Date: 4/16/26 4:22 pm From: Thomas Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - to 4/16 - Pileated WP, V. Rails, rapid-migration ongoing
Prothonotary Warblers have arrived by now in at least 3 of New York Citys five counties and certainly should be watched for elsewhere, as well as watching out for multiple other so-called overshoot type of neotropical-wintering migrant birds, and also possible vagrants from yet farther-out.
Sightings of multiple Yellow-throated Warblers in N.Y. City by now include a fine sighting-find by a few hearty observers in the Bronx, at Franz Sigel Park which its fair to say has been visited by not-many NYC birders, that Yellow-throated was noted on April 11, and possibly not since then. Other Yellow-throated Warbler sighting-reports in Manhattan, etc. may require some further documentation to be confirmed. Yellow-throated Warbler reports from Central Park in Manhattan began on Wednesday, April 15, in eBird, and -not- on any x-app, and not in other non-publicly viewable apps.
The Glossy Ibis passing around Governors Island -in N.Y. County, NYC- and likely visible at times from Manhattan this week are now also confirmed by photos as-of Wednesday, thanks in part to L. Wong for those. This ibis is an uncommonly found species in the country, particularly so for on-the-deck sightings over the decades. It has become slightly more regular in recent decades, as the species also expanded breeding range a bit northward.
There has been a great deal of migrant passage with birds flying past, and many well-past, N.Y. City or nearby, so that for example by Thursday 4-16 Indigo Bunting has landed up to 240 straight-line miles from mid-Manhattan, at Nantucket Island, a well-known site for vagrant and all manner of migrant birds. There are many many more examples right now for overshoot-migrants having reached the north-of-NYC sites, especially by Thursday. Another fine example is the male-plumaged Hooded Warbler which has been seen and photographed by many just outside Halifax -Nova Scotia, Canada- starting on April 10, if not even before.
At minimum, 12 species of warblers were within Central Park alone on April 16th. A few more possible species need some further confirmation, for such a date-arrival. It might be worth noting however, some of the strong-overshoot-type migration of a variety of songbirds has been from as early as April 10th, in North America - and this includes Canada.
In warblers alone, there are at-least the following species already found on territories -north of- N.Y. City, some for some days, some just found on 4-16, by many other observers - Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Northern Yellow Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped -Myrtle form- Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Black-throated Green Warbler, some ON territories in various states, or Canadian provinces. And likely at least a few more warbler species than these are also occurring in locations north of N.Y. City.
Prothonotary Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler have each been seen by now in areas not far from N.Y. City, or in potential habitat in NYC, for possible or likely breeding attempts. More of these two particular species are, not surprisingly being seen in southern New Jersey and points south or west of there, in appropriate habitat, than in more-northerly areas for potential breeding.
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Manhattan, N.Y. City - to Thursday, April 16 -
A more thorough report, for all areas in N.Y. County may be forthcoming in just a few days.
A Pileated Woodpecker has continued at least into Wed., 4-15 at Inwood Hill Park, recently around the Clove area in that parks near-northern wooded portion, a bit southwest of the small sports meadow and lagoon walkway. Of course this bird may move about at times, in its feeding. This is clearly a good time of year to see the species in NYC - also noted in Queens County and Richmond County of N.Y. City recently. The species is also a likely semi-resident or permanent resident of Bronx County in N.Y. City, which is the only county of that city which is on and part-of the N. American mainland, all the other counties are, or are part of, islands - Kings and Queens Counties each being a part of much-larger Long Island.
A Virginia Rail was reported separately at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, additional to the bird picked up for rehab-evaluation elsewhere already. Other rail species are also migrating lately thru the region. The Bryant Park Virgina Rail was found by N. Flowers in that park on Wed., and by Thursday, 4-16, was being seen and photographed by large numbers of people thru the day - it may take some patience to observe - as with most rails… It is a rail!
With so many trees and shrubs showing some leaves or leaf-buds, or in bloom recently, as well as all manner of other plant life reawakening, there are also more plentiful arthropods for hungry arriving migrant birds to find and consume, and the leaf cover thats been increasing daily with the very warm weather also is providing a bit of cover for the smaller migrant and other birds.
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Some but probably not all of new arrivals to the island of Manhattan and, with so many observers in the one park -Central Park- a good percentage of the newly found birds being noted from that location, indeed all that are in this paragraph - are listed here - Spotted Sandpiper - at multiple sites on Manhattan as well as in N.Y. County by now, including several in Central Park, as well as Inwood Hill Park, and elsewhere, Solitary Sandpiper, Green Herons - multiple birds, two of which seen and photographed in Central Park in the same area, plus others elsewhere, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Indigo Bunting, and Baltimore Oriole. There are some additional -other- reports for various migrants that as-of late-day on Thursday were still not confirmed. All of the species noted above and below have also occurred elsewhere in the region, and some already well north of N.Y. City. The sandpipers were also photographed or videotaped by multiple observers including at Central Park.
Still present in Central Park on Thursday was a male-plumaged Hooded Warbler, and at least 9 additional warbler species that were all present in earlier days. Those other warblers included Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush - multiple, Black-and-white Warbler - multiple, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula - at least 8 in Manhattan by Thursday after several were already seen at Central Park, one there seen by more than 100 observers and photographers by today, Northern Yellow Warbler - multiples of this species have arrived in Manhattan seen from lower Manhattan to northern Manhattan, and by now with dozens of observers and photos from several parks, Palm Warbler - many of both sexes, Pine Warbler - both sexes present in numbers, and Yellow-rumped Myrtle-form Warblers, the last the most numerous warbler species in Central on mourning flights this week and the same all around Manhattan and all of N.Y. County, although a lot of day-only observers were reporting Palm Warbler as their most-seen warbler spp, this week.
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Of recent warblers this week, a few species represented by individual birds may have already moved on, in the highly-favorable weather conditions for onward passage. Those additional warblers of this week included Worm-eating Warbler and Prairie Warbler. At least a few other species just seen this week may also have moved on. See the 4th paragraph of this report above, for a very few of many examples - some migrants have far-overshot the expected-anticipated early dates or northern-most breeding locations of their species by some days, weeks or considerable distances. We might not expect much more of this by this weekend and next week - however, quite a few migrants have likely arrived and some which are on the early side, or are uncommon or even rare for our region or the local sites, may well be found by birders in coming days. Whip-poor-will has already arrived, and not all that early, on territories to the north of N.Y. City. Other examples await...
Of birds at Central Park, multiple Rusty Blackbirds have been on going, many observers finding two or even more at a go, and the Green Herons have been observed there by over 100 people just in one area on Thursday. Possibly the least-expected of ducks still being seen at Central Park, into Thursday, were 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. Many other ducks at Central such as multiple Green-winged Teal have been lingering on and on, while some overwintered or rapid-migrant ducks also have moved on to more-northerly places, by now. Purple Finches have been seen in many locations in Manhattan recently, but mostly in very modest numbers, while American Goldfinches are also moving thru in greater numbers.
All of the species seen at Central Park, and most other areas within N.Y. County, have been reported or alerted first in the Discord birding-app, and on eBird with alerts there arriving in a short time, after the rapid Discord local alerts have been issued. Media including photos, videos, and audio files are also being placed in the Macaulay Library, with many eBird reports.
Thanks to vast numbers of independent birders and photographers all around Manhattan and also multiple leaders and supporters with the ongoing not-for-profit guided bird walks held in multiple locations thru this spring, led for such institutions and organizations as the American Museum of Natural History, the NYC Bird Alliance, the Linnaean Society of New York, and many more not-for-profit organizations, for many bird sightings, alerts and reports all in never-x apps. Also valued as-ever, reports via others by direct word-of-mouth.
