Date: 4/22/26 1:26 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park, & all-Manhattan, NYC - 17+ Warbler spp., etc., updates to 4/21
Yet another in the swarm of Yellow-throated Warblers pushing in and thru the NYC region in the past ten-plus days was one found and photographed by one of Bronx Countys many fine younger birders, at modest-sized Claremont Park, in the west-central Bronx, on April 19. … I have fondness for that park myself, having birded there many times, albeit mostly years ago, and somewhat incidental to much longer visits to the larger two parks in The Bronx, as well as to Bronx Zoo or NY Botanical Gardens for work and play, at all seasons. One of 10,001 nice patch-birding sites in the 5 counties of N.Y. City.
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On Monday, April 20, at least 3 Purple Sandpipers were seen on the shore of Governors Island, in N.Y. County, NYC, just south of the southern edge of Manhattan. Governors is the best, proven site in this county to try and locate that sandpiper species, relative to all other areas within the county, yet it is still a nearly-rare, always very localized species for the county.
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Manhattan, N.Y. City - mainly recent 5 days to Tues., April 21st.
Black Scoters and Surf Scoters were seen off Manhattan on Sunday, 4-19, with small numbers of each photographed out over the Hudson River, while greater numbers of the non-white-winged scoters were noticed off Governors Island on the same morning. Species-diversity and overall numbers of most if not all waterfowl in New York County have dropped considerably in the week-that-felt-like-summer, ending on April 18th.
Many species of migrants have been passing through, with many dozens of species -many of those of neotropical-wintering status - in the past ten days or so. A number of species had already apparently moved on with the great swell of migration-tide on a number of days and nights in the week prior to this one.
There are multiple species of neotropical-wintering migrant birds which have passed thru or overflown Manhattan and some have reached breeding areas in the past week or more, also from last week were many overshoot type migrants, some very far north of where typically found such as in Canada for more-southerly species.
The migration events of last week ranging from farther south and into all of North America, and Manhattan saw just a fraction of a sliver of all that was in motion, however some of these birds had been nonetheless been dropping-in, while many individual migrants simply moved on. It is notable too that trees and shrubs and forbs all greened up rapidly thru last week in multiple areas and counties of southeast NY and elsewhere in the northeast, that allowed for emergences of many arthropods including insects in various stages, such as caterpillars of moths, etc., which many birds feed on, and helped to propel migrants farther on their ways this past week. The turn to cooler weather began to slow that process by this week but much migration is ongoing!
Hooded Warblers and N. Parulas have been seen by hundreds of observers in the past week at Central Park. Many many more migrants have been found in all corners of Manhattan. A further report still to come on the recent birds of all of N.Y. County.
Note the rapid turnover in the last two weeks, from waterfowl lingering, to their departures and the concurrent arrivals of such neotropjcal-winters as warblers, and other families of birds - of the Americas and Caribbean isles - arriving here or passing thru. Warbler diversity had increased dramatically, but for many newly-arrived species, the numbers will swell much more in coming weeks.
Some of the birds found in and adjacent to or over Manhattan in the past five days -
Brant - still around at the shores of Manhattan in select areas.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan - East River sightings, from Manhattan.
Wood Duck - ongoing, esp. for Central Park.
Northern Shoveler - few remained to this week.
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid
Green-winged Teal - ongoing at Central Park.
Bufflehead - some continuing.
Hooded Merganser - still present this week, at Central Park.
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck - lingerers still present.
Wild Turkey - ongoing, Battery Park at the south end of Manhattan.
feral Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift - scant so far, includes over Central Park for some days by now.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - very few so far, includes Central Park and several other Manhattan locations.
- Virginia Rail - present thru last week, at Bryant Park.-
Killdeer - few, in traditional locations.
American Woodcock - decreasing sightings.
Spotted Sandpiper - multiple, but not many yet.
Solitary Sandpiper - recently photographed at Central Park, also seen elsewhere.
Laughing Gull - increasing, multiple locations including some visiting Central Park.
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull - no ongoing sightings, recently seen at Central Park reservoir.
Red-throated Loon - fewer and fewer.
Common Loon - many have departed.
Double-crested Cormorant - increasing.
Black-crowned Night Heron - the only night-heron species known for Central Park so far this year, with numbers occasionally to ten or more, esp. at dusk and pre-sunrise.
Snowy Egret - mostly as flybys, including over Central Park.
Green Heron - ongoing, esp. for Central Park with sightings in multiple areas.
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture - few, but ongoing reports.
Turkey Vulture - regular.
