Date: 12/20/25 1:30 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] 12/19: Short-billed & Blk.-h. Gulls, Randalls Island, NYC
Randalls Island, part of N.Y. County, in N.Y. City -
Friday, December 19th -
Making rainy-day return-visits to Randalls Island, in the wake of a weather system that also saw masses of, in particular, Ring-billed Gulls show on Randalls, a Short-billed Gull and a Black-headed Gull were each found on Friday, on the northeastern ballfields, and were seen again later the same day. In total well over 1,000 gulls - again, most being Ring-billed - were coming in to the wet sods of Randalls sports fields. The 2 rare gulls are each in adult winter plumage. Each of these gulls was well photographed. Thanks firstly to R. Zucker for the good-gull rain-watch, and other watchers for later out there, with some emergent sunshine. N.B. - With, on some days, masses of gulls including large numbers of Ring-billed Gulls at the Central Park reservoir in nearby Manhattan, it may also be worthwhile for those inclined to keep watch there, for less-expected gulls, in addition to Randalls and other gull gathering-places. These 2 particular rarer gulls are highly likely to be individuals which have been around, and have visited at Randalls Island on previous occasions as well as showing in other locations. It is fairly likely that soggy or slightly icy conditions at times can be ongoing thru the weekend on Randalls.
…
Over at midtown Manhattan, at Bryant Park, a bird that almost certainly was still simply lingering for some days or longer, a non-adult-plumaged White-crowned Sparrow was seen again Friday, a species which in some years has - occasionally- overwintered within the county, including multiple times over the decades in Central Park. The recent Bryant Park White-crowned has been photographed in previous days there, as it again was by Friday. Other native sparrow species are also present, most-common there are plenty of wintering White-throated Sparrows, a typical winter-bird around Manhattan. A nice sighting for Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan was a Rusty Blackbird, from Thursday, 12-18.
Good winter counts and birds to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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