Date: 3/12/25 3:29 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - thru Tues., 3/11 - N. House Wren, other overwintered birds - Snow goneGoose & other waterfowl & warblers, arriving woodcocks, etc.
N.Y. County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt Islands and the adjacent waters and skies above -
thru Tuesday, March 11 -
A Wild Turkey was lingering, as it had all winter, at Roosevelt Island, where some modest migration has been observed recently as well. There are also at least some of the more-regular waterfowl off the shores of Roosevelt in this week, and some raptors have shown there as well.
The very-long-lingering Snow Goose has continued on thru the weekend and at least to Monday 3-10, at Central Park, where it has been most-regular very recently at the Harlem Meer in that parks northeast quadrant, with recent daily sightings there and-or on adjacent lawns, however this goose has been mobile within that park, having visited many locations in the park over its lengthy stay. - - - NOTE that the Snow Goose -may have- departed, off to more-northern localities, on Tuesday March 11 with the only sightings of the Snow Goose from the early-morning at the n. end of Central, then that goose plus a small number of Canada Geese seen headed off north, and not-coincidentally also seen moving north were the same goose-combo, with the one Snow, headed out of Manhattan and likely far-far off in the southerly winds of Tuesday - so long SnowGoo, nice to have you visit and be seen by thousands of watchers all this past winter. Now bring on the other all-white big-birds, perhaps an egret before this month is gone...
There was another very strong fly-out of Canada Geese, many flying out from farther-south than N.Y. City, and making their ways north, on Monday, 3-10 in particular, the total numbers of geese flying over and beyond N.Y. County that morning were into the thousands, at-least the 2nd such major flight of that species moving north this season.
These recent days have also featured large morning flights of American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds - females and males, and Common Grackles, along with smaller numbers of some other migrant birds. Fair numbers of geese as well, still moving-off on Tuesday.
The overwintered Pine Warbler as well as a Yellow-rumped Warbler -of the expected Myrtle form- were each seen by large numbers of participants to the Linneaean Society of N.Y. not-for-profit org’s guided bird-walk, over the past weekend, and there were also multiple independent observers of each of those warblers in the Central Park Ramble. More than 200 observers over this winter have observed the lingering, and increasingly vocal and suet-nibbling male Pine Warbler at the Central Park Ramble. Some watchers have had to wait lengthy times to observe that wintering warbler while some have lucked on to seeing it rapidly and easily there. It was initially not very regular at the suet feeders, then started to visit a bit more often.
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This is not the first, nor second -ever- of Pine Warblers to have wintered, and nor to have visited suet feeders in the Central Park Ramble in the recent-modern era of birding. There also were more-historic sightings and documentation of previous Pine Warblers having wintered, precisely there in Central in the pre-internet age. However it is worth watching any trends for a variety of American warblers, all considered migratory here in NY, to see if some species look to be wintering more and more frequently, which may or may not be occurring. We also have vastly more observers and photographers - or simply, folks with camera-equipped phones - in the field and everywhere nearly all-year-round, than was so in decades past. And much more regular reporting, and increased photo-video documentation with many of the current eras reporting. One species seemingly far more inclined to winter, and also at least somewhat more-numerous in this county, is Orange-crowned Warbler, a phenological trend that seems to have been trending-upward numerically for some time by now. That most-likely is not simply due to an increase in observer-effort - by numbers, time put in, etc.
A Northern House Wren was a rare ongoing overwintered individual at Randalls Island - thru last weekend and beyond. It sometimes has been vocal, and slightly more obliging in the warmer weather of recent. Other lingering birds on Randalls Island have included Pine and Orange-crowned Warblers, Chipping, Savannah, Field, and other sparrow species, Belted Kingfisher, and many other lingering-overwintered birds, while gulls of any-other than the usual-three species have not been noted very lately from Randalls.
An apparent Iceland Gull was seen and photod from Inwood - Dyckman St. pier area.
Other N.Y. County waterfowl aside from a Snow GoneGoose were ongoing in some locations as well, with Green-winged Teal maintaining their long-duration presence at The Pool in Central Park, and Wood Ducks ongoing both at Central Park as well as Inwood Hill Park, and occasional elsewhere, while some Greater Scaup - and from last Saturday, also Lesser Scaup, as well as Common Goldeneye were still in the vicinity of Randalls Island, with some scaup and Com. Goldeneye also in N.Y. Harbor, off Governors Island. Atlantic Brant are continuing in various locations as they have for the winter.
