Date: 5/18/25 5:32 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC - Sunday, 5/18 - Bicknells Thrush, and many more migrants
A breeding-male-plumaged Western Tanager was a good spring sighting for any part of NY State, on Sunday morning, May 18, out near the Atlantic Ocean shore at Fire Islands Watch Hill area of Suffolk County NY -P. Sweet observing- this is a species that as many know is a bit more-regular as a fall-winter vagrant, less-rare at that season nowadays than in decades past.
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Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City -
Sunday, May 18th -
A sometimes-vocalizing Bicknells Thrush was a sighting and for some also-heard-bird-of-the-day at the Ramble in Central Park. Happily, the actual bird was seen-vocalizing and was audio-video recorded, along with loads of photos being taken by scores upon scores of observers at various times on Sunday. One of very many eBird reports is linked-to below for a modest idea of some birds seen in the morning in just-one part of the park. Other Bicknells Thrushes are also occurring including the individual of the previous day at Central Park, and from some other locations at least by Sunday - but this one bird was the one continually seen and heard at times, and re-reported many times thru the day. First finder of the May 18th Central Park Ramble Bicknells have not been reported to this list-serve at this time, and that finder was using the Discord birding-app to give initial reports of this individual for the many who keep an eye to that for the updated sightings.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S239782062
Many Gray-cheeked Thrushes are also moving thru now, and a fair number are in Central Park as of Sunday, with still more very likely to come thru. Some of the latter also have been singing or at least calling at times, particularly - as with many of the migrant thrushes - at first-light and in earliest hours of any day, and at dusk or thereabouts. The most-regularly heard of the thrushes with brown-backs in this county are Wood Thrush as that is a nesting species, found in multiple locations attempting to nest, including at Central Park. Please do nothing whatsoever that could deter the nesting of such native birds, of any species, and thank you. Far more than 100 species of wild birds have been seen in Central Park - by hundreds of observers in the collective, including those many affiliated with or leading walks for not-for-profit organizations and institutions, on Sunday 5-18 alone, and far more than that number for all of New York County - for which county some further reports may be forthcoming.
Of the many many migratory American warbler species seen on Sunday at Central were some Mourning Warblers, now also including females of the species, a signal of the latter part of some of spring songbird movements thru the area. However, that latter species could well still be moving into early June here. More than 23 species of warblers were noted from Central Park alone on Sunday with a few that may want some confirmation only due to running slightly-late by this date at this site and in this county. Among the many warbler species passing thru, there have been fresh arrivals and passage of Hooded Warblers, with a number of them stopping off again in Central Park and also appearing now and very-recently in multiple locations in this county, as one of many examples, nice finds at Governors Island -A. Barry, et al- for that species, as of 5-17.
Good numbers of the boreal-forest-breeding warblers continue to pass and are being seen here, with Bay-breasted and Tennessee and fair numbers of Wilsons Warbler all among these - with Cape May still coming as well, even after the very-early first arrivals here of that latter species. American Redstart numbers are up just lately even if that species is much-declined from the numbers they once gathered in long-ago decades.
All 5 of the regularly-occurring Empidonax-genus flycatchers are coming thru, with the most-problematic for having an ID-distinction -from Willow, which latter breeds in parts of N.Y. City- being Alder Flycatcher, which does not breed in N.Y. City and is a more-northern-ranging breeding species in general, not all Alders that pass thru will be singing or even calling much - but some do. A good clear audio-and-video recording will be esp. helpful for distinguishing the two and may also be helpful to the eBird teams wanting to confirm any such sightings if possible. A small uptick for Olive-sided Flycatcher, while all of the other regularly-occurring flycatchers for the county are still being seen, including scant numbers of E. Phoebe. All of the 5 regular-migrant Empidonax are by-now coming thru including for Central Park this weekend. At least some Yellow-bellied Flycatchers coming in have been audio-recorded as well as photo or video-documented in Central Park, and perhaps in other Manhattan parks by now.
At least 5 of the annually-occurring vireo species here have been ongoing, with White-eyed Vireo again found at Central Parks north end - the latter a species that is a breeding species in this city, as are the more-numerous Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos, each of which nest annually in Central Park, the last-named the most evident each summer. Some documented nestings of Yellow-throated Vireos are also known for the city and even for Central Park, over the decades. It is getting only slightly-late by now for the ongoing Blue-headed Vireos here, which will be moving on eventually to other areas to breed. Both Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos were again seen on Sunday, with more of the Yellow-billed as seen by large numbers of observers in multiple areas of Central Park.
A female-plumaged Blue Grosbeak was reported on Saturday, 5/17 by a keen observer, that being at-least the 3rd sighting of that species in Central Park this spring, although thus far just one individual, a male in bright color, was seen by many earlier this month.
Excellent numbers of Common Nighthawks are being seen around the county thru this weekend, some perched and some seen in-flight, this including at Central Park on both Saturday and Sunday. In some locations, multiple have been seen in-flight on one viewing.
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Elsewhere outside of Central Park, but in Manhattan there were many more-than-typical of sightings and hearings of neotropical migrants in street trees and in all parts of Manhattan, with a high number of warbler species among those found in various many locations, particularly in the morning hours but some such migrants also being found into Sunday evening… a good added signal of some more high-volume migration. Quite a few birders were able to see Bay-breasted Warbler in some street tree or in small greenspaces, as well as in the larger parks and more-typical birding areas of this island.
A nice ongoing Marsh Wren, by an actual-brackish-marsh-habitat in Manhattan was still around at least into Saturday, 5-17 at the north end of this island - Inwood Hill Park and its associated Muscota marsh area. The marsh would be too small and brackish for Marsh Wren to continue to stay there in summer, but is one of the larger bits of marsh habitats we have on Manhattan island - others are also in the northern sector of Manhattan. Elsewhere in the county, Randalls Island is one of the islands where some marsh habitats cling to hope.
Some sightings of Monk Parakeets are still being noted in some bird lists for Manhattan, and this is a breeding-species for this city, thus a countable bird in the listing-process for those who are so-inclined. It is a less-common species in general in this county than in the other boroughs or counties of the city, where some locations are better-known or, in some places very well-known. There are always the outside chance of other parrot species turning up in this city, over the years this observer has seen more than one might expect, sadly including even macaws which should never be found in N. America north of Mexico. In some past years and decades, certain parrot species were accidentally released and formed at least very-temporary flocks or small groups of birds in this city. All that noted, Monk Parakeet is the one solidly-established parrot species of this area, and that species is hardy enough for any winters here - they have also been a feature of the city of Chicago, where the winters can be a bit - wintry!
Thanks to the many quiet, courteous and keen observers and photographers for sightings, reports all thru non-x alerts, and as always via eBird with the Macaulay Library for media.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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