Date: 9/21/25 9:20 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC - 9/18 to 9/21 - 25+ warbler spp., varied end-of-summer migrant-arrivals
A highlight species for all of N.Y. County over this past weekend was a sighting of American Golden Plover at Randalls Island - D. Aronov, A. Cunningham, T. Healy - which was photographed in-flight early on Saturday, 9-20 but apparently may not have come down to ground there, not seen later on or the following day. Many! other migrants and some semi-resident species were also seen at Randalls Island through that same day.
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Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - from Thursday, 9-18 thru Sunday, 9-20 -
On both Thursday and Friday, at least 25 species of migratory American warblers were found by -far more than- 100 observers each day, with that warbler-species tally by the huge collectively-walking observers both on independent walks, and with not-for-profit guided walks led by multiple guides, all for non-profit institutions and organizations such as the American Museum of Natural History, the N.Y. City Bird Alliance, and the Linnaean Society of New York, for example, with additional non-profit orgs also having guided birding-walks in Central Park, and all supporting nature conservation, education, and diversity. Numbers of warbler-species dropped just slightly in diversity to still over twenty species per day on Saturday to Sunday at Central Park. This was also noted for many, many other parks and greenspaces all through N.Y. County, particularly all around Manhattan, with its scores of parks, gardens, and other greenspaces being covered by vast numbers of birders and photographers.
Vireos, highlighted by Philadelphia Vireos in multiple areas on all 4 days of this report at Central Park were highly-photographed and reported by scores and scores of birders, a good showing by that less-common-here vireo, with the more-numerous Red-eyed Vireos continuing to pass thru -and those which had nested at Central and other Manhattan parks, like the Warbling Vireos which are Manhattans most-numerous breeding-vireo species, all departing by now on their ways south, just as more Blue-headed Vireos have been showing, the letters numbers now increasing as is expected here later in the season.
A White-eyed Vireo still around the n-w sector of Central Park was very well photo-documented thru Friday, 9-19, with the photos and report in eBird and Macaulay Library archives. And again, the note that White-eyed Vireo is the sole vireo species which has successfully overwintered in N.Y. City, over past decades, and has attempted to do so in many additional winters at select sites. This is also a breeding species of N.Y. City.
One of the multiple Philly-Vireos seen by the very large Linnaean Society of New York group picnic-homecoming and walk, with many many dozens of participants present, at Central Park on Sunday, was very nicely-photographed later that day, while many other Philly Vireos in multiple park-locations also were photographed. Quite a good season for this boreal-type-breeding species which migrates mainly in the fall through here.
Getting to near the later-dates of typical southbound-migration are some Great Crested Flycatchers photographed in Central Park into this past weekend, while other flycatchers still being found have included some Empidonax-genus - the ones with IDs in reports being mostly Least or Yellow-bellied, and all of the Empidonax-genus we see being much-reduced in numbers, by Sunday - and, many E. Wood-Pewees, increasing-now E. Phoebes, as well as a smaller number of E. Kingbirds of which the latter mainly have flown-out in some good migration-days over recent weeks. A very small number of reports have had Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Some of the many migrants of additional interest included the rather-likely occurrences of Bicknells Thrush as well as the far-more-regularly found Gray-cheeked Thrush, as well as a slight increase of Hermit Thrush, while still being seen are Veery in lowering numbers, and Wood and Swainsons Thrushes. Some of the recent reports with photos included of putative Bicknells Thrushes in Central Park are from folks who have worked in breeding-banding-research on that sensitive, threatened species within NY state and-or in New England.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo also has occurred in the past 4 days at Central Park and also elsewhere in Manhattan and in the broader county. Very recently-arriving migrants, some being species that may linger well into or thru winter here, have included Winter Wren, Brown Creepers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos. More native sparrows are arriving in numbers and diversity with Savannah, Field, Chipping, Swamp, and White-throated Sparrows all showing increases and numbers of Lincolns Sparrow continuing to show as well.
In waterfowl, we have seen a rather-static group of species at Central Park from the past week and prior, which include ongoing Wood, American Black, and Ruddy Ducks, as well as N. Shovelers, Gadwall, and a few Green-winged Teal all in Central Park. For day-flying raptors observed, there were some Broad-winged Hawks making their way over Manhattan and some over Central Park, with large numbers around the region mostly to the west of Manhattan in recent days, and also appearing over Central Park have been Ospreys, Bald Eagles, N. Harriers, Sharp-shinned and Coopers Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlins, and for local-resident species, the regularly-seen Peregrine Falcons and Red-tailed Hawks. Some of these aforementioned migrant-raptors also have stopped in to hunt at Central Park, and some of the above are daily in that activity at Central. A nice sighting of one of the now-local Common Ravens - the species again bred within a few hundred yards of one corner of this park again this year - was one that walked across much of the C.P. Reservoir central berm, exposed above the water, chucking and chuckling numerous gulls away from its chosen walkway. Laughing Gull is still a visitor to the C.P. reservoir but not-so-common as that species had been there in parts of this summer.