Osprey - regular.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk - several recent sightings. Peak spring migration of this species.
Red-tailed Hawk
multiple Owl species.
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- - - Red-headed Woodpecker - one was noted as mostly-heard, but unconfirmed.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern -Yellow-shafted- Flicker - many passing through.
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Phoebe - still passing thru in Manhattan.
Great Crested Flycatcher - scant, and a bit early for now. At Central Park.
White-eyed Vireo - Central Park recently, not noted Tuesday.
Blue-headed Vireo - more than all other vireo species, for now.
Eastern Warbling Vireo - small numbers , slightly early arrivals.
Blue Jay - lots of diurnal migration as well as some on territories.
American Crow
Fish Crow - at this season, told in part by vocalizations.
Common Raven - regular in multiple areas.
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Bank Swallow - multiple reports, this species eludes some seekers almost every year.
Tree Swallow - regular.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - increased all around, including double-digit numbers for Central Park.
Barn Swallow - increased all around.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - increased.
Golden-crowned Kinglet - decreasing.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper - decreased.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - ongoing.
Northern House Wren - very slight uptick. Central Park had at least several.
Winter Wren - decreasing.
Marsh Wren - including at Central Park.
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird - still few and mostly represented by successful overwinterers still around.
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird - recent sighting came to light, at Central Park.
- Veery - few reports, possibly valid - better would have been photos or audio files.
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush - few, especially for Central Park.
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Pipit - recently for Central Park, an under-recognized annual Manhattan migrant, mainly found by knowing calls well.
Purple Finch - ongoing in low numbers around Manhattan, regular in Central Park lately.
House Finch
American Goldfinch - fair to better numbers lately.
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - very few, and very-slightly early.
Indigo Bunting - photographed at Central Park, and elsewhere.
Chipping Sparrow - numerous.
Field Sparrow
Red Fox Sparrow - still a few, but rapidly diminished.
Dark-eyed -Slate-colored- Junco - many have left.
White-crowned Sparrow - early, but not particularly so.
White-throated Sparrow - many migrants in all parts of Manhattan.
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Baltimore Oriole - small numbers so far, also a bit of singing, Central Park included.
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Rusty Blackbird - mainly thru the past weekend but some more are likely to come thru.
Common Grackle
- a minimum of 17 American warbler species in Manhattan, all also occurring within Central Park and many, or most, also being seen in other parks and greenspaces, with 2 additional warbler spp., likely and so most-likely a tally of at least 19 warbler species for Manhattan, as well as for Central Park, in recent days.
-
Ovenbird - multiple, in very low numbers, some singing at times.
Worm-eating Warbler - 2, but more than one week ago.
Louisiana Waterthrush - many over this month, some singing at times.
Northern Waterthrush - small numbers so far, some singing at times.
Blue-winged Warbler - at least several, and Central Park has had singing individuals.
Black-and-white Warbler - multiple sites all around Manhattan, many singing.
Nashville Warbler - few, in past week, and especially at Central Park, also singing.
Common Yellowthroat - few that appear to be freshly arrived migrants, some singing.
Hooded Warbler - at least several in Central Park, including 2 in one day, and singing.
American Redstart - report thus far not confirmed, but hard to mistake a breeding plumaged male that is displaying the typical tail and wing fanning.
Northern Parula - multiple, in multiple locations and most of all at Central Park.
Northern Yellow Warbler - multiple, by now singing from many sites in Manhattan.
Black-throated Blue Warbler - report not yet confirmed, but nearly impossible to mistake a breeding plumaged male.
Palm Warbler - many hundreds have passed, some still seen daily.
Pine Warbler - large numbers have passed thru, some still around daily.
Yellow-rumped -Myrtle- Warbler - large numbers are ongoing, some migrations of this species up to nearly 1,000 per single-morning-flight this month.
Yellow-throated Warbler - multiple reports, of which two or more certainly valid, from at least 2 parks in Manhattan - none seen on Tuesday of this week.
Prairie Warbler - very few so far, at least one singing as well for Central Park.
Black-throated Green Warbler - few so far, and singing, including at Central Park.
- and very likely some additional migrants in the pulses of recent migrations.
Thanks to many hundreds of independent observers and photographers, and to all those leading for or supporting not-for-profit guided bird walks, many of those non-profit walks being made almost every day now in Manhattan and also in the wider NYC area. Reports and alerts all in non-x apps such as the Discord birding app, and in eBird with the Macaulay library for media, and many reports also by good old word-of-mouth.
