Friday, 31 March, 2017 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City Some definite spring bird-movement was seen from Thursday to Friday at Central Park, perhaps of much long-distance but at least species filtering in somewhat against the weather-trend… with a few species also picking up in numbers.
A long-lingering Red-headed Woodpecker remains in the area a bit west of East 68th-69th Streets in the park, this bird now in spring color. It may or may not stay on a while longer, typical departures of this species when having wintered here is in April or for some, very early May, rarely any later. An Eastern Bluebird was found on Thursday in the north end of the park. Usually less common a sight in spring, & not quite common most years in fall, in Manhattan, that is. Today, if not by earlier this week, a few Great Egrets came in for landings, sitting in several locations this very wet Friday, and with Black-crowned Night-Herons a-plenty for company. A Palm Warbler (bright ‘eastern’ type) was on a lawn near the north side of the Pinetum this morning. As were some Chipping Sparrows (perhaps 25+ in scattered spots today, often with other sparrows and juncos). There’ve been a very slight up-tick in Flickers, all of thew Yellow-shafted type. On the reservoir, joining the (not-a-rehab.) Red-necked Grebe were at least 3 Common Loons (at least 2 present on Thursday) of which one in breeding-finery, others in still-wintry plumage. A rundown on birds seen in these 2 days, today & Thursday 3/30 in Central: Common Loon (minimum of 3 in reservoir, Friday) Pied-billed Grebe (reservoir) Red-necked Grebe (reservoir) Double-crested Cormorant (multiple, various areas) Great Blue Heron (several locations & individuals) Great Egret (minimum of 3 in park, Friday) Black-crowned Night-Heron (up to 12 in park this week, in several locations) Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall American Wigeon (ongoing at the Meer) American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail (ongoing at The Pond) Green-winged Teal (1 m., on the Lake) Bufflehead Hooded Merganser (one pair lingering) Ruddy Duck Osprey Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon American Coot (lingering, multiple) American Woodcock Ring-billed Gull [American] Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker (1, as noted above) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (still rather few, yet) Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (slight increase this week) Eastern Phoebe (good increase earlier this week) Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee (some winterers departed) Tufted Titmouse (as per previous species) Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 or 2 lingering or passing thru) White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren (1, Thursday) Golden-crowned Kinglet (many have passed already) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (a few over-winterers) Eastern Bluebird (Thursday) Hermit Thrush (a few perhaps starting to appear, as well as wintered) American Robin (1,000+ in the park on Friday) Gray Catbird (overwintered) Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing Pine Warbler (few continuing from past week, more likely fairly soon) Palm Warbler (1, Friday at Pinetum area) Eastern Towhee (more than several now) Chipping Sparrow (25++ in park, Friday) Field Sparrow [Red] Fox Sparrow (modest no’s. still to today, Friday) Song Sparrow (near-abundant now) Swamp Sparrow (few, including a few arrivals) White-throated Sparrow (new batches: 500+++ in park today) Dark-eyed Junco (some new arrivals moving thru) Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Rusty Blackbird (Loch) Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow ——————— "Have we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?" - Rachel Carson (1907-1964; marine biologist, conservationist, author whose books include ‘Silent Spring’. Sir David Attenborough has remarked that that book may have had an effect on science second only to Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”.) "Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking.” - Wangari Muta Mathaii (1940-2011; activist, author, planter of trees, member of Parliament in Kenya, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the first environmentalist in the world and first African woman to receive that honor) Good -and ethical- birding… - spring IS here, 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/ --
