Date: 9/29/25 4:56 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Phylloscopus Warbler at Randalls Island, NYC (discovered 9/27)
A beyond-mega Phylloscopus-genus Warbler discovered very early on Saturday, Sept. 27 on Randalls Island, in New York County which is within N.Y. City, was continuing on Sunday, Sept. 28th in the same area. This discovery, and now thought to be likely an Arctic Warbler based on photos, videos and observations that include analyzing the vocalizations - the last a regular feature of identification in many Phylloscopus-genus warblers, is a beyond-rare bird for the lower-48 contiguous United States and also a probable first for anywhere in the eastern to midwestern USA, or eastern Canada.
Thanks to the original group involved in the find on Saturday 9-27, R. Zucker, T. Healy, D. Aronov, and A. Cunningham who all frequent Randalls Island in all seasons for birding. Happily this small passerine has continued on a Sunday - 9-28 - affording even more observers to come in and find it. Excellent additional re-finds and cooperation from so many, with kudos to the original finders-observers for staying around so long on Saturday to help at times. There were on Saturday also many very good locally-rare to less common migrants seen on Randalls Island, including Blue Grosbeak and Dickcissel, and then later also Connecticut Warbler along with twenty-plus other migratory American-hemisphere Warbler species found by the Randalls-regulars and with many also being seen later thru both Saturday and on to Sunday.
There will be more notes and sharing of information on this Phylloscopus-find in coming days, weeks, and months. Congratulations to the devoted Randalls Island birders and to all who came in to seek this beyond-rare small bird, of a large group of species known more widely to Asian and European, and more generally to non-nearctic or neotropical bird seekers.
There could be a lengthy list of far more than 100 additional migrant species seen this weekend in N.Y. County, but even a number of rarer but North American breeding birds found in the county by vast numbers of observers and photographers is a bit overshadowed by one small, not easily identified to species level, passerine of - primarily - the other sides of 2 ponds, across the Pacific and across the Atlantic. A lingering question with this New York County Phylloscopus will be what path it took in arriving to Randalls Island - and thru North America - and should any observers happen to have thought of or been able to see if any fecal matter - ie, poop - from this Phylloscopus could be picked up, there might be a chance at an analysis. A vast amount of scientific literature exists on the Phylloscopus and while some in that large assemblage of species may be more-recently evolved or evolving, there have been some papers describing the groups of these warblers of which Arctic Warbler is most allied with, as perhaps an older evolutionary spilt compared with some others of this genus. One could do worse than to look into articles partly authored by Per Alstrom in the area of research in the Phylloscopus, also many readers might know of the articles in the Birds of the World sets and online versions, which are strongly influenced by Alstrom, some parts principally authored by him. Many authors from a great diversity of nations have also contributed much to knowledge in the complexity of the Phylloscopus.
Good birding and thanks to all for observations and reports, particularly for so many highly-detailed notes and reports on the bird of this year and perhaps of this decade, for the site and by some estimation, for all of the county.
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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