It seems worthy of adding a note to this NYS Birds list that a GOLDEN-CROWNED
SPARROW was lingering at a location in Herkimer County, NY as noted in the
(photo-link included) eBird report from as recently as March 10th -
https://ebird.org/checklist/S65644317 (and thanks to W. Mount & others for
their recent reports) - this one’s a beauty, it's in high spring-plumage now.
Also worth a note that a lingering SUMMER TANAGER appears to have weathered
this winter in Dutchess County, N.Y. & was (most recently) seen,
photo-documented, and reported again from the same (lingering there) location
in that county, by Kyle Bardwell, Steve Rappaport, & also by (many) others,
previously. The latest report of this bird may be from March 6th by Barbara
Michelin, via eBird, with the note this individual bird was noted at least as
early as mid-January, if not earlier. This tanager is in female-like plumage.
The species has attempted overwintering in N.Y. City in the recent past, in at
least Richmond County ('Staten Island’). It would be interesting to know if
previous overwinterering attempts by this species were known to be successful
or not.
—
New York County in N.Y. City:
A Wood Thrush that has been present in the southeast part of Central Park
(around The Pond) for many, many weeks now is of interest as a relatively rare
winterer in the region. To be clear, this is NOT a recent arrival - the bird
had been photographed at least a few times earlier this winter in the same
area, and has been again in the last several days. While quite unusual in
calendar-winter it has been documented a number of times in the region in
winter. The much-more common species of thrush to winter in the region
(besides American Robin) is Hermit Thrush, of which many were found throughout
the winter locally, & also some in areas well north of N.Y. City. (Multiple
Hermit Thrushes wintered -as is typical- in Manhattan this winter.)
PINE WARBLERS have returned (even as a few of that species may never have left
N.Y. City over this winter), and among the parts of N.Y. County where multiple
observers saw one or more was Central Park, by Wed., March 11th - with at least
one in the area of the Delacorte Theatre in Central (right by the Shakespeare
Garden area) which is often a good location for this species as they start to
show up in early migration northward; also 1 in a less-birded area for most, at
the north edge of Wagner Park, just north of The Battery, along lower
Manhattan’s west / Hudson river and harbor edge, also on Wed., 3/11. And
additional Pine Warblers were on Randall’s Island in the areas of both the
small woods n. of the footbridge to Manhattan, an ‘unexpected' site, and in the
larger patch of woodsy wetlands southwest of the easternmost ballfields, which
also held some other birds. Again, this is a species that overwintered in
numbers not far to the south as well as in more-limited numbers at this approx.
latitude & even some to the north/ n.-e.
Eastern PHOEBE arrival, with several of the species seen by Monday in
Manhattan, including in Central Park (both in Ramble, & north end areas of that
park) was not at all surprising, & more so was preceded by multiple sightings
in the region - including a small number of overwintering birds, including a
number wintering in N.Y. City. There were modest increases in the past two
weeks, with some of these perhaps representing birds which wintered
near-locally or not at all far to the south. Many more can be expected to pass
through (thru) this month & onward. As of Thursday, 3/12, a minimum of 14 E.
Phoebes were present in Manhattan alone, & likely more have been in various
locations in N.Y. County. Most if not all are arrivals of this week here, even
with those (few) that overwintered successfully in N.Y. City, in other boroughs
(counties) of the city. There have been several E. Phoebes in Central Park,
observed in multiple locations, this week since Monday.
A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER has continued in Central Park just west of the N.Meadow
ballfield’s southwest side, east of the park’s W. Drive; the nearest park
entrance at W. 97th Street at Central Park West. This bird is rapidly gaining
its all-red hood, although still molting out of the more-drab first-winter
plumage. This bird has been present all this winter and earlier as well. It
could well linger for another 4 to 8 weeks there. Listen for it calling at
times and it also may be best seen on brighter, less-rainy days.
A BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE was still wandering, most often seen amongst a flock of
roving & feeding Common Grackles (the latter are annual thru winter in
Manhattan, especially in & around Central Park), the Boat-tailed having on
occasion stayed with the Common Grackles moving in the south end of Central, &
seen a few times in the vicinity of 'The Pond'. However these birds, including
the wintering Boat-tailed, may turn up almost anywhere in Central as they move
aro
