[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City, 4/28
Friday, 28 April, 2017 Today I put in about 8+ hours in Central Park, starting at first-light, and also about 2+ hours in Riverside Park’s northern sections, especially around that park’s sanctuary area, and “the drip” as well as a look in the northern patch of sloping woods. Highlghts, from Central Park included: Clapper Rail (a ‘rehabbed’ / released bird, & not sure it ought to have been placed in Central, where there is no truly appropriate habitat, but at least, this rail is feeding & clearly fending for itself, and there were some good views late in the day, at the Loch, which was the place of its initial release some days prior…), Wild Turkey (a female, wild & free, not a release! again at the SW part of the park), the multiple Solitary Sandpipers (& several Spotteds), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (seen by a number of birders at the Loch & vicinity), the still-there Red-headed Woodpecker (a first-year bird in very bright plumage, a bit west of East 68-69th Streets, & often high in branches, requiring some patience to view), Great Crested & Least Flycatchers, and Eastern Kingbirds, 5 Vireo species (only “missing” Philly), Marsh Wren (& the 3 other regular wren species), at least 4 Catharus [genus] Thrush species (I photographed Swainson’s Thrush in the north woods later in the day, the others seen in the multiple were Veery, Wood, & esp. in numbers, Hermit Thrush), at least 22 species of Warbler, including Yellow-throated, Orange-crowned, Worm-eating, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Blackpoll (I quote Chris Cooper, “YES, Blackpoll” - but there were in fact several or more of these seen in Manhattan today, & that is not as unusual as was once thought at the end of April), & Louisiana Waterthrush (which is a bit uncommon here, by end of April; see notes below), Scarlet Tanager, both of the Oriole species (Orchard & Baltimore, the latter in fair numbers), PINE SISKIN (a bit late in the season for here, but not that unusual a date - 1 visiting the Ramble feeders and vicinity), & nine Sparrow species plus E. Towhee, with a most unexpected-in-spring CLAY-COLORED Sparrow, which was seen earlier in the day by the Meer, & then re-found (thanks, Karen Fung, & David Barrett, for trying so late in the day), a good bird for a few of us to finish out a long & productive day. The Clay-colored was photographed at day’s end. And thanks to the original finder of that sparrow* At Riverside Park’s northern section, a good many migrants, with Myrtle [a.k.a. Yellow-rumped] Warbler by far the most evident & most numerous migrant seen, but with at least some variety as well, with a bit of effort - one dozen warbler spp. - the “best” of them probably a Worm-eating near the south end of the sanctuary area (roughly near West 116 St.) & with a bit of thrush variety - Veery, Wood, & Hermit in low-ish numbers. A somewhat annotated day-list, 4/28, just for Central Park: Red-necked Grebe (lingering at the reservoir, high color & is feeding, but can it really fly - far??_ Double-crested Cormorant (hundreds of fly-overs going mostly north, all day, & many in park) Great Egret (common fly-overs seen from north end of park, & some in park) Snowy Egret (uncommon fly-overs seen from north end of park; 4 noted this morning) Green Heron (several, one of them seemed to be still-migrating - north - at first light) Black-crowned Night-Heron Canada Goose Brant (modest numbers noted, all fly-overs) Wood Duck (drake, reservoir) Gadwall (several pairs) American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler (a few, reservoir) Bufflehead (7 or 8, reservoir) Ruddy Duck (few remain, reservoir) Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Wild Turkey (as noted above in the highlights) Clapper Rail (a released bird, present now for some days) Solitary Sandpiper (multiple, probably 6+ in park) Spotted Sandpiper (multiple) Least Sandpiper (uncommonly noted, but annual in park) Wilson's Snipe (2 low fly-overs, flushed by other humans) Laughing Gull (several, reservoir, mid-day) Ring-billed Gull (very few today) [American] Herring Gull (reservoir & fly-overs) Great Black-backed Gull (reservoir especially) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Loch, multiple observers) Chimney Swift (some pushing thru early, plus a modest no. lingering overhead) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (one noted by me, around the Conserv. Garden) Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker (in same area as for many months, as noted above) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (I saw just one) Downy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (not that many today) Least Flycatcher (“che-bek” calls & seen fairly well, north woods - also noted for Ramble area, mult. obs.) Eastern Phoebe (2, a bit late, as they don’t nest in Central Park) Great Crested Flycatcher (several, & sometimes vocal too) Eastern Kingbird (12+, including 8 in one small group working north & out of park, early) White-eyed Vireo (several, one in north end very vocal
[nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City, 4/28
Friday, 28 April, 2017 Today I put in about 8+ hours in Central Park, starting at first-light, and also about 2+ hours in Riverside Park’s northern sections, especially around that park’s sanctuary area, and “the drip” as well as a look in the northern patch of sloping woods. Highlghts, from Central Park included: Clapper Rail (a ‘rehabbed’ / released bird, & not sure it ought to have been placed in Central, where there is no truly appropriate habitat, but at least, this rail is feeding & clearly fending for itself, and there were some good views late in the day, at the Loch, which was the place of its initial release some days prior…), Wild Turkey (a female, wild & free, not a release! again at the SW part of the park), the multiple Solitary Sandpipers (& several Spotteds), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (seen by a number of birders at the Loch & vicinity), the still-there Red-headed Woodpecker (a first-year bird in very bright plumage, a bit west of East 68-69th Streets, & often high in branches, requiring some patience to view), Great Crested & Least Flycatchers, and Eastern Kingbirds, 5 Vireo species (only “missing” Philly), Marsh Wren (& the 3 other regular wren species), at least 4 Catharus [genus] Thrush species (I photographed Swainson’s Thrush in the north woods later in the day, the others seen in the multiple were Veery, Wood, & esp. in numbers, Hermit Thrush), at least 22 species of Warbler, including Yellow-throated, Orange-crowned, Worm-eating, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Blackpoll (I quote Chris Cooper, “YES, Blackpoll” - but there were in fact several or more of these seen in Manhattan today, & that is not as unusual as was once thought at the end of April), & Louisiana Waterthrush (which is a bit uncommon here, by end of April; see notes below), Scarlet Tanager, both of the Oriole species (Orchard & Baltimore, the latter in fair numbers), PINE SISKIN (a bit late in the season for here, but not that unusual a date - 1 visiting the Ramble feeders and vicinity), & nine Sparrow species plus E. Towhee, with a most unexpected-in-spring CLAY-COLORED Sparrow, which was seen earlier in the day by the Meer, & then re-found (thanks, Karen Fung, & David Barrett, for trying so late in the day), a good bird for a few of us to finish out a long & productive day. The Clay-colored was photographed at day’s end. And thanks to the original finder of that sparrow* At Riverside Park’s northern section, a good many migrants, with Myrtle [a.k.a. Yellow-rumped] Warbler by far the most evident & most numerous migrant seen, but with at least some variety as well, with a bit of effort - one dozen warbler spp. - the “best” of them probably a Worm-eating near the south end of the sanctuary area (roughly near West 116 St.) & with a bit of thrush variety - Veery, Wood, & Hermit in low-ish numbers. A somewhat annotated day-list, 4/28, just for Central Park: Red-necked Grebe (lingering at the reservoir, high color & is feeding, but can it really fly - far??_ Double-crested Cormorant (hundreds of fly-overs going mostly north, all day, & many in park) Great Egret (common fly-overs seen from north end of park, & some in park) Snowy Egret (uncommon fly-overs seen from north end of park; 4 noted this morning) Green Heron (several, one of them seemed to be still-migrating - north - at first light) Black-crowned Night-Heron Canada Goose Brant (modest numbers noted, all fly-overs) Wood Duck (drake, reservoir) Gadwall (several pairs) American Black Duck Mallard Northern Shoveler (a few, reservoir) Bufflehead (7 or 8, reservoir) Ruddy Duck (few remain, reservoir) Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Wild Turkey (as noted above in the highlights) Clapper Rail (a released bird, present now for some days) Solitary Sandpiper (multiple, probably 6+ in park) Spotted Sandpiper (multiple) Least Sandpiper (uncommonly noted, but annual in park) Wilson's Snipe (2 low fly-overs, flushed by other humans) Laughing Gull (several, reservoir, mid-day) Ring-billed Gull (very few today) [American] Herring Gull (reservoir & fly-overs) Great Black-backed Gull (reservoir especially) ['feral'] Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Loch, multiple observers) Chimney Swift (some pushing thru early, plus a modest no. lingering overhead) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (one noted by me, around the Conserv. Garden) Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker (in same area as for many months, as noted above) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (I saw just one) Downy Woodpecker Yellow-shafted Flicker (not that many today) Least Flycatcher (“che-bek” calls & seen fairly well, north woods - also noted for Ramble area, mult. obs.) Eastern Phoebe (2, a bit late, as they don’t nest in Central Park) Great Crested Flycatcher (several, & sometimes vocal too) Eastern Kingbird (12+, including 8 in one small group working north & out of park, early) White-eyed Vireo (several, one in north end very vocal
