Date: 11/9/25 4:01 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - into Sunday, Nov. 9 - recent migrants & arrivals
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Governors Island, Randalls Island, and Roosevelt Island and the skies-above and adjacent waters -
into Sunday, November 9th -
On Friday 11-7, a single Cave Swallow was seen and photographed from the hills on Governors Island in N.Y. County, a passage migrant-vagrant as a number of others of that species have been, passing other locations in N.Y. City and at points east, west, south and somewhat-north in this past week. Other individuals of that species could well have been moving thru this countys airspace lately but no others thus far had been seen sufficiently well, or photographed, to add confirmation to other N.Y. County possible-sightings.
There have been a modest number of Tree Swallows on the move which is fully-expected into this month, Tree Swallow also being a species that may appear in December and even in mid-winter within N.Y. City. The Cave Swallow movements are mostly for wholly thought to be of a form that is also found in parts of Texas where of course far more usual than in the northeast… however, the species has been more-understood in its movements and that the species possibly has shown in the northeast of N. America for a lot longer period of years than was realized and, perhaps some longer-ago reports of -Cliff- type swallows were in part or mostly of Cave, instead, in incursions into the northeastern parts of the U.S. and even to southeast Canada. Typically these vagrant-migrant Cave Swallows may not linger much, depending on exact localities in the northeast, but it is possible that some will in some instances. For the rare sightings in N.Y. County, these were not lingerers, and were seen to move-on rapidly.
Additional attempts were made by some on Saturday, 11-8 from the same site on Governors Island, for potential swallows and while some sightings came, these on Saturday were all seen as -Tree- Swallow, the vastly-more expected species of late autumn in the area. However a nice mix of other migrant birds were noted for Saturday on, or from Governors Island, including a number of Bonapartes Gulls not far-out at times, ongoing Laughing Gulls, Horned Lark, Pine Siskin, plus modest numbers of American Goldfinches and some Purple Finches, fairly-modest numbers of typical icterids being mainly Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles, also E. Meadowlark, plus E. Bluebird, a nice number of Cedar Waxwings, a White-winged Scoter offshore, and in warblers besides rather-expected Palm and Yellow-rumped -Myrtle-form- Warblers, at least one Cape May, and a likely-lingering Orange-crowned Warbler, as well as other species of birds there on Saturday, including some light raptor movement with 2 N. Harriers right out over the encircling waters an interesting observation and photo-op.
At Central Park there have been multiple owls of multiple species in the past week-plus and since some of these were -discovered- or revealed in part by blue jays, crows, and other mobbing birds at times, there have been some crowds of humans in the areas of some of these owls, as is typical in this highly-visited large park at any time of any year when such discoveries are revealed. Hopefully all watchers and photographers will be well-behaved and reasonably quiet, as generally seems for recent days.
Multiple observers on Saturday added E. Meadowlark, seen and photographed at the Great Lawn of Central Park, to their sightings for that day. In other Central Park bird sightings, a N. Waterthrush was still lingering at The Pool, where one or more had been for many, many weeks by now - still not a latest-date by any means for Central as this species has occurred into December, albeit very-scarcely in the past. A report of N. Yellow Warbler again by the southern end of that park should, if encountered again be photographed or video recorded if possible, to add to the potential for confirming a late sighting. This is also a species which has later-date records in that park but very-rarely, and those past records also included photo-documentations. Some other warblers were still lingering in Central and in a variety of other locations around the county.
Sparrow diversity had dropped by a bit in Central Park lately and that is somewhat reflected in other locations of the county, although some Lincolns Sparrows are still being reported, less regularly by now. Roosevelt Island continued to have some migrant activity, with some sparrows and late warblers among the recent finds there.
Waterfowl arrivals while not overly-diverse in the reports so far this month - for duckage that has stayed on waters of the county - but there are some Hooded Mergansers and Bufflehead and other expected-now species showing off Inwood Hill and vicinity of n. Manhattan, and much the same in Central Park and also at a few other locations around the county, with still-good numbers of Wood Ducks particularly in Central Park, where some Green-winged Teals also are long-lingering, as well as Ruddy Ducks and many N. Shovelers, and other typical waterfowl. A female Wild Turkey was ongoing at The Battery in the south end of Manhattan.
We might see some fresh waterfowl arrival in the coming days as colder weather kicks through all of the northeastern parts - and beyond - of N. America. There were no later-date -or even late-same-day- re-finds of the recent 11-6 Western Kingbird photographed at Randalls Island or at any other sites of N.Y. County, but the possibility of same other vagrant-flycatcher species is very much still here in the region, and similarly-so for a range of other unexpected, potential rarities in the area and in this county, as November continues and on into the winter season.
E. Phoebe, the most-commonly-found late-autumn flycatcher here, has now been rather scarce in the past few days in New York County. If any unexpected species is encountered even a phone-photo or video may be helpful in determining any IDs on tricky-to-ID species.
Good birding to all, and thanks to many many observers for so many finds, re-finds, and reports and alerts of recent birds, many-most of these reported in eBird and with the Macaulay Library for media in visual and auditory forms.
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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