Date: 5/28/26 4:22 pm From: Thomas Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park, NYC - to Thursday, May 28 - 21+ warbler spp., 7+ flycatcher spp., 5+ migrant thrush spp., etc.
Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City - Thursday, May 28th -
Articles about the nest first placed on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan decades ago by the Red-tailed Hawk named Pale Male have been circulating for some days, since new resident hawks came to re-occupy the re-made nest at that famed location, in such periodicals as the New York Times and many many other newspapers, new outlets and of course in multiple online fora having to do with birds in NYC, birds of anywhere in the world, NYC-interest, nature-interest, etc. and etc. - not tooting any horns, I was among the first dozen people including any and all birders to note the imminent nest-location selection and the prior nesting-behavior of the then juvenile-plumaged Red-tailed Hawk we came to call Pale Male, in Manhattan. Soon after the nest was actually built on Fifth Ave., first few, then more, eventually scores, hundreds, thousands, and literally millions of human followers of the saga of Pale the Male and his multiple better-partners in fame, the females of which all the multi-mates were given names as well. And the saga of the family and the history on into the future of these hawks lives on to a new generation of watchers and followers.
Observers totaling far more than 300, including multiple -at least ten separate such walks as described here, in Central Park, on this day- guided bird-walk groups affiliated with not-for-profit organizations and institutions, such as the Queer Birders Club in their season-finale walk, on Wed., May 27, and multiple walks led by leaders and with supporters for the NYC Bird Alliance, the Linnaean Society of New York, the American Museum of Natural History, and other organizations that in these guided walks and otherwise are promoting and practicing sound science, conservation, education and outreach, and invitation into natural diversity among the ideals - had sightings of nearly 90 species on 2 days, and still at least 85 species of wild birds in this one park as-of late-day Thursday, May 28th. Slightly more species from Wednesday as there were some lingerers that may or may not have stayed on into Thursday. One of the most-watched individual birds in Central on Wednesday was a rather obliging male Mourning Warbler at The Pool, in the parks northwest sector, which was seen and well-photographed by many many dozens of observers in various hours of Wednesday. There have been plenty of other Mourning Warblers, seen near-daily in Central - and elsewhere in the county as well on many recent days - in the latter half of this month in particular.
Flycatchers still present in Central Park and both seen and heard into Thursday included Olive-sided, Yellow-bellied, Acadian, Least, and other Empidonax-genus as well which may or may not have vocalized as much, and Great Crested Flycatchers, E. Wood-Pewees, and E. Kingbirds the latter 3 of which breed or attempt to annually in Central Park, with Acadian Flycatcher also a strongly-expected breeder in Central Park and one which breeds each year in N.Y. City.
Thrush species still being seen in Central include a small number of Veery, a very few Hermit Thrush which are quite-late to move on from here by now, multiple Swainsons Thrushes and Gray-cheeked Thrushes, and at least a few Bicknells that were still being heard giving calls or soft songs to help clinch ID issues, and also Wood Thrushes which are annual breeders in Central Park - in scant numbers as nesters. Also still being seen have been cuckoos, with Yellow-billed by far the more-often found, and Black-billed Cuckoo a lot scarcer - each seen in Central on Wed. and Thursday.
Many of the species that are breeding in Central Park have started to, with some on nests, and others still involved in courtship and such, and all observers and photographers will be thanked to keep a reasonable distance from any nests or hatchling or young fledgling birds, particularly so for all species which are not common - and also for the common ones, even the ubiquitous American Robin deserves to live in peace, having selected Manhattan as the place to try and raise a family!
Thanks to so many observers and photographers for sightings, alerts, reports, and some word-of-mouth tips as well on the many migrants and summer-resident or resident species that have been found.
