On Saturday, 11th of September, at least 25 species of warblers were found in N.Y. County (N.Y.C.) and of those at least 24 species were seen in Central Park alone on the day (with many also occurring in various other parks and greenspaces), although so far, no one had re-found or found any more of Connecticut Warbler[s], which are certainly still very much in the region as well as moving now. More than 120 species of birds were seen in N.Y. County on Saturday, Sept. 11th - that with a very large number of birders out and about!
(The Townsend’s Warbler from Brooklyn’s Green-Wood cemetery was apparently not re-found for Saturday, after at least its' 2-day stay there, but it’s very possible it *could* be lingering &/or wandering a bit within even that rather large space, which contains so many trees that could be used by the species. In any event, Brooklyn’s keen birders were still finding a LOT of great birds at that, & other locations to Saturday, Sept. 11th, & there were obviously a good many still on-watch for the very rare Townsend’s.) A female-plumaged Dickcissel was found & photographed at Governors Island (a part of N.Y. County) by N. Souirgi on Saturday, and there were a multitude of other nice migrants seen as well on Governors Island. With so many more Dickcissels seemingly having been around -including some that nested- in the region, it will be interesting to follow their trend for the coming season. (The Sept. 11 Dickcissel ‘may' be only a 2nd-record of the species for Governors; the first was a photographed bird on Oct. 3, 2020 - R. Sorenson, w/ data entered picked up on by B. Cacace. N.B. - Governors Island just “might” be the single top location (or in the top-three) in the county with a potential for new species to be added, including a *potential* for rarer vagrant species. In other sightings of N.Y. County, both species of cuckoo were again seen, including both within Central Park; a small no. of Blue-headed Vireos have turned up, as have just a few (carefully identified &/or photo-documented) Hermit Thrushes, also both of those within Central Park and also elsewhere in the county; at least several Olive-sided Flycatchers were again present and again at least several within Central Park, along with various Empidonax [genus] that include some Yellow-bellied Flycatchers; a putative-*likely* Cliff Swallow was photographed on the fly (A. Cunningham) at Central Park also on Saturday; multiple Red-breasted Nuthatches have been turning up, adding to the few reported previously in the county, and with some Purple Finches (still scarce) also having been showing as well; for sparrows over recent days including on Saturday, there have been Savannah, Lincoln’s, and (more of) Field Sparrows showing up, albeit still in minimal numbers; there also have been at least a few Chipping Sparrows turning up which may represent arriving migrants, rather than only nest-succeses or lingering pairs. Swainson’s Thrush were already much-increased as of Friday, 9/10 but in Saturday’s big turn-outs of birders still more have been found around the county. Also of course showing are Wood Thrush and there are still Veery about, but Swainson’s took over by Friday as the most-numerous Catharus genus] thrush in the county. At least 7 species of diurnal raptors (including multiple Broad-winged Hawks seen and some photographed from multiple locations) plus all 3 regular falcons as well as the 2 vulture species of the region were all found in N.Y. County on Saturday. Numbers of Bald Eagle and Osprey were again somewhat impressive, while some species may be just starting to pick up, on the typical season’s migrations thru the area, and county. (The peak southbound movement of Broad-winged Hawk, in particular, is likely in about the next 2 weeks around the region.) Up to five Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were among interesting singings from Randall’s Island (N.Y. County) on Sept. 11th, a location where as many know, the species had even overwintered. More than a dozen warbler species on Randall’s as well on the 11th are another indication of the great migration that’s been ongoing over a few days and nights. ... Major nocturnal migration was again underway all through at least the eastern portions of North America, on Saturday night going into Sunday, Sept. 12th and that movement includes many birds moving on to south-of-the-U.S. borders, some across seas and oceans, towards and to their winter homes where a lot spend more time (through a year) than in their nesting-grounds - and obviously a vast number of migrants which are departing the vast spaces of Canada to come south as far as they may, which for some will mean all the way into southern South America, with tremendous numbers going to the Caribbean islands (Greater Antilles in particular) and Mexico, as well as all through Central America, astounding journeys undertaken even by “our” native-nesting hummingbirds, “our” nesting warblers, and hundreds of varied species in all. With, in this season, huge numbers of first-year birds that have never made the enormous voyages before. Indeed on this past night of Sept. 11-12th, migrant birds were being observed to move through all of the N. American continent including thru Key West, Florida to at least the Pacific ocean at the California-Mexico border and beyond. The sheer number of birds on the move is awe-inspiring! good birding to all. Tom Fiore manhattan -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm 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://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
