Friday, 19 February, 2016
Around 12:30-1 p.m. at the Central Park (Manhattan) reservoir, an
Iceland Gull was on the water roughly north of the center; many gulls
were quite mobile & there was a lot of shuffling around, as well as
comings-&-goings as I observed. Also still present was the goose -
potentially Cackling - of somewhat smaller size (bill & overall length
- and is also found by seeking a goose a with duskier breast), nearer
the s. side, along with many typical-size-range Canada Geese; & again
present was a female-type Red-breasted Merganser, moving about but
seen more to the eastern part. (It might be added that none of the
Iceland Gull sightings at C.P. of this season have been of adults, as
far as I'm aware; & I'm not sure that all the sightings pertain to the
same individual making scattered appearances over some weeks, although
that's quite reasonable to believe, too.)
On the Hudson river off upper Manhattan, at least 6 Canvasback
(including 4 bright drakes), plus what I believe was a Greater Scaup
(female or non-adult male) with the group of Canvasback but the only
one to keep bill fully-tucked & also frustratingly drifting out-of-
view; these below Riverbank State Park, near its' south edge, & viewed
by me from the greenway path, at the latitude of W. 135 St., where
there are obstructions / limits to viewing. I've been finding at least
a pair of Canvasback in this area, often a bit to the south by the n.
end of 125th St. piers (on the Hudson) for a month or more. Not far
away were 2 separate pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers, each pair a
good way south of the pier area- the latter likely the most-commonly
found "sea-duck" for Manhattan in winter, in this new century. (Once-
upon, it was possible to see great no's. of scaup & canvasback in
Manhattan waters, including in the C.P. reservoir; that period ended
in the 1980's and into the 1990s.)
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/[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/
--
