VERY extra-limital, but a major rarity for the western U.S. in particular, if the sighting is fully accepted, a EUROPEAN Golden-Plover was noted from Colfax County in northern New Mexico (U.S.A.) & is an extremely unusual sighting for the central or western US away from Alaska, and is generally rare in N. America away from Newfoundland Canada (where they are fairly regular, esp. in spring). This bird (which is a ‘confirmed’ sighting in eBird) has had many dozens of observers by now, & was apparently seen as early as Sept. 28th, although by many more once the ID was confirmed. See: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74279024 <https://ebird.org/checklist/S74279024>
Also extra-limital, but interesting in Dare County (coastal) North Carolina, on Oct. 5th, was a state-first PAINTED Redstart seen & photographed by many. That species has also been seen in some other out-of-range locations already this fall season. One at South Padre I. in s. Texas, where it may be a 1st or 2nd (ever) county record. And not an impossibility in NYS, as some are aware! (There’s also been a recent Virginia’s Warbler in Alabama, where that species is most definitely not expected… &, a lot of interesting goings-on with irruptive-type & other birds on the move in places west or south of NYS. There are very-excited birders in Oklahoma, at Black Mesa, for amongst other rarities, a few Black-capped Chickadees there for first OK-state-records in about 2 decades… & there are many, many more irruptive-species situations developing all across the continent - & it ain’t only finches...) —— New York County, including Manhattan, Governors, & Randall’s Island[s], all within N.Y. City Friday, October 2nd through Wednesday, Oct. 7th - Some of the highlights of this report period include: WESTERN KINGBIRD, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, **HENSLOW’S SPARROW**, LARK Sparrow, VESPER Sparrows, Clay-colored Sparrow, BLUE Grosbeak, Y.-br. CHATS, Pine Siskins, 24+ species of American Warblers including CONNECTICUT Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark, & many more October migrants! ... Fri., 10/2 - Although the day as well as many pre-sunrise hours began with some light rain, the night before had featured very strong migration from throughout New England & beyond; in some locations at daybreak, there were near fall-out conditions, at least for particular species &/or small locations. There was a bit of ongoing fight well into the day, easily going into the noon hour for some areas. Later, there was a modest diurnal migration, somewhat coinciding with fully-clearing sky and a milder afternoon. Winds were mainly rather light, shifting from w. to more northwest. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER was found at Riverside Park-South (near W. 72 St.; A. Burke) for an amazing 3rd-independently-found sighting by one observer this fall, an indicator of just how many of this species have been occurring in this county, as well as regionally. This perhaps the last of (known) sightings of this species for the season; any warbler of this “type” should be, if possible, examined closely &/or photographed from here on as the year progresses. There are possibilities into the late fall for rare vagrants from the west. It can be added that a dozen or more species of warblers in total were found as well as that Connecticut in a late-day walk, and some of the other species noted included Blackburnian, Prairie, Nashville, Wilson’s, Yellow, and Chestnut-sided Warblers - the latter among these having been seen in the multiple, & from multiple locations in the county, into the first week of October (as have been a fairly high diversity of not only various warbler species, but other neotropical-wintering species of migrants). This not yet all that unusual; were some of these species to linger on or be found late into October or beyond, they would be more unusual, and worth making notes on &/or photographing for documentation. A good day for American Pipits - many were on the move, & at least some passed over Manhattan in the morning but none (as far as known) stopped in to land; a regular (annual) but easy-to-miss species in N.Y. County; it might be sought more at the outlying islands in addition to some Manhattan sites. A Yellow-breasted CHAT was found (A. Simmons), this time at the greenway park edging the Hudson river near W. 28th St. in Chelsea (Manhattan’s w. side); while the previous day’s sighting at Central Park was looked-for, that went unreported this day. A modestly-late Solitary Sandpiper was at “The Pool” in Central Park, seen by multiple observers, at same site where one had been for some weeks, but that individual not seen in many days… this presumably (?) a newer, & "getting-late” visitor. A Marsh Wren was noted at the edge of the Ramble in Central Park. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo was also seen in Central Park, within the Ramble. Several reports came of a late Veery; again this species should be photographed if seen from about now into mid-April. And going in taxonomic-checklist order, a modest but noticeable return of some waterfowl, including the season’s first (for the county) Atlantic Brant, as well as Ruddy Ducks. The day marked the further arrival of many sparrows, with several VESPER Sparrows among the highlights of that group, one in Central Park’s n. end on the N. Meadow’s n. edges, and another at Inwood Hill Park. Lincoln’s Sparrows showed a good increase, and there were also more Savannah Sparrows than in previous recent days. Including E. Towhee and Slate-colored Junco, there were at least one dozen of the sparrow tribe in N.Y. County, & all of those indeed also in Central Park, with the one LARK Sparrow lingering. A very good count of Scarlet Tanager for all of the county, with many dozens over all, and even in single smaller parks, some high counts of that species on the day. Warbler diversity continued to be quite good, with a few species showing in their highest no’s. so far this season, those including Common Yellowthroat, & Blackpoll Warbler. At least 22 species of American warblers were found in N.Y. County, and of those at least 21 species of them were found in Central Park on the day. Good diversity of warblers was also noted from at least a dozen different sites throughout the county, and Governors Island not too surprisingly with some coverage, had esp. notable no’s. of individuals. Of the 22 warbler species for the day & the county, all were seen in the multiple, that is, none of the species found were ‘singletons'. There was also a slight uptick in no’s. of Nashville & Black-throated Green Warblers. For some this day brought ‘season’s first’ Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warblers, but that species had shown slightly early in the season here, & now a fairly good flight on the day, which included some still moving through around mid-day and also some concentrations in patches - that concentration-effect, a clear sign of a fairly good migration in this urban area, was also evident for a few other species, certainly for Wood Thrush, & in separate ‘patches’, for Swainson’s Thrush. Also, the greater no’s. (so far, after some prior extra-early arrivals) of Golden-crowned Kinglets arrived (county-wide), but Ruby-crowned was still the much more widespread & numerous kinglet species. Not always a high-flying diurnal migrant, but some flocks of Cedar Waxwing were, & made quite a showing as seen from the edge of the Hudson in a bit of dedicated sky-watching, with more than 300 counted in just 2 hrs. & likely there were more than that moving. Also moving, but presumed in far smaller no’s.-!- were some Purple Finch, & a Pine Siskin or two, as well as a few American Goldfinch. In addition there was a modest movement of icterids, mainly Red-winged Blackbirds, but also including several orioles (all presumed Baltimore, & that species also noted in a number of parks as well, generally as singletons on the day), & cowbirds of course the expected species, Brown-headed. A Semipalmated Sandpiper was lingering at Governors Island, with multiple obs. and photos. A ‘getting-late’ Great Crested Flycatcher was seen at Tompkins Square Park in lower Manhattan - any flycatchers (that are not-obviously E. Phoebe) should if possible be photographed from about now on into the mid-spring, as other - vagrant - species of flycatcher become possibilities in our area. ... Sat., 10/3 - Another strong migration-night from Friday into Sat., with only a little less movement out of Canada into the northeastern states. Fairly light wind from the N-NW. Birds were still moving ‘across the moon’ thru nearly first-light (the moon being harder to view towards daybreak from ground-level) and there was a good early a.m. ongoing flight. There was also diurnal flight as well, some of which started up later, and reached to higher - but still visible - altitude. Two keen and energetic (and yes, younger) birders spent a lot of time and covered a lot of ground in Central Park, managing to pull out more than 100 species on the day, with assist for a portion of the big day by Dr. Roger Pasquier who found a White-eyed Vireo in that park’s Conservatory Garden. (Incidental to this big day of highly-energetic birding, an all-time high species-count was achieved for that park some many years ago in the month of May (mid-month) when a team of experienced birders, with a dedicated C.B.C. style effort -i.e., Christmas Bird Count-like- made, turned up an incredible 151 species on the day, all just from Central Park - which was as much testimony to a tremendous push of spring migrants, with a LOT of rarities as well as various “late” species, and almost no “expected-in-May” birds missed by the team which was made up of dozens of individual birders, in many small parties spread thru every corner and cranny of that park for essentially every hour of the long day. That day’s team effort is not in eBird, as such, incidentally. It would be very tough to have a repeat (or to surpass that day) in terms of diversity in that one park, mainly due to the highly-unusual nature of that day’s migration, and that year’s spring, in terms of ‘bottled-up birds’ suddenly pouring northward in a delayed-start of that particular month’s migrations. (In more general terms in Central Park or all of N.Y. County, it is early October that often has a high potential for a big-day type event with very high species-diversity in one good, energetic push of migrants.) The already-noted **Henslow’s Sparrow** was the top highlight of the day, a “life” bird for a good many, & a ‘county’ or state first for a fair number of observers as well. Janet Wooten is a longtime observer of all-things-natural in Manhattan, and her find, which was independent of any organized walk, was kindly publicized on various