Date: 5/12/26 5:43 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC - Tues, 5/12 - Philly Vireo, Prothonotary Warbler, etc.
Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - Tuesday, May 12 -
The newly arrived Prothonotary Warbler on Tuesday, seen by many, photographed by some, made some rounds of watery areas in and next to The Ramble at times on Tuesday, with varying observations by varying observers moving around as was this individual warbler. Possibly a 1st-spring male, or a female if no song is heard, this warbler also spent some time west of The Lake, but overall was seen at and next to waters slow or swifter, small streams that run to the lake or by the lake itself. This species now makes for at least 31 species of migratory Americas-hemisphere warblers thus far this spring in Central Park alone, and it is possible that a 32nd species had already occurred there this spring.
A Philadelphia Vireo was well-photographed in Central Park as well on Tuesday, an uncommon find for the spring here, but not as uncommon to rare as once had seemed in spring migrations of past times in our local area. This may be partly due to increased awareness of the finer points on ID, it is a vireo that may be a bit easier for many to pick out in the fall, when some are slightly more colorful and stand out a little from some potential ID-confusion alternative birds, not all of which confusion-species are other vireo spp.! This species of vireo nests in NY state, but might still be the least-known of the breeding vireos of NYS, excepting those special places where it has nested, in some counties. It also breeds in northern New England - and far more in parts of Canada - where, in some locales, this - Philadelphia - can far outnumber Red-eyed Vireo, even in habitat suitable to both vireo spp., and where both co-occur.
Another Prothonotary Warbler has been reported from May 11, and may possibly be lingering, around the northern sector of Manhattan. It would be quite a happening, but it is not inconceivable that Prothonotary Warbler could nest, or attempt to, in some parts of N.Y. City. Remember that there are five counties in N.Y. City, and four have more types of habitat and far more of it, for breeding birds, than most of Manhattan. Location, location, location - as the real estate saying goes, the context a little different for our breeding birds…
Thanks to many observers and photographers for sightings, alerts in Discord and to eBird, and vast numbers of reports with some word-of-mouth bird news also shared in the field and in real-time. Media including sound and visual, are in the Macaulay Library as linked in with eBird archiving.
