N.B., there is a more-than-zero chance that some of the Arctic Tern movements could conceivably still be seen in the area **inland of** the “typical” areas for that superb Sterna species, on NY’s Atlantic ocean edges and from barrier-beach areas - this could also still -*potentially*- include parts of N.Y. County, with very careful watching. Some Arctic Terns were still being seen INLAND on some sites in *various northeastern states*, to at least Sunday (5/15) morning.
- - - - New York County (in N.Y. City) including Manhattan, Randall’s Island, and Governors Island (and the adjacent waters and skies) - SUNday, May 15 (with some notes also on the ***preceding day’s*** migratory birds): One of the ten+ species of wader, and a very uncommonly-found (but not without precedent) species for the county, a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER has been found in the area of GOVERNORS Island on Sunday, as far as I am aware 1st-seen & alrerted rapidly by M.B. Kooper and seen subsequently and happily later in the day as well - area was southwest of the glamping-camping area, which area is open to viewing and is poss. a 10-min. walk at modest pace from the Manhattan-arrival ferry docks, or also from any of the poss. ferry docks - views off to the harbor, Statue-of-Liberty (Lady Liberty) from that sector of the island. Also seen on Governors were a fly-by flock of GLOSSY IBIS, which are (likely) annual in passage over / thru N.Y. County airspace, but require a lot of watching-of-the-skies to produce any sightings in most years. Further reports out of Governors (& elsewhere in the county) include the first definitive WILLOW Flycatcher (singing) reports and observations of that expected-now Empidonax [genus] flycatcher. Add some of the BOBOLINKS which, on Gov. Island are more prone to linger than perhaps any other site in N.Y. County on migrations (in spring and fall) and you’ve got some reason to get in the swing and find a ferry over (10 min. ride on most ferry passages) for a look at what’s on offer. The island is free to visit however some will need to pay a small ferry-ride fee and it is also possible to bring-a-bike at no extra charge. For anyone fit for walks of one or two miles, all of that island is also walkable in a half-day or so, depending in one’s desire to linger; food, restrooms, etc. are all available at some parts of the island and there WILL be many others, tourists-visitors-arts and creative folks, etc. on any nice days of the year out there. (M.B. Kooper also noted a v. good ‘bonus-bird’ on the island, a flyby Northern Harrier, which species hads shown an affinity for appearances at various times of year in that location, not a very-common sighting other than in peak-migration periods for the county and an always welcome sight. We also thank T. Healy and others for additional later-sightings/reports from that location on Sunday, & to others of course who report from that island & elsewhere). A SUMMER TANAGER (in female-type plumage) was continuing on at the n. end of Central Park (for Sunday, at the Great Hill’s s. side areas) as seen by many on Sunday/15th there, this at least the 3rd or even 4th of that species for the county in the past *several days*, with sightings also from the Canal Street - Hudson River Greenway area (parks) by A. Evans to at least 5/13, and the (reported to this list) individual on Randall’s Island (A. Drogin) along with at least several earlier sightings from the rest of Manhattan island this month. A BICKNELL’S THRUSH (in first-spring plumage as previously noted) has continued on in its’ wondrous-long stay in the northwest sector of Central Park (Manhattan) for some days, to Sunday/15th, with again multi-observers (and giving songs or calls at times as on all prior known days there - the C.P. Bicknell’s was occ. singing-calling - in rains and other weather, as early as *3:20 AM* on Sunday. Yes, under a permission to be in the park-area at that hour. A nice variety of other birds were calling thru the night, on their ways north as well as from near or on the ground & according to some species preferences.) Good to excellent birding in many locations through the county, with rains overnight and a lot of fresh migration, and lifting fog in a.m. for Sunday giving way to more & more revealed and put-down (prob. local storm-related in part) migrants on multiple sites & thru the a.m. hours at least, with up to 8 spp. of waders in one site: Randall’s and 2 additionals for the county-entire (not commonly seen in such diversity in spring-movement on NY County sites, esp. for put-down birds). And while - possibly - showing off less-diversity in waders (a.k.a. shorebirds to many of N. American birders), Governors Island was producing