Tuesday, the first of May, 2012 Manhattan, ["uptown"] N.Y. City
The indicator of a very good migration of neotropical-wintering birds was that of a sudden today, there are Gray Catbirds - many hundreds of them. This overnight (Mon. into Tues., and in this instance April into May) increase (easily twenty-fold, perhaps even fifty-fold) is virtually always a strong sign of this sort of push northward into an area around here. This was seen to greatest effect in the north woods at Central Park in the morning (after rain abated) as well as in the northern & wooded parts of Rverside Park. In addition, there were the migrants still moving on through in the hour plus after rain had stopped yet fog-mist was still very prevalent and wind still from a southerly direction (it shifted strongly from the north by later in the day) - the diurnal migrants which could be discerned included: Common Loons, Loon sp., Duck sp. (at least a few were Blue-winged Teals), shorebird spp. (including a trio of calling Yellowlegs, which would seem to have been Lessers by call notes; and some 'peeps', quite likely Least Sandpiper), Chimney Swifts (modest no's.), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (several noticed and a few more later along the Hudson river edge), N. [Yellow-shafted] Flickers (few), Eastern Kingbird (10+), Blue Jay (very modest no. in migration), Bank Swallows (several ID'd and) Swallow sp. (20+), as well as Barn Swallow (50+ on migration), wood-warbler spp. (200+; a few or more calling Yellow- rumped Warbler, and some apparent Palm, Black-throated Green, & Yellow Warblers), Sparrow spp. (300+, apparently many Chipping/Spizella sp. Sparrows, and at least some White-throated Sparrows), Indigo Buntings (a few), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (several or more), Baltimore Oriole (15+, mainly males), blackbird spp. (few), & American Goldfinch (50+), plus at least 300+ miscellaneous smaller to mid-size passerine-type birds moving north in the mist, at heights above ground of 50-200+ feet, mainly before 10 a.m. In addition to the many Gray Catbirds littering the woods floor in less-trafficed areas in two parks, large & fresh invigorations of these: Blue-headed Vireo (many not singing), House Wren (with even a few temporarily in street trees in the Upper West Side area of Manhattan in the a.m. & a few still so in the late p.m.), Hermit Thrush (a whole new arrival, easily several 100's in Central & Riverside Parks, plus a few noted in smaller parks & green-spaces), Veery (still modest numbers but a five-fold or more increase overnight), & wood-warblers (with yet another re-invigoartion of Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler and also "eastern/yellow" Palm Warbler, plus many hundreds of other warblers of various species (with Northern Parula obviously very much increased, as well as Ovenbird, and other obvious singers), and quite interestingly, an "april-like" movement & fresh infusion of the sparrow tribe, including dozens of Eastern Towhee (also with some in smaller parks and green-spaces), Chipping Sparrows (more than seen in Central or Riverside Parks in a few weeks), Swamp Sparrows (many), White-throated Sparrows (at least a 3- fold increase or fresh infusion overnight), as well as various other sparrows (a full day-list below), Scarlet Tanager (modest numbers but more than had been), Indigo Bunting (15+ in trees, mainly and some singing), Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (30+, many calling &/or singing,some into the early eve.), Orchard Oriole (10+,many singing a bit &/or calling from trees, including some females & first-year males), Baltimore Oriole (40+, including many singing & calling/chattering, all day & a few also briefly in street trees in a few Upper W. Side locations; also some females &/or first-year males), & American Goldfinch (hundreds, many calling & singing from feeding trees throughout the day), as well as various other migrant species in clearly increased or invigorated numbers today. Many others noted the increase in Gray Catbird over our region; also some of the neotropical passerines were being reported as far as north- coastal New England and even the Canadian Maritimes, although some of what they are finding was a result of the recent larger storm (as with the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in New Brunswick Canada). One "issue" which nothing can be done for is that with highly-advanced leafing-out of many trees (in a state that would have been found in late May of the end of the twentieth-century) the birds that like to stay in that foliage and up high are that much harder to see in a lot of the urban parks. Even at a place like Harriman State Park - Doodletown Rd. etc. (Rockland Co.) the trees and all plants