Date: Friday, 26 August 2011 (1:55p-7:25p) Location: Manhattan - Swindler Cove Park & Sherman Creek Reported by: Ben Cacace
This upper Manhattan park is situated along the Harlem River at the end of Dyckman St. & 10th Avenue across the island from Fort Tryon Park. When I arrived, low tide on Sherman Creek was still in effect. With binoculars I was able to ID the 4 shorebirds ultimately counted: SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER & SPOTTED SANDPIPER. A few hours later, as the tide was coming in, while I stood on a board out on the flats I watched a pair of juvenile LEAST SANDPIPERS feeding and getting closer to my spot as the water rose. The pair were joined by another juvenile and the 3 fed together until the waters rose to the edge of the creek. This was a great opportunity to view the birds up close with 8x binoculars. Eyering, white fringed scapulars, yellowish legs, rufous fringed coverts and tertials were impressive at such close range. This is the first time I was lucky enough to get scope-like views with a pair of binoculars at the creek. It was interesting to watch the Leasts walking from one dry spot to another. Typically, when they got partway to the next dry spot they would fly the very short distance to dry land. Viewing the Leasts lasted about 1.5 hours. ** Total species - 32 ** Last 3 birds seen: Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackle & American Crow Weather for 26-Aug for New York, NY (1:51p-7:51p) < http://tinyurl.com/3zj3uyp >: - Conditions: Overcast / Mostly Cloudy / Scattered Clouds - Temperature: 80.6 to 82.9 to 79.0 F - Wind direction: ENE/NE - Variable - S/SE - Wind speed: 6 - 9 mph (no gusts reported) Abundance categories from 'The New York City Audubon Society Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area' published 2001. Abundance season is 'early Fall', mid July - mid September, and applies to all of New York City. 'Fairly Common' usually seen; 3-12 per day in habitat [11 spp]: - Great Egret - 1 on Sherman Creek - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 3 adults flushed on E edge of Sherman Creek - Osprey - 1 migrant circling above The Bronx - Spotted Sandpiper - 3+ - Chimney Swift - 6+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ incl. 1 male - Northern Flicker - 1 male heard & seen near compost heap - Northern Mockingbird - 1 on E edge of the park - Northern Cardinal - 3+ seen & heard incl. 1 fledgling - Baltimore Oriole - 1 adult male along Sherman Creek - American Goldfinch - 4+ seen & heard incl. begging juveniles 'Common' seen easily; more than 12 per day in habitat [21 spp]: - Canada Goose - 20+ - Mallard - 12+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 26+ incl. 25 flyovers & a local adult - Semipalmated Plover - 5+ - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 17+ - Least Sandpiper - 3+ - Ring-billed Gull - 30+ - Herring Gull - 2+ - Great Black-backed Gull - 3+ incl. 1 subadult - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Blue Jay - 3+ seen & heard incl. - American Crow - 1 flying along Dyckman Houses - American Robin - 6+ mainly along the path along Sherman Creek - Gray Catbird - 6+ seen & heard - European Starling - 36+ especially towards sunset, flycatching from buildings & perches - Song Sparrow - 4+ seen & heard - Red-winged Blackbird - 1 male heard & seen near compost heap, later 1 with vulture-like head on phragmites - Common Grackle - 100+ mainly going to roost E of the Harlem River - House Finch - 4+ seen & heard - House Sparrow - 2+ Taxonomic order: - Canada Goose - 20+ - Mallard - 12+ - Double-crested Cormorant - 26+ incl. 25 flyovers & a local adult - Great Egret - 1 on Sherman Creek - Black-crowned Night-Heron - 3 adults flushed on E edge of Sherman Creek - Osprey - 1 migrant circling above The Bronx - Semipalmated Plover - 5+ - Spotted Sandpiper - 3+ - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 17+ - Least Sandpiper - 3+ - Ring-billed Gull - 30+ - Herring Gull - 2+ - Great Black-backed Gull - 3+ incl. 1 subadult - Rock Pigeon - 6+ - Mourning Dove - 4+ - Chimney Swift - 6+ - Downy Woodpecker - 2+ incl. 1 male - Northern Flicker - 1 male heard & seen near compost heap - Blue Jay - 3+ seen & heard incl. - American Crow - 1 flying along Dyckman Houses - American Robin - 6+ mainly along the path along Sherman Creek - Gray Catbird - 6+ seen & heard - Northern Mockingbird - 1 on E edge of the park - European Starling - 36+ especially towards sunset, flycatching from buildings & perches - Song Sparrow - 4+ seen & heard - Northern Cardinal - 3+ seen & heard incl. 1 fledgling - Red-winged Blackbird - 1 male heard & seen near compost heap, later 1 with vulture-like head on phragmites - Common Grackle - 100+ mainly going to roost E of the Harlem River - Baltimore Oriole - 1 adult male along Sherman Creek - House Finch - 4+ seen & heard - American Goldfinch - 4+ seen & heard incl. begging juveniles - House Sparrow - 2+ -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