some excellent finds in multiple categories of migrants in Sunday’s spectaculars. A minimum of 3 PHILADELPHIA Vireos were in Central Park as well as in Riverside Park on Sunday with 3 being photographed and seen by multi-observers. One of these in the north end of Central, n. of “the Pool” (early morning), another in the Ramble area by the Lake (& seen as early as 5:50 AM there) and a third seen later on, at Riverside Park near W. 104th-105th St. but close to Riv. Drive. At least one ’new” (individual) Philadelphia Vireo was reported for Manhattan on Sunday/15th in a location from the western Greenwich Village area, however more details or any poss. photos will also aid the potential confirmation on this (a usually uncommon-rare species found in spring in this county). A few have been found already in the county this month, but are typically quite scant, and all need careful ID from other species (and including separation from some warbler spp.), in local spring-reports in particular. Other vireos of the day in the county also included at least one White-eyed Vireo and this latter species is one that potentially could breed, and does so in some areas of N.Y. City each year. Also still around have been multiple Blue-headed & some Yellow-throated Vireos for Sunday, as well as the now more-commonly-seen Warbling and increased no’s. of Red-eyed Vireos on migration as well as (esp. latter 2 spp.) as potential (and annual) nesters in the county. The 6 vireo species of the spring movement all in one day (2nd time *this season* for this, in N.Y. County, which is uncommonly achieved.) As usual with so many birds of Central Park, more folks got to see the Philly Vireo there (esp. the “Ramble” bird) later on & some of those observers also made additional photos. In addition to the nice finds by some observers on Sunday/15th, all this wader-fun was preceded by fly-by WHIMBREL from the Battery (south tip of Manhattan island) late SATURDAY/14th - a rarely-seen species in this county, and always a nice species for the region at any time. And adding to that were the sightings (by a small no. of very keen, hard-working observers in a few locations) of more ARCTIC Terns on SAT./14th in the afternoon, near-eve. hours of that day, going-along the Hudson River to-from N.Y. Harbor area, and in far-more-minimal numbers than the exciting passages of Friday/13th, for that mega-occurence of Arctic Tern for inland areas of the broader region as well as in N.Y. County that day… and, in addition, (few) on Sat./14th! Plenty of the always popular and pleasing most-colorful of birds are showing in some numbers for Sunday, with tanagers and r-br. grosbeaks and i. buntings and orioles and many many more such feasts for the keen eye as well as so many songsters and (for those who enjoy all bird vocalizations) the coo-cows of cuckoos and of a wide variety of our non-passerine migrants, even the piercing call of a few migrant fly-by Loons in the early hours, & much much more for ears that are opened. The more subtly (and some challenging) patterned and plumaged migrants and some breeders are also about and adding to great diversity in action on the day and night’s 'May-spectaculars' of spring. We also are now finding higher (than on previous days) numbers of female-plumaged birds of many migrant passerines, an indicator of the date, and the ongoing migrational calendar of all these movements. Yes, this is now including at least a *few* female Blackpoll Warblers, but not-to-worry, the spring is far from even half-done for migration of many many additional migrants of a lot of species. There are more Bay-breasted Warblers showing, and singing, from various locations in the county than on any prior days of this year on their migration. And we can expect a bit more in reports for warbler-diversity with some sightings to come, via photo’d. birds as well as later sighting-reports. For warbler diversity, on Sunday morning most obs. will have been aware that there were increases of many now-expected migrant Parulidae species, including (for example) many more of Myrtle/Yellow-rumped (including some a.m.