forums (with thanks of course also to A. Burke for getting the bird-news out on this list-serve, in good time). Ms. Wooten does help lead walks at times with the non-profit Linnaean Society of New York, who’ve been doing a series of autumn migration bird-walks, with multiple leaders -and excellent results- all of this fall. An adult Red-headed Woodpecker was seen in The Ramble of Central Park, around 10 a.m. (K.Fehling, in a confirmed eBird report) - this bird could -potentially- still be lingering & perhaps wandering a bit in that park, as can happen with October-arriving birds of this species; it is equally possible that it will have moved on. Usually, this species does not linger long within the Ramble area, but may be found in virtually any sector of that park, certainly in areas that have oaks ripe with acorns. Worth keeping ears open for the distinctive call as well as the rather-obvious sight of any adult. (Others of this species have been moving in the region, as well, esp. in recent days.) “Just for fun”, a Yellow-breasted CHAT also appeared near the site of the very-rare Henslow’s Sparrow in Central Park, this chat seen by at least dozens of observers thanks to the ‘draw’ of that Henslow’s - which, despite being a one-day-wonder, and not discovered early in the day, was seen by well over 100 birders and likely many more passersby who showed some interest; that sparrow staying around to dusk, in the same area. A Hooded Warbler seen by many at Central Park was one of the somewhat-late species amongst the at least 24 species of American Warblers found in the county on the day; at least 21 of those species were seen in Central Park alone. All six northeastern-breeding species of Vireo were found, with Warbling in particular as well as Yellow-throated Vireo now running a bit late, and a White-eyed the least-regular in most autumn seasons in the county; the only vireos which were still common being Red-eyed & increased no’s. of Blue-headed Vireos. A somewhat late Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was seen & is a confirmed-in-eBird-sighting at Central Park on the day (G. Willow). A Marsh Wren was continuing at Inwood Hill Park. Single Veery were reported with some details at Riverside Park’s southern sector (A. Drogin), as well as in Central Park (multiple observers) and another reported at Governors Island but with no details noted in that latter report; this is a species not typically expected for October, although this year, a modest number have been seen (some reports including photos) in the region into recent days, indicating a bit of a laggard migration by some. Still, most Veery have moved south of the United States, by now, and ideally should be photographed, even if in a quick ‘grab’ photo with a phone, etc., if possible for added documentation. Dozens of Pine Siskins were moving through Manhattan & the region in morning flight; some of these were also photographed in Central Park on the day (T. Plowman), as well as being seen & heard well by multiple others, from several locations. The species is increasing, in some areas by dramatic leaps in numbers, within the wider region. ... Sun., 10/4 - A wind-shift more from the NE, & then from the east later on. There was again a fairly strong migration overnight, which included both influx, as well as (perhaps more of) exodus. A good morning flight again, although reduced in comparison to the very strong such flight of the previous day’s morning flight. There also was again some lighter diurnal migration. Pine Siskins had their strongest diurnal flights of the season so far & scores & scores, probably well into triple-digits, overflew Manhattan in the first hour of the day - this corresponded with an obvious, strong flight in other locations as well. Max. counts by single observers in a few locations on Manhattan were into the 40’s, 50’s, & even a bit higher. Also on the move were Purple Finch, perhaps at one-fifth or less the numbers of the former species, and there also were some American Goldfinch moving, now beyond numbers that had been found from late summer on. The movement of Black-capped Chickadee has begun, as has been expected to some extent; again, if there are strong flights, keep an eye out for the more-northern species, an unlikely but occasional component with the larger flights of Black-capped. Other species continuing to move in at least modest no’s. have been Cedar Waxwing and American Robin, and with the Icterids, as expected, Red-winged Blackbird & Common Grackle, and also, a very few arriving Rusty Blackbird. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was re-found (presuming the same individual that had been discovered here just recently) by G. Willow, also seen by L. Beausoleil who had made the prior first-of-year find of this, & was still present a bit later for further photos (M.B. Cooper), & seen by other birders as well. Again, in the Nolan Park sector of Governors Island, a short ferry-ride away from Manhattan’s south tip, & a (political) part of N.Y. County. An Eastern MEADOWLARK (not common at all in N.Y. County) was again seen also on Governors Island (A. Barry) and could well be a lingering bird as one had been there in recent days as well; this latest sighting was again near to Fort Jay, as had been the prior sighting on Governors Isl. