Saturday - Wednesday, 8th thru 12th September, 2018
Manhattan, N.Y. City -
With some arrivals on each night preceding the above dates, even in what, at a
glance, may have seemed less-than-ideal conditions for migration, there’ve been
a good variety of migrants found, esp. where observers gather in numbers, which
as is usual, includes Central Park; in fog, drizzles, & occasional showers, a
number of groups & individuals have seen a lot in these 5 days.
A few of multiple highlights include a female Summer Tanager, seen Wed. early
a.m. at Battery Park, by Gabriel Willow & his NYC Audubon bird walk group (and
photo’d by them, & later in the day by me, as I happened to get to that park,
which was hopping with migrants into the afternoon), a first-fall Red-headed
Woodpecker, found by Paul Sweet’s AMNH [American Museum, Natural Hisitory]
Tues. 9/11 bird-walk group, in the Central Park Ramble, & also seen later there
in the same area by me; at least several sightings of Philadelphia Vireos,
including one at Battery Park on 9/12; plus a very good diversity of American
warblers, the rarest of these still that Connecticut from Sat. 9/8 (just barely
off of Manhattan, on Governor’s Island, which lies less than a half-mile from
the south tip of Manhattan; was G. Willow’s discovery) but 27 additional
species of warblers all on the island of Manhattan, or, as Yellow-breasted Chat
is no longer classified as a warbler by many, 26 spp.+ a Chat.
It can be well worth looking in rainy-foggy weather at times of the year when
so many migrants are trying to move. Some of us in the past week or so have
seen more birds feeding in some of the cherry trees, in Central Park; there are
a lot of these, including the double-flowered types planted at both east & west
sides of the reservoir’s track; on several days this week, I have found up to
100 individual migrants in just one side (at a time) of that reservoir track.
By far, & this seems to have been generally so, as well, a majority are
American Redstarts, but there have also been a good variety of other species.
In some other parks visited, also, cherry trees (of the Asian varieties) have
been quite productive this week.
Manhattan island, 9/8-12:
Double-crested Cormorant (regularly)
Great Blue Heron (a few fly-overs seen in migration, at least one at The Pond
in Central Park on 9/8 & again on 9/10)
Great Egret (one, lawn at Battery Park, 9/10-12, & several or more as fly-bys
over Central Park, on multiple days)
Snowy Egret (at least 4, as east-west fly-overs, 9/9, from Central Park’s n.
end)
Green Heron (continuing & poss. additional migrants moving thru; up to 5 seen
on 9/10 in Central Park, & seen in other parks as well)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (few fly-overs at first-light on some mornings; also
ongoing at The Pond in Central Park’s SE quadrant)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (continued in NY County, on Randall’s & Governor’s
Island, where they have been rather regular of late)
Canada Goose (motley small numbers in various locations around Manhattan)
Wood Duck (2 drakes, regular lately at The Pond in Central Park; sometimes
together, & often not; may be under shaded boughs when resting)
Gadwall (fair numbers in multiple locations)
American Black Duck (few, noticed by me mostly at Hudson River)
Mallard (common)
Osprey (multiple flyovers, on some days more than several per hour moving
mostly SSW)
Bald Eagle (one adult on 9/9, seen from Riverside Park / n. section)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (few, including a couple of sightings of hunting; others
quite high headed SW)
Cooper's Hawk (few, including several perhaps lingering, one of them an adult
in Central Park to 9/10)
Broad-winged Hawk (a few have been noted from open watch sites; weather not the
best so far to try & observe this species locally; typical peak flights in
these next 2 weeks)
Red-tailed Hawk (regular, & in some of the smaller parks and greenspaces as
well as the usual sightings in & around Central Park)
Greater Yellowlegs (apparent, with a couple of Solitary Sandpipers briefly in
N. Meadow ballfield, Central Park, 9/12)
Solitary Sandpiper (at least 4, Central Park, Wed., 9/12 - also up to 2 or more
on some prior days)
Spotted Sandpiper (to at least 9/10, Central Park)
Ring-billed Gull (still uncommon)
[American] Herring Gull (common)
Great Black-backed Gull (uncommon)
['feral'] Rock Pigeon (ubiquitous)
Mourning Dove (many)
American Kestrel (many sightings including some migrants on some days, plus
usual city residents)
Merlin (at least 1 on 9/10, fly-over from Riverside Park)
Peregrine Falcon (uncommon but regular; city residents, including some seen
from Central Park)
Common Nighthawk (continuing to Wed. eve., 9/12; getting slightly late; several
on prior evenings from Central Park & Riverside Park)
Chimney Swift (200+ seen at one time moving slowly south, Sat. 9/8; & rather
fewer on subsequent days, to perhaps 25+ on Wed., 9/12)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (ongoing & some see
