blockquote, div.yahoo_quoted { margin-left: 0 !important; border-left:1px
#715FFA solid !important; padding-left:1ex !important; background-color:white
!important; } The juvenile RH Woodpecker continues as of 3pm, frequenting the
Shagbark Hickory tree referenced by Tom Fiore (thanks for great directions). If
you do not immediately see the WP, it may be in a roost hole about 40' up a
London Plane (?) tree that is across the path and just downslope from the
Hickory tree. Directly across the path from a lamppost. It was tending to feed
in the area then return to the hole.
-Ethan
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Saturday, January 7, 2017, 1:40 PM, Thomas Fiore <[email protected]>
wrote:
Saturday, 7th of January, 2017 -Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City
A first-winter-plumaged Red-headed Woodpecker (lacking red in the head at this
stage) was reported yesterday 1/6/'17 from an area in the park near East 68
Street (just west of Fifth Ave.) and this snowy Saturday morning I found the
bird, both somewhat vocal and modestly active at times, in the area as had been
reported (and thanks to Justin Potter for that ebird report!) - it is well east
of the park's East Drive, and a bit nearer to Fifth Ave. but along a path that
runs parallel with Fifth, and south from the park entrance at East 69th Street
- there is a rustic shelter perched atop a rise, & the woodpecker was about 30+
yards north of that, & often came to and around a modest-sized Shagbark Hickory
tree (it is labeled as such, with a small metal marker & is rather obvious when
near enough to see the unusual bark) as well as being near the very narrow path
that forks off from the main walking path noted above, which would lead one to
the rustic shelter on the rise (standing on these paths may provide a good
vantage point to look & listen for the woodpecker) - there is a tall flagpole
flying the American flag, as well as the black & white POW-MIA banner at the
park entrance area, and the path you would watch from is south of that by 50
yards or so, this is a path that if taken south will ultimately pass under the
Transverse & to the northern entry to the CP Zoo area, as well as the Arsenal
building (at 64th Street-Fifth Ave.) David Barrett was also in the vicinity
and was able to view this bird, even in the start of the freshening snow.
Photos were obtained of the Red-headed WP - and with which it may be possible
to see if this just might be a bird that was being seen a bit farther west,
into late autumn of last year (it may well be, or as easily not be). This area
of the park referenced above -known as The Dene in official parks parlance- is
not very much birded, in general. At least one drab-plumaged Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker was in the vicinity, as were more-common Downy & Red-bellied
Woodpeckers.
A select group of birds continue at & near The Pond, in the park's southeast
corner, these including drakes of Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Wood
Duck, as well as American Coot and songbirds such as Swamp, Song, & [Red] Fox
Sparrow, plus Ruby-crowned Kinglet. In the Ramble, a Brown Thrasher, Brown
Creeper, another Ruby-crowned Kinglet, more [Red] Fox Sparrows & great numbers
of White-throated Sparrows, as well as many other winter-regulars were about,
both at the feeders & in the other parts of that area.
The CP reservoir has had many of the same species as have been for some weeks,
with no "new" arrivals there of which I'm aware. Double-crested Cormorant,
Pied-billed Grebe, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks,
Northern Shovelers are among these, with some additional & typical wintering
species there; it may be worth checking for a possibility of new species
showing up with the quick-freeze that's expected & also as some uncommon gulls
may come to sit on ice-shelves, if they form on that or other water-bodies. In
the park's northern end, there have been some sightings of Belted Kingfisher,
and a "white-headed" (Common) Grackle has been seen & photo'd, on several
occasions, often with a substantial grackle flock of from 100-200+ birds; the
white-headed grackle obviously stands out pretty well when seen, maybe the more
oddly if it's seen against snow!
- - - -Just to add, a few observers including myself have visited City Hall
Park in recent days, & have not seen any of the rare species that had been
semi-regular there into the first half of December; it was of course
interesting to hear of a Western Tanager appearing in northern Queens very soon
after the one in lower Manhattan was no longer being found there - I'm not
suggesting it was one & the same bird, but would neither rule out the
possibility that it might have been. Additionally, I've been to Van Cortlandt
park in western Bronx (County) again seeking any rarer geese but have not
lately, or as recently as Friday (1/6), seen a Pink-footed Goose there,
although many Canada Geese (& at least one Snow Goose) were continuing to feed
on the Parade Grounds & rest on the lake at Van Cortlandt.
- - - -"Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
- William Shakespeare (from: 'The Tempest')
--Henry David Thoreau: "To see the world exactly as someone else sees it for a
single second strikes me as the most impossible of miracles."
good winter birding,
Tom Fioremanhattan
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