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo was also again seen at Governors Island. The fairly-long-lingering LARK Sparrow was again seen & photographed by many all through the day at the compost area of Central Park; this bird can & does hide for periods each day, but has generally been found with a bit of patience & keen searching; in bright plumage, it is very distinctive. A female or perhaps young BLUE Grosbeak has been contiuning as well in the same general area, sometimes showing at the adjacent (fenced) small outdoor plant-nursery area, which is also a wood-chip depot, and may have stored equipment - all of this area is in use every day by Parks workers, caution & care are required if entering the area, & no entry is permitted inside the fenced section. The same area has also seen multiple Indigo Buntings in drab non-breeding &/or immature plumage[s], &, it should be noted, a few B.-h. Cowbirds as well (which some are at least briefly confusing for a/the Blue Grosbeak; at least one of the lingeting cowbirds has been in heavy-splotchy molt, thus having an odd appearance, which may be unfamiliar to some observers). A Black-billed Cuckoo has been lingering a bit in Central Park - this generally the less-common of the 2 species in late-migration & often the less-commonly seen in general. The Sunday 10/3 occurence had many observers, as the bird was near the Azalea Pond in the Ramble area. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were seen in both Fort Tryon Park as well as in Central Park. A Marsh Wren continued at Inwood Hill Park. Up to 8 Common Raven were observed from Inwood Hill Park - this area and northern Manahattan generally, have been the ‘go-to’ sector of the county for sightings of this species for some time, & ongoing this fall as well - at least one of this day’s ravens were perched in the park & photo’d. (N. O’Reilly), however others were seen as fly-bys scanning west over the Hudson river, which can often be a productive way of spotting both this species & also raptors & other birds in flight, from this general area. Black Vulture (as well as Turkey Vulture) have also been seen by watching from this area, & at least 2 of the former were noted by several observers at Inwood Hill on the day. 2 Common Ravens were seen (and one of them photo’d.) at Central Park, where sightings have been more occasional, esp. of photo-documented birds. Among warblers, Chestnut-sided Warbler has continued to be found in the multiple & in multiple locations; slightly-late for the species in any number; some of these sightings are photo-documented & many have had multiple observers. One warbler species that’s been quite numerous in the report-period has been Yellow Warbler, seen & also photo’d. by many, and from many many locations through the county (including many locations in Central Park). .. Mon., 10/5 - Yet another (prior) night of good migration, with a very light wind from the E. & then more from the north, switching back to easterly through the day; there were also light showers & sprinkles scattered through the local region, barely affecting the migration in N.Y. County itself, but likely having some effect on the broader movement of some migrants, both at night and on into the day. A WESTERN Kingbird continued on at Governors Island, seen by multiple observers (unless proven otherwise, this can be presumed a lingering individual). Also of interest, but sadly an injured bird, a Mourning Warbler was discovered at the same location (J. Shum, et al), and that does follow a sighting of (an uninjured) Mourning Warbler in Manhattan’s Central Park, on Sunday 10/4. A minimum of 22 species of American Warblers were seen in Central Park alone on Monday, 10/5, indicating that for diversity, this group has maintained well even through several nights of strong migrations. There were at least 24 species of warblers for all of the county on the day. A few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were continuing to be seen. The Marsh Wren at Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan was lingering on, in the same general area there. While more (locally), birders have been denoting Tufted Titmice (which have also been moving a bit), the so-far-subtle movement of Black-capped Chickadee has very slightly increased (region-wide). Both of these species, and also such species as Red-bellied Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch, have been moving a bit more just recently, as have the obvious larger numbers of Blue Jay, and of course Red-breasted Nuthatch, the latter for months starting in the early summer. And, those Pine Siskins are starting to show a lot more possibility for a large, widespread irruption. Their numbers far south of breeding areas have greatly increased in many places, as have the sightings in situations where they are moving in large numbers such as coastal barrier beaches, and some mountain-tops or ridges. … Tues., 10/6 - A flow of air and wind from the south/southwest, allowing a lot of birds to move on, and what seemed far fewer to arrive, locally. A fair number of migrant species were lingering a bit, with the relatively milder weather. Of the waterfowl having shown up, a few species were still lingering in some ‘usual’ areas, such as Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck in Central Park, & other more year-round species (& more-generally found) such as American Black Duck, and Gadwall, in various areas. A Pied-billed Grebe has continued to evade much notice in the Central Park reservoir, where at least a few Laughing Gulls, along with the 3 other and expected gull species (Ring-billed, American Herring, & Great Black-backed Gulls) were all continuing to visit - sometimes the best hours for gulls at that location can be mid-day hours, since many, if not most gulls seen there are day-visitors, moving off elsewhere to roost at night. There were still up to 20 species of American warblers seen, and at least half of those in the high-multiple numbers, with (as expected) strong showings continuing of Palm (of both forms), and of course many Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler, as well as still fair no’s. of a good many other species, plus some that are getting a bit late. Of these, at least 18 Warbler species were still found in heavily-birded Central Park - but many other locations had very interesting sightings & the potential of unexpected species turning up. (A W. Kingbird was not reported again for Tuesday, but could -potentially- still be lingering at Governors Island). The now-regular Tuesday bird-walks of the (non-profit) Linnaean Society of New York, with multiple leaders, are continuing to find many migrants on each outing. — Wed., 10/7 - The flow of air and wind from the southwest continued & gathered force, as a sort of front approached and winds were expected to remain very gusty for several days & nights, with a gradual shift to NW winds - and some wavering temperatures & air-masses again coming up. (The end of the week & weekend look fairly good to be on-guard for potential odd birds to show up in the region…) Overall, a slower day & many individual migrants had moved on, with seemingly very little new influx. It was also not much of a day for diurnal movement over Manhattan. There do continue to be double-digit no’s. of Chimney Swifts around the county, for now. A ‘late’ (for this county) Great Egret was reported off Randall’s Island, as were at least 3 lingering Yellow-crowned Night-Herons there, at their prime location in the county. A lot more birders in the county noted Black-capped Chickadees, even if most saw just a few… & with them, Tufted Titmouse also has been a bit more numerous in just the past week. (Now, about those Clark’s Nutcrackers that have been moving a bit, out west… but, maybe not all that far…!) I will be wtaching out for the chickadees (& other species, of course) on the north & n.w.-wind days as autumn pushes on and more irruptive species continue to appear here. Just to be a little more specific, on strengthening wind from the southwest, even then, more than 100 Black-capped Chickadees, & more than 180 Tufted Titmice, flew past one location in the first 3 hours of Wed. (thru Manhattan), & both species showed some increase ‘on the deck’, or rather, in trees, scattered all through the county on the day, although at any one location later, most sightings were not over double-digits and some were simply noted as, “my first-of-fall”. The warbler diversity in N.Y. County did drop off a bit, yet there still were such species as Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Wilson’s, & others - in addition to the dozen-plus spp. that have been most regularly-seen. A Clay-colored Sparrow was photographed at Governors Island, & generally around the county, sparrow diversity remained fairly high. The Central Park Lark Sparrow, and Blue Grosbeak, were NOT reported for the day, but either could potentially have lingered. (There were still a few lingering Indigo Buntings, including near the lark sparrow & b.grosbeak sites: the compost & plant-nursery areas which are adjacent.) -- In this past week, some butterfly sightings included 3 species of Hairstreak in Central Park (all photographed by their various observers) including a White-M (M. Freeman), as well as Gray, and (multiple) Red-banded Hairstreaks; the White-M seen in the park’s n. end, in a location not checked by many people (for any life forms), but with some still-lush flowers; also seen there was a ‘perched’ Cloudless Sulphur hiding well in a tree with leaves in which that (large) sulphur nearly disappeared, as part of the yellow-leaved tree (8+ observers, w/photos). At least a dozen other butterfly species were also still being found on the first week of Oct. in N.Y. County, with numerous Monarchs also still passing through & some stopping in at many sites where flowers are still in bloom. Highest butterfly-diversity for the county is on Governors Island at this time of the year, and with many flowers persisting there. Odonates have perhaps diminished in diversity in the county, but numbers of a few were still being seen, including a small number of damselflies. Some dragonfly species such as Common Green Darners and Wandering Gliders have been on the move, with occasionally impressive numbers, depending on one’s location, for migrants. There also continue to be many other insects of many many families, active and particularly visible where larger plantings of flowers are still in good shape (which are still many, in the county). - - - - - "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” - Teddy Roosevelt (26th president of the U.S.A.) "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglass (1818-1895; U.S. statesman, orator, writer) good birding to all, & thanks to many for their observations & good ethics out in the field, 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/ --