Numbers of American Black Duck and Red-breasted Merganser have been a bit higher in the month of March, perhaps starting in late February for some increases. A couple of Common Mergansers were still persisting at Central Parks reservoir - rather long-staying, and there are also multiple Hooded Mergansers in Central Park with at least one regularly at The Pond in the parks southeast corner, while other Hoodies are in the other waterbodies.
One of the recent multiple American Woodcocks - including multiples of the species for Randalls Island and for Central Park over more than last weeks duration included the individual woodcock photographed in the Central Park Ramble on Sunday, thanks to D.B. Yolton, via the Macaulay Library archives. Many many more observers of the sane bird over more than one day at that location, the first finder being J. Wooten, as previously noted in the reporting to this list. Additional Amer. Woodcocks have been arriving, with one or more seen at Bryant Park in mid-Manhattan having multiple admirers, as with the Central Park Ramble sightings. There have been multiple other woodcocks coming in to the county this past week, also.
There was at least one -of several- E. Phoebe lingering at one site in Central Parks far n. end, while at least a few Killdeer had already passed thru at that end of Central Park - multiple other Killdeer had been found somewhat regularly in sites such as on Governors and Randalls Islands, and at Sherman Creek in northern Manhattan and occasionally elsewhere for the days of winter. More are likely to appear at any time this month in this county.
Eastern Bluebirds have passed thru in recent days, with a couple of them in Central Park as well as at the tip of Inwood Hill Park’s n.w. edge, and on Randalls Island most-recently. More might show in any part of upcoming spring - learning their call notes may be helpful in recognizing the passage of that often rather subtly-vocal species.
A partially leucistic White-throated Sparrow has been in the Loch area of Central Park this winter, seen and photographed by many - one of the photos taken of this bird recently ws thanks to R. Li, via the Macaulay Library archive, and many many many observers have seen and also photographed this odd individual here over recent weeks. An uncommon but hardest unprecedented sight, we get birds with leucitic plumage on a regular basis and if such will be noticed and widely-photographed, Central Park has long been one of the locations where such documentation takes place, and has for at least a half-century with some of such oddly-plumaged individual birds.
Some of the many species of recent days in N.Y. County birds - with all that have been in or over Central Park designated with C.P. - not meant as an exhaustive listing -
Snow Goose - C.P. - perhaps last-seen for March 11, see above, time will tell...
Canada Goose - C.P. and many more locations.
Atlantic Brant - regular in some county inshore waters and on land in select sites.
Mute Swan - few, mainly being noted from the upper East River area.
Wood Duck - multiples in multiple locations incl. - C.P.
Gadwall - C.P. and elsewhere.
American Black Duck - C.P. and elsewhere.
Mallard - C.P. and in. many more locations.
Northern Shoveler - C.P. and occasional at other locations in recent days and weeks.
Green-winged Teal - ongoing pair all winter long at C.P.
Ring-necked Duck - seen in early March in C.P. reservoir.
Greater Scaup - ongoing in fair numbers in county waters.
Lesser Scaup - smaller nos. in a few locations, esp. off Randalls Island.
Bufflehead - C.P. and all around the waters of this county.
Common Goldeneye - ongoing in a few areas of county waters.
Hooded Merganser - C.P., including at The Pond in the parks s-e quadrant.
Common Merganser - a very few flybys in various locations, and seen by many-hundreds of observers almost all winter long at C.P.
Red-breasted Merganser - f. numerous lately in county waters, an increase from midwinter.
Ruddy Duck - C.P., and occasionally in multiple other county waters.Red-throated Loon - modest to fair numbers in county waters and a few flyovers on some days.
Common Loon - modest numbers on select parts of county waters.
Pied-billed Grebe - C.P., and very-rarely noticed elsewhere recently.
Horned Grebe - last sightings of these now older, with no very recently noted on county waters.
Great Cormorant - ongoing only from a few select sites off of Manhattan, esp. from Randalls or Governors Island, but the next species increasing recently.
Double-crested Cormorant - C.P. and many more as flyovers and often in other parts of the county on or over the waters.