Chimney Swifts were still migrating in masses and some locations not too far from Central Park may be roost-sites, while a lot of that species are moving on south, with each day now. Many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds continued to migrate, in daytime, and there are also a number of locations in Manhattan and certainly multiple areas of Central Park with enough flowers to attract these hummingbirds to stop in, or linger a bit longer.
A long-long-long lingering Solitary Sandpiper has been in Central Park at The Pool, and also more-general have been some Spotted Sandpipers passing on multiple days. Other Solitary Sandpipers are also being seen in parts of Manhattans extensive shores, at times. Most of the countys observed shorebird movements have been out on or over the other-islands of Randalls and Governors, as well as across some parts of northern Manhattan and to some extent, along the whole of the Hudson River frontage on Manhattan.
Black Vultures have been seen and photographed over Central Park in recent days by dozens of observers and photographers - to Sunday. Turkey Vulture, the more-regularly seen species also has been -more- regular in all recent days.
Seasonal arrivals and ongoing passage of some additional species have included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern -Yellow-shafted- Flicker, Blue Jay which have a varying migration-passage most years being more-numerous as arrivals as autumn on the calendar gets in gear - which is starting on Monday, 9-22 this year - also still being seen in fair numbers with more as passage-migrators are Red-breasted Nuthatches in most sectors of Central Park and also all-around the region, some still-migrating Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a few reports of Marsh Wren for Central Park, a relatively-uncommon but annual migrant here in this particular park, ongoing Northern House Wrens, Brown Thrashers, Gray Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, some Purple Finches but the latter in low numbers so far here, E. Towhees, Scarlet Tanagers in lowering numbers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings… and among species in the Icteridae family - Baltimore Orioles on passage, with small numbers still around in Central, and great increases of both Brown-headed Cowbirds and Common Grackles, while Red-winged Blackbirds have not arrived yet in the numbers that further fall-passages will bring along to all of the region and some thru Manhattan and over and around Central Park.
Those curious as to the species of warblers still passing in the past 4 days at Central Park alone may look thru the list following, all species having been seen and photographed as-per the 2nd paragraph above in all of this report. Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler in very-low numbers by now, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Common Yellowthroat in good numbers all 4 days of this report, Hooded Warbler - also note that a small number of Hoodeds are and were showing in multiple other parks of Manhattan in these past 4 days, with some of these in adult-male-like plumage and also photographed -American Redstart in dipping-lower numbers by Sunday, Cape May Warbler still going now for 1 full month of photo-documented sightings here, the earliest also being of course simply first passage migrants of the season, and the species still moving thru, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler now in lowered numbers, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler with excellent numbers on daily passages, but not-nearly as many lingering-on even for multiple days here, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warblers of the forms we can see in fall-passage now, both some eastern-breeding and less-yellow forms from other breeding areas, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped -Myrtle- Warbler the latter species still not up to its fullest fall numbers but has increased to regular in recent days, Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, a very-few Canada Warblers which are by now a late-moving migrator for any still being noticed, and Wilson's Warbler. EVERY species noted above among these warblers has been photographed - and many extensively-so.
Orange-crowned Warbler, and Connecticut Warblers have been reported again and some may well be correctly identified, however not all of the recent reports for these 2 less-common species in fall have been confirmed by reviewers. The 2 latter species would make for 27 species of migratory American warblers in Central Park, Manhattan for just the past four days.
The above is -not- an exhaustive listing of all of the species of migrant birds that have been in and-or over Central Park the past several days, and some less-common or rare species may have been omitted, such as certain nocturnally active birds. Common Nighthawks were still being seen in Manhattan - and in northern Manhattan as a rule for the higher numbers this whole season, particularly at or near the Hudson River or Spuyten Duyvil creek waterways and in their vicinity.
Thanks to many not-for-profit walk-leaders, many hundreds of observers and photographers for many finds, and reports all in non-x alerts and as-always in eBird reports and alerts, with the Macaulay Library for archived media - both visual and auditory.
Good birding, and a Happy Autumnal Equinox as-of Monday 9-22 in the afternoon.
Tom Fiore,
manhattan
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