Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - Thursday and Friday, August 29th and 30th -
A Yellow-breasted Chat came out - in bits and pieces of views - for multiple observers later in the day on Friday, 8-30 at Central Parks small so-called Sparrow Rock area - well east of the West Drive park roadway - west of the Great Lawn, an area that has regularly had skulking and uncommon to rare species of migrants and visitant birds over the decades. As to Chats, we might keep in mind that a bit of region-wide movement of Chats, all of the Yellow-breasted species of course, have been moving thru and showing in multiple states, and in other parts of the N.Y. City region more-locally lately. There is a chance that more than one of these could be in N.Y. County just now, and even that more than the one is in Central Park. That one Chat was still around to very early Saturday, the last day of August. Patience is key, in most chat-searching.... A young Red-headed Woodpecker that was found by M. Rakowski on Thursday in the Central Park Ramble also had the same sharp observer, who often leads not-for-profit guided bird walks in that park and has done so for many years, finding an even-dozen species of warblers on Thursday. Her reports are also confirmed in eBird. Some of the early-moving Red-headed Woodpeckers in southbound migration will stay around but some may also move on quickly. All of autumn - and beginning now, of course - is a good time to watch out for that species, and to remember that they can and will migrate diurnally, in active daylight-flights. Central Park has had well over 100 species noted in just the 2 days time of this report - 8-29 and 8-30. For all of August to early on the final day of the month, more than 155 species have shown in N.Y. County, but that number is modest by comparison with other counties adjacent, some 4 of which are also boroughs of N.Y. City, and which have open-sea and bay shorelines, or lengthy parts of shores along the western L.I. Sound. Many many migrants have been passing in the final week of August, and on some nights, the numbers simply going over through the night have been vastly more than any numbers seen in daylight as stop-ins, drop-ins, or even with any sky-watching for diurnal movements, mostly in mornings and with some observers also out in evenings to twilight. A good start to the season for Common Nighthawks, and certainly more of them expected. The passage of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds headed south - in daylight hours - also was ongoing, with some days providing modest numbers dropping in to well-flowered areas for feeding. Among so many warbler species, there have been a nice number of Blackburnian Warblers in various plumages, but certainly more of many other species still being commonly found, such as American Redstarts. The coming few days are likely to provide some fresh movement, and an update to all of the county's migrants will be offered as well. Thanks to many keen, quiet, courteous observers and photographers out and about in warmer and cooler days, showers and in hot sun, and all that the weather has delivered, for finding and reporting so many birds, via the Discord alerts in particular as well as regular sightings via eBird listings and alerts and with the Macaulay Library archives for media. Good birding to all, Tom Fiore manhattan -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") NYSbirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
