Date: 5/21/25 4:16 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - 5/19 Miss. Kite, Bicknells Thrushes, 5-17 Kentucky Warbler, more migrants
Manhattan, N.Y. City - thru Tuesday, May 20th -
A Mississippi Kite, possibly an adult, or a developing 2nd-year bird, was seen and photographed quite late on Monday May 19, off Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan - over the decades this area of Manhattan has probably been the one site with a number of sightings of that species, even including lingering individuals many years back. An excellent find for New York County and Manhattan, as well as that specific area. That kite rather-likely the same individual seen as well as photographed by other keen watchers from a few nearby points in the western Bronx and not all that far north of the later-in-day sighting of the kite off Inwood in Manhattan. Hats off to all who saw, and contributed reports or added further ID help for the Manhattan sighting, as well as to all of the Bronx observers who had first spotted this bird in the area.
It looks that there had been a nice push of Bicknells Thrushes thru this area in recent days, and at least 3 of them stopped off in Central Park, one at the north end of that park being seen as another was also watched and photographed in the Ramble area, more than a mile distant. Many other gray-cheeked type thrushes have also passed and some were vocal enough to be sure of their being Gray-cheeked, while others of the general gray-cheek type were indeterminate. Overall the Gray-cheeked Thrushes have been the more numerous on passage here. At least 2 Bicknells Thrushes continued to Tuesday, May 20th in 2 locations.
A Kentucky Warbler was seen, and confirmed in eBird at Central Park on May 17, the most recent of confirmed sightings of that species for the county, and for that park. Below are listed ome of the birds of past ten days in or over Manhattan or its waters - at least 65 of the species listed may be attempting to nest and of those, many already are doing so. Please do not disturb any native nesting birds at all for any reasons - their success at breeding is crucial in all locations.
Atlantic Brant - lingering and still expected, although some have been departing - usually leaving here by June.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Wild Turkey - ongoing at Battery Park this week.
feral Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Oystercatcher
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Purple Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern - off Manhattan, although most-regular in this county out in N.Y. Harbor and at or near Governors Island.
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern - sighting at Inwood Hill Park is confirmed in eBird.
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - off southern end of Manhattan, although this species is only fairly-regular in the county at Randalls Island.
Glossy Ibis - a very few sightings, while a few have been photographed in county airspace.
Black Vulture - most-regularly seen from the northern parts of Manhattan.
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Mississippi Kite - May 19, Inwood Hill Park, as noted at top.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk - a few confirmed sightings in past ten days here.
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech-Owl - resident birds.
- multiple owl species have occurred in N.Y. County this spring.
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - each summer, a few, or more than a few, of this species lingers on in Manhattan.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet - few, a semi-regular species for all seasons in Manhattan and in this county.
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - a small number confirmed by audio-video and some described well.
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher - very few, confirmed here thru vocalizations.
Willow Flycatcher
Alder or Willow type Flycatcher - some are indistinguishable if seen but not vocalizing.
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe - few, and possible lingering birds might attempt nesting.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
- for eBirded sighings, no Philadelphia Vireos reported have been confirmed thus-far for the year here.
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin - a flyover from eastern edge of Manhattan, May 19.
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow - few from Manhattan, mostly in N.Y. County out on Randalls Island.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet - late-ish individuals.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper - somewhat late individuals.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Marsh Wren - modest-multiples in Manhattan.
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird - a few sightings in past week, a bit late but not unprecedented in mid-May here.
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Bicknells Thrush - small numbers seen and heard.
Swainsons Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
Purple Finch - small numbers were continuing to this week.
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Slate-colored-Dark-eyed Junco - late for here.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow - numbers much diminished over past ten days.
Dark-eyed Junco x White-throated Sparrow (hybrid)
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Rusty Blackbird - a few late individuals.
Common Grackle
Summer Tanager - numbers of different individuals in past ten days.
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak - several.
Indigo Bunting
-
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush - late for here by mid-May, but not unprecedented.
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler x Golden-winged - hybrid type, at least several individuals.
- of birds that were eBirded as-such, no Lawrences Warbler types of hybrids were confirmed.
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler - several individuals, and at-least one at Central Park moving around a bit in past 10 days.
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler - multiple reports, some confirmed in eBird.
Nashville Warbler
Mourning Warbler - many have passed by now, including multiple singing males, as well as non-singing females.
Kentucky Warbler - as noted above, a recent sighting for Central Park.
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler - a few were still passing fairly-late in last ten days.
Pine Warbler
Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler - in a spring with high numbers of this usually-rare species, some were still being seen.
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilsons Warbler
-
- - - A report- to this list- of probable Swainsons Warbler has the 1 observer, who does not live in NY state, apparently to make a report to the N.Y. State Avian Records Committee, the sighting was not eBirded, and is yet to be reviewed and-or confirmed by committee. It is not-surprisingly, an all-NYS reviewable species.
Various additional species may have also occurred in Manhattan in a very-busy period of May migration.
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Many butterfly and other insect species have been emerging and turning up in Manhattan recently - including the uncommon-here American Snout butterfly, and some migratory Monarch butterflies, as well as many other insects.
Thanks to the many observers and photographers for sightings and reports all via non-x alerts and as-always via eBird and with the Macaulay Library for media.
good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhtattan
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