-onward flights) & for American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, and even Blackpoll Warbler, all more than any prior days on this spring here, in total. The tally of warbler-species by noon or so was (all things relative) "less impressive" in total - however, some ‘rarer' species may yet be added to the lists of many (and fully-expected) migrant warblers for the day on Sunday. It will also be worth having late-day looks at some, or many areas where insectivores may gather and continue to be found in concentrations; some insect 'hatch-outs' were starting to occur as well, by mid-day Sunday as humidity and warmth were increased further, and those (hatches) can at times bring ‘down’ the high-foliage feeders and other migrants. *More* than 20 species of American Warblers were present in Manhattan parks alone (& as often is the case, all 20+ of those spp. seen in Central Park, in addition to sightings from many, many more locations & the other 2 main isles of N.Y. County) - with that tally of warblers likely to grow as more sightings were noted and documented. To be clear, also seeing MORE than 20 spp. of warblers on Sunday were Inwood Hill Park, and likely some addditional such single-site locations. Especially good for Sunday might be areas on Manhattan’s northern and some eastern areas - including areas of Harlem, the “heights” and Inwood area some of which not so fully-covered by many observers on most days. If one needed any encouragement for a site “like" Inwood Hill Park for migration, the discovery of a ***Mississippi KITE*** by multiple (-at least six-) keen (& hard-working) observers on **SATURDAY/14th** there (!) could entice to more observers to that sector of the county - and it’s a beautiful park & area, too (with the old-growth woods for the island of Manhattan), eyes-to-the-skies when possible, of course for the noted raptor species (not reported again later in the county, but this latter-half of the month of May is “kite-season” in general in the region). One-dozen (or more) species of warblers were seen at Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan’s far-east edge, for Sunday/14th, a nice tally of that group of migrants for a short-ish visit there (by multiple obs.), and many other locations in the county had these and greater no’s. of migrants. The most-diverse sites, probably by-far overall in the day’s movement and observations, would be both Randall’s Island and Governors Island, and only a distant 3rd at best may be Central Park (and that “only" due to so many 100’s of observers there all day long). With even more focus on and from sites such as the former 2 sites: the “other islands” of the county, a much broader understanding of the county’s avifauna and the migrational aspects of that can be, and have been, attained - as well as from locations that are not-only that 1 ‘celebrated’ section of the county known as Central Park. It is loved for many good reasons, including the relative ‘ease’ of finding so many birds in May, etc. however far more goes on in this county for wildlife than in that one very-popular, ever-populated park. A park which I also enjoy for many reasons as I also enjoy many other green-spaces: the more of all the better. With fog lifting, there are the diurnally-moving species on view in multiple areas for Sunday and these will add to sightings and likely to species-totals of the day, including many varied groups of birds - swallows and martins would be just one of such groups. Additionally, some of us non-sleepers in this mid-May-madness also have tallied a few nocturnally-active species, adding to the known & oft-reported few owls, as well as at least (for early Sunday) 2 caprimulgid spp. on pre-dawn hours, in Manhattan - the likeliest posibility for more of same being a Nighthawk-watch as the end of the day[s] approach, since that species (Common Nighthawk) is ‘now' moving in the multiple. Tally of more than 140 spp. of wild & free & unrestrained birds, many of them migrants (& as seen by many hundreds of total observers in all) has been aided - for their diversity - by the numbers of still-moving or lingering species most-often considered “early-moving” species of the spring parades of migratory species… in a number of avian families for the county. This includes groups in the non-passerine orders - at least 17 ORDERS of birds (by the taxonomy I am aware of today) and also for a lot of ‘late’ lingering passerine spp. (all in one enormous ORDER of birds) as well - waterfowl, a few raptors, and many/varied other groups of migrants. . . . . . Many more insects have been emerging & migrating-in for the middle of May and included amongst these have been (with at least a dozen other recent butterflies) a few migrant Monarch butterflies as of Sunday (not the first-arrivals to the area, but indicative of more of the insect activities some of us are also watching). The tallies and further notes, of and for a lot of sightings for Sunday/15th may be given in a future report, and not (at all likely) by this Sunday-night! The above are only a ’sampler’ of some of vastly more sightings. B.B.B. - betterBbirding… with my thanks to an inspirational, and out-of-town observer. Sleeping-is-for-June... super[b] mid-May observations to all - quietly *and* respectfully, 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/ --
