Date: 6/13/26 4:49 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park & more of N.Y. County, NYC - 6/13 - Louisiana W.-thrush, Blackpoll Ws, etc.
Saturday, May 13 -
At Central Park, in Manhattan -
The greatest surprise to be positively identified - but not unprecedented for June here, was a Louisiana Waterthrush noticed around The Pool in the parks northwest quadrant, a very late bird IF still considering reaching any potential breeding-grounds in the local region, or farther - however, it is quite possible this might be a returning southbound bird, although such would be a bit early. Many of the earliest southbound warblers in the return-season can be missed by observers, as some are very soon after, or even occur during the latest of northbound migrant warblers.
Multiple warbler species which breed in the near-northeast are known to make early, sometimes seemingly very-early return trips towards their wintering grounds, and Louisiana Waterthrushes can be among that category of warblers from our area. The much more expected, not-unusual migrant warblers of Saturday included multiples of Blackpoll Warbler, occurring not just in Central Park in the low-multiples, including adult-breeding singing males, nonsinging birds, some female, and some likely in their first spring of life, some however giving characteristic chip notes as they foraged.
And somewhat more generally, around Manhattan and in this county, on Sat., 6-13 -
More Blackpoll Warblers