Great Blue Heron - C.P., where at least one was regular in winter, plus more sightings from Manhattan and elsewhere in the county.
Black-crowned Night-Heron - multiple sightings at C.P. this month, also a few sightings at other county locations this month.
Black Vulture - increased sightings, partly by observer-efforts but also a likely true increase in recent weeks and including over C.P.
Turkey Vulture - increased a bit and on some days, obvious passage migrators going north, including at C.P.
Osprey - first of the year have arrived, with more certain to follow in coming weeks.
Bald Eagle - all winter long sightings off Manhattan and some over and IN C.P., including landings at the Central Park reservoir, many flyovers all thru the county.
Northern Harrier - few so far, some seen in flight around the county in recent weeks to this week.
Sharp-shinned Hawk - rather few so far, some in flight and also occ. hunting, incl. at C.P.
Cooper's Hawk - regulars all winter long including multiples in C.P., ongoing.Red-shouldered Hawk - rather rare but some winter sightings, incl. photos taken of perched birds in C.P., and elsewhere in the county.
Red-tailed Hawk - C.P. and everywhere else in the county at times.
American Kestrel - C.P. and many many more locations, esp. in all parts of Manhattan island.
Merlin - C.P. - including partly or wholly overwintered, C.P. and now-again semi-regular but not common, also in other county locations.Peregrine Falcon - C.P. and many other locations in all of the county.
American Coot - C.P. all winter and still around, plus a few sightings from other county locations.
Killdeer - C.P., where some seen esp. at North Meadow and elsewhere, including flyovers, and also regularly in select county locations.
American Woodcock - C.P. - nice arrivals this month, with some perhaps having lingered a longer time, from early March, and lately in multiple county locations.Bonaparte's Gull - one report, with ideally some photo-documentation for a fairly-rare —report-- on Central Park reservoir. Other very-small gulls would be rarer.
Ring-billed Gull - C.P. - and everywhere else around the county all winter.American Herring Gull - this is now the full name for the regularly seen and breeding-here species of Herring Gull, regular in C.P., and everywhere else in county.
Iceland Gull - photographed in flight off n. Manhattan and others seen earlier this month in multiple locations, incl. at C.P.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - some recent sightings, not all reports documented, but those which were with photos are confirmed.
Great Black-backed Gull - C.P. and almost everywhere else at times, throughout the county.
Feral Rock Pigeon - C.P., and ubiquitous in this county.
Mourning Dove - C.P., etc.
Owls - an update in owl-dom for this past winter may be made in the month of May - a very good winter for owl-diversity here, many in C.P. too.
Belted Kingfisher - slight increase, with some fairly regular in a few locations including Inwood Hill Park area, and Randalls Island, etc., also C.P.
Red-bellied Woodpecker - C.P., etc.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - MANY overwintered, and those being seen now are likely ALL overwintered individuals. Numbers in C.P., and all around the county.
Downy Woodpecker - C.P., etc.
Hairy Woodpecker - C.P. and elsewhere - some are probably visitants for the winter.
Yellow-shafted Flicker - C.P., etc. - just a modest number so far this year.
Eastern Phoebe - at least one persisting in the far-north end of C.P. for some recent days. Others came thru as well, in v. small no’s so far.
Common Raven - C.P., and many many more locations including nesting-sites in this county.
American Crow - C.P. and all over the county.
Fish Crow - C.P. and select locations in parts of the county. Much less-common overall than American Crow.Blue Jay - C.P. and all around the county.
Tree Swallow - C.P. - already a few passing by, also from other sites, now including over the other islands of the county.
Black-capped Chickadee - C.P. and in many other areas of the county, a very good winter of this species occurrence here.
Tufted Titmouse - C.P., and many many more locations around the county. As with chickadees, a very populous winter for these in the county.
Red-breasted Nuthatch - C.P., where a small number overwintered, also in a select number of other county locations.
White-breasted Nuthatch - C.P., etc.
Brown Creeper - C.P. etc. - multiple county locations.
Carolina Wren - C.P. etc. - and some singing thru winter, more so recently in many locations.
Northern House Wren - perhaps the most-notable of the OVERWINTERED species of passerine birds in the county this year. Randalls Island… this bird was seen on multiple occasions there, with some sightings from late fall when not quite as unexpected, then very-unexpected in mid-winter, and onward - a survivor of frigid spells and snows.
Winter Wren - C.P. and eleswhere in the county, particularly in many other larger parks and greenspaces - all are overwintered birds.
Golden-crowned Kinglet - very few that fully-wintered, but present in some locations well into winter with scarcer sightings recently - including at C.P.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - C.P. and MULTIPLE OTHER locations in the county, all fully-overrwintered survivors. Some which could were visiting some suet feeders on occasion.
Eastern Bluebird - C.P. passage migrants but also can linger a bit, these in the past week and recent days, also found in migration in a few other locations recently, incl. on Randalls Island and northern Manhattan. Not too unusual to find some wandering thru this early in the season, and as some are on their migrations already regionally.
Hermit Thrush - C.P. and in many many other county locations, esp. overwintered in Manhattan, all being seen to this week almost certainly overwintered here in the county.
American Robin - C.P., etc. - good arrival flights with increases all around the county, some locations more obviosuly-so, and in active diurnal flights on many many mornings.
Gray Catbird - C.P. and much more-so in select sites in various smaller parks and greenspaces of Manhattan, including in downtown to midtown parks and unexpected spaces.
Northern Mockingbird - C.P. and many more locations.
Brown Thrasher - C.P. - the usual few skulkers and also in some other locations. All seen now are overwintered individuals and not new-arrivals.
European Starling - C.P. and everywhere else.
Cedar Waxwing - C.P. - and elsewhere, mostly uncommon this winter but some lingered in some select locations, still not at all common in the county now.
House Sparrow - C.P. and everywhere else, one of the most-common of N.Y. City birds.
Eastern Towhee - C.P., etc., in select sites in some parts of the county mainly on Manhattan island now.
American Tree Sparrow - a few were still being seen on Governors Island this week, otherwise scarcer now after a spate of sightings over the winter.
Chipping Sparrow - C.P., at the n. end but scarcely noted by now, and regularly on Randalls Island including in recent days - ALL are overwintered, for now.
Field Sparrow - C.P. and mostly being seen elsewhere recently, esp. on Randalls Island, also in n. Manhattan.
Savannah Sparrow - recent sightings at Randalls Island, may also be ongoing at Governors Island this week.
Red Fox Sparrow - C.P., etc., with scattered locations all thru the county, and esp. noted from Central Park due to the hundreds of observers there all winter.
Song Sparrow - C.P., and almost anywhere else thru the county now, a lot were wintering, but some arrival has taken place, and many are singing regularly.
Swamp Sparrow - C.P., etc. - some occ. singing a bit, some are overwintered, with perhaps a very small no. having moved in from points-south recently.
White-throated Sparrow - C.P. and many more locations in the county - overwinters annually by the many-hundreds in this county, and some are singing lately. Virtually none of these being seen have been recent arrivals, this is one of the more-common wintering species of this county, and large numbers are found even in small parks and greenspaces all winter long in Manhattan, and around the county in select other places. This is not at all a new trend, the species has long wintered-thru in numbers, in this county.
Dark-eyed Junco - the slate-colored form, at C.P., etc. - still commonly wintering and possibly a v. modest bit of movement in recent days.
Northern Cardinal - C.P., etc.
Red-winged Blackbird - C.P., etc. - good passages of many in flight, plus some stopovers feeding and roosting-resting, plus a smaller no. which will try nesting. Some females have pushed in and passed along with many males of this species, county-wide.
Rusty Blackbird - v. Small nos in select sites incl. in particular Central Park, with one having fully-ovwintered at the n.end of Central, and others in other areas of Central Park.
Common Grackle - thousands of these have passed by and thru in recent days, and are also set up for nesting possibilities in some areas of the county. Central Park had many thru the late winter and also was starting to see some as early as January 1st.
Brown-headed Cowbird - C.P., etc., but not at all numerous - yet.
House Finch - C.P., etc. - not-rare in select locations, some are singing around the county, including in city-street locations.
American Goldfinch - C.P., etc. - modest numbers for the winter and still around the county.