are far advanced past their average dates for such. We did need these recent rains, in any case, and the situation is fine for birds, just a bit tougher on birders' visuals. A list (partial, I'm sure, of what was seen by those others who ventured birding at all today in Manhattan) of May 1st birds; Central, Riverside, Morningside, & (briefly) Hudson River Park[s] with emphasis on the first two in the morning & mid-day): Common Loon (fly-overs) Loon species (fly-overs) Double-crested Cormorant (many) Great Blue Heron (1 fly-by) Great Egret Snowy Egret (n. end fly-overs) Green Heron (several) Black-crowned Night-Heron Canada Goose Brant (a few, along the Hudson river) Wood Duck (several) Gadwall American Black Duck (few along Hudson) Mallard Blue-winged Teal (in low flight, early a.m.) Northern Shoveler (one female, reservoir) Bufflehead (few) Ruddy Duck (few persisting in Central Pk.) Osprey (one, from Hudson river edge) Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon (past Riverside Church) Lesser Yellowlegs (3 fly-overs, at Central) Solitary Sandpiper (several in Central, a.m.) Spotted Sandpiper (multiple) Least Sandpiper (probable, or other "peep") Laughing Gull (a few at C.P. reservoir, p.m.) Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Chimney Swift (multiple - but not great numbers, so far) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (several in flight, 1 in C.P,) Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2 including one in small park) Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (Central, n. woods) Northern [Yellow-shafted] Flicker Great Crested Flycatcher (several or more in two parks) Eastern Kingbird (multiple, but mainly as a.m. fly-overs) Blue-headed Vireo (multiple, many of them non-vocal) Yellow-throated Vireo (2) Warbling Vireo (8+) Red-eyed Vireo (at least several) Blue Jay (many) American Crow (2 just fledged from a nest; fun to watch) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (multiple) Bank Swallow (at least several - migrating) Barn Swallow (multiple in & over parks, and in migration) Black-capped Chickadee (2) Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch (quiet pair) Carolina Wren (multiple) House Wren (many, including a few out in street trees) Marsh Wren (seen singing at Meer & island, early a.m.) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (very modest numbers, most fem.) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (few) Veery (15+) Swainson's Thrush (at least several, & one heard singing) Hermit Thrush (many again) Wood Thrush (more than 6) American Robin Gray Catbird (many hundreds) Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher (still multiple) European Starling Blue-winged Warbler (several) Nashville Warbler (multiple) Northern Parula (numerous) Yellow Warbler (numerous) Chestnut-sided Warbler (few) Magnolia Warbler (several) Black-throated Blue Warbler (several males, 1 female) Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler (many) Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler (several) Prairie Warbler (several) Palm Warbler (multiple, most non-vocal & likely female) Blackpoll Warbler (1 seen singing, Riverside Park, p.m.) Black-and-white Warbler (multiple, including many fem.) American Redstart (several, including 2 first-year males) Worm-eating Warbler (C.P. [n. end] and Riverside Park) Ovenbird (multiple) Northern Waterthrush (many, including not near waters) Common Yellowthroat (at least several seen singing) Hooded Warbler (male, above/north of ravine/ Loch) Scarlet Tanager (more than any previous day incl. fem.) Eastern Towhee (many, including greater no's of fem's.) Chipping Sparrow (hundreds in C.P. in early a.m. & R.P.) Field Sparrow (several lingering) Savannah Sparrow (at least a few in Central, north end) Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow (several in Central; Gr. Hill, meadows) Swamp Sparrow (many more than day before) White-throated Sparrow (far more than just 1 day before) White-crowned Sparrow (several, incl. at least one imm.) Dark-eyed Junco (one fem., uncommon in May in N.Y.C.) Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak (many; males, females, 1st-yr.) Blue Grosbeak (female-type on n. end's Knoll, later a.m.) Indigo Bunting (multiple, mostly singing males in trees) Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird (a few) Orchard Oriole (multiple, many singing males, also fem's.) Baltimore Oriole (many, & still predominantly adult males) Purple Finch (a few, with the hordes of Am. Goldfinches) House Finch (many singing all around the U. West Side) American Goldfinch (many) House Sparrow (... I'm sure there were additional species noted by others) Good birding, Tom Fiore, Manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
