! But for birds, it is much the expected for the date - and some of the same lingering species are still about - Red-necked Grebe (this bird, on the CP reservoir, has been present for some weeks since being released after rehabilitation with the Wild Bird Fund on Manhattan's west side - it was present today, Friday on the reservoir past mid-day, & a "report" from another water-body in the park seems odd, since this grebe has not been seen in the multiple this year - there have been Double-crested Cormorants in the lake & elsewhere, & I have seen a few folks make an initial identification error on a cormorant, wanting this grebe as the sighting; the RN Grebe was photographed by several observers at the reservoir today, in morning & afternoon hours - it continues to roam the entire reservoir, sometimes very near shore and sometimes not near.) Common Loon (on the reservoir for many days now, in non-breeding plumage, as with the above grebe; this bird has often been hard to spot as it may be in the central area of the reservoir, & can be diving or simply keeping a lower profile at times) Red-headed Woodpecker - a young bird gaining color by the week is continuing in the area of the park just west of East 68 Street, sometimes can be quite high in branches, & may or may not be that active; patience is a virtue awaiting this bird to show itself. It is sometimes rather aggressive with other nearby birds of various species. Other birds include the reported release of 2 rehabbed American Woodcock into the park's north end, on Thursday afternoon (3/2), these also coming from the Wild Bird Fund of Manhattan's west side. There have been some other & prior woodcocks in the park as well. Ongoing, or passage-migrant birds this Friday include - Pied-billed Grebe (2, still at reservoir) Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Bufflehead Hooded Merganser (few) Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon American Coot Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull [feral] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Eastern Towhee [red] Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Finch American Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak House Sparrow - - - - - - “You’re on Earth. There’s no cure for that." -'Endgame' - a 1957 Samuel Beckett play. Thanks to all who are respectful of wildlife and other human beings, Good -and ethical- birding, Tom Fiore manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