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Orange-crowned Warbler - ongoing at least in 2 locations in the county, both fully-overwintered successfully, at Randalls Island and in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan - it is also fairly likely that a few more have wintered successfully and are not being noticed in recent days. This species has had a marked increase in the Eastern states over recent decades, and is now not-rare in east-coastal locations even for winter, with many wintering in N.Y. City and the region, particularly in the most-coastal counties and areas. While never-common, for a relatively inconspicuous warbler among all American Warbler species, this is notably more regular in peak migration as well as wintering more regularly in recent decades, and not all due solely to an increase of observer effort and awareness, although that can be a factor in greater numbers of reports noticed of recent years. The commonness of photos including phone-photos these days also makes this a type of bird more readily apparent in occurrence, relative to some sight-reports-only of the past.
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Yellow-rumped Warbler - C.P., etc. - all are of the expected Myrtle form in the county, this winter had a small number wintering including on Manhattan and at Randalls Island, and a few recent sightings - by many observers - from Central Park as well as multi-observers of elsewhere birds of this form and species. Never a ver-common wintering species in this county, some small newer plantings of Myrtle or Bayberry shrubs in several larger sites, such as at Randalls and more-so at Governors Island, may have helped this species to attempt overwintering in these locations and in the county generally. The Orange-crowned Warbler has been as-regular or even a bit more so as a wintering species in this county, compared with Myrtle Warbler, a slightly unusual juxtaposition in wintering warbler expectations, for most of the region.
Pine Warbler - C.P. etc. - multiple fully-wintering individuals, including one at the Central Park Ramble from late autumn -continuously- in the Ramble thru now, and also at Randalls Island continuously where at least several had been wintering but lately mostly-one at a time seen there, into this week. There may have been a few more of this species also wintering in various areas of the county, including possibly more than just the one seen by hundreds of observers thru late winter at Central Park, that thanks to the visits by that individual Pine Warbler to suet-feeders of the C.P. Ramble and its many birder-devotees on any and all days of the winter to now. This species has always been a potential wintering bird of the larger region, mainly very-coastally, but in recent times more may be attempting to winter in NY in Long Island including the counties of Suffolk, Nassua, Queens and Kings all four of which are a part of Long Island, NY and in Richmond County NY which is the southernmost county of NY state - with Pine Warbler long having been a semi-regular and not-rare-wintering species of New Jersey, in that states southern counties. This species is one of the only warblers in the Americas (or Caribbean) which is nearly-exclusive to N. America and mostly north of Mexico, with the populations of the Caribbean thought by some to be genetically-distinct. Most of all Pine Warblers of North America are found in the U.S. and in Canada, for parts of the year, and very few wander any farther south, such as to Central America or farther, as do so many of the migratory American warblers which we await the returns-of as spring progresses in our NY and northern regions. We can anticipate potential -new- arrivals of some of the earliest-moving Pines to show this month in this county and in this region. There could be a very few additional warbler species that overwintered in this county, certainly some species had started to, and may have survived, but of those survivors amongst warblers it also is possible some moved far-south by midwinter if not sooner, and avoided some of the harsher parts of the past few months in weather. Then-again, even the Gulf Coast including the city of New Orleans had deep plowable snow and ice, and a deep-freeze for the southern U.S. this past winter, a very rare weather event for that region, indeed an unprecedented event for some states and communities in all of the long-kept weather records of over a century. A very through and close look thru many different sites on all of the four main islands of N.Y. County could reveal a few surprise-wintered birds, including, potentially, a few other warbler species still surviving.
Additional species to the above listing are and were likely from the past week. Certainly some new arrivals will be anticipated on coming days and nights, with any warm-fronts.
Thanks to the many quiet, courteous, and keen observers and photographers who have been out in all types of late-winter weather, for so many sightings and reports via non-X alerts and as-always, via eBird and that with the Macaulay Library for media archiving.
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We have had a couple of milder days here in N.Y. City and New York County, and with those days, a few butterflies had emerged including the expected Mourning Cloak as well as Eastern Comma, each of those capable of and normally overwintering as adults and now emerging in mild sunny days. More butterflies are at-least possible in March, if sun and warmth allow. Many other insects in many families have also been starting to emerge in their adult forms, and of course much of that insect emergence becomes food for hungry new-migrants as well as resident birds seeking more to the diet as courtship and breeding-times come along. The arrival of swallows is a nice indicator that more insect life is available to birds.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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