Date: 8/18/25 7:35 am From: Thomas Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - into 8/17 - shorebirds and other migrators
Manhattan, N.Y. City - to Sunday, August 17th -
Six Semipalmated Plovers came in to Inwood Hill Parks larger mudflat on Sunday, 8-17, seen by multiple observers at this location in northern Manhattan. Meanwhile also on Sunday, at least 2 Semipalmated Plovers showed on the Sherman Creek mudflats - see next paragraphs also.
Sherman Creek and elsewhere in Manhattan have been receiving both Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers in recent days or more, including to just-now. Solitary Sandpipers were showing in fewer locations, those including in Central Park, while Spotted Sandpipers were again found in multiple sites and locations of Manhattan and surrounding watery-ways. Killdeer mostly as-is-typical here, in a few locations where they are fairly-regular.
A Greater Yellowlegs showed in the mudflats off Inwood Hill Park on Friday, 8-15 and continued into Sat and Sunday, 8-16-17, with multiple observers - possibly the same, or a different individual to the one seen in preceding days last week at Sherman Creek Parks mudflats - these locations not all that far apart in as-the-bird-flies distance, both in northern Manhattan. At Muscota Marsh area alongside Inwood, at W. 218th St., Marsh Wren was still being detected into Sunday.
The first of Veery sightings for the county and for Manhattan -of the entire summer- came on Friday, Aug. 15th with at least several in several parks on the day, including Central Park, Inwood Hill Park, and Riverside Park-north. Earlier-summer notes had no attendant documentation for exceptional-date for this county. There are just fair numbers and diversity of migratory warblers for Sunday, at some sites up to ten or so species, a bit lower than had been only one or two days prior, suggestive that birds had been moving on.
There has in any case been regular overnight migration and good morning-flight as well, still showing some seeming bias in this county to the western fringes of the county - the Hudson River area. Some flycatchers in addition to Eastern Kingbirds on the move were continuing to arrive, including slightly more Empidonax-genus, all too many remaining fairly quiet here for the southbound-season which is typical. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been lingering in select locations, with only rather modest passages in the last few days.
Some other species starting to return in increased numbers - all being found in multiple sites in Manhattan, including in Central Park in recent days, were Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, and tougher-to-detect right now with local-breeders still lingering - more E. Kingbirds. There have been light flights of Bobolinks, and at least some orioles have been moving - the longer-distance movers now being Orchard Oriole, rather than the numerous Baltimores. For Sunday morning at least, the most-numerous of early-moving warbler species was Northern Yellow Warbler - our usual form in migrations here. Some other species showed modest ongoing movements such as American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, and a few more in higher numbers than most of the rest of the tribe, part of that via N.F.C., and also in early-in-day sightings. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are ongoing or still passing thru in mostly low numbers here. For Friday morning, from Thurs. night, American Redstart was the predominant migratory warbler in-flight for nocturnal flight, in particular passing this island.
A wee more of N. Shovelers came in by Sat., 8-16 with some at Inwood Hill Park area as well as again at Central Park, these the only waterfowl to have moved in much here, since the bit of Wood Duck movement earlier, the latter mainly noticed for Central Park. The female Wild Turkey was still around Battery Park in lower Manhattan to Sunday. Some raptors seen fairly widely this week and to Sunday included Ospreys and Bald Eagles. The flights of Broad-winged Hawk have already been on in recent days in the immediate region, mainly to the west of this island, as is usual. Some other raptors are also being noticed, including the 2 resident-falcon species of this city and also a modest selection of other resident raptorial birds which are active in day or by night. Common Ravens also continue to be seen and heard in multiple areas of Manhattan, as has been increasingly possible for all recent years - the species has bred successfully again here, this year.
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Giant Swallowtail is among the uncommon-here species of butterfly that have been showing in Manhattan, including in Central Park, recently, other species have included Cloudless Sulphur, American Snout, Common Buckeye, and Fiery Skipper in addition to White M Hairstreak mentioned previously in a report here.
Good observations to all, thanks to many finders - observers - photographers for a broad variety of birds and some of the other wildlife on, over, and near Manhattan island. Many reports and alerts via non-x alerts and as always from eBird reports, including the Macaulay Library for media - both visual and auditory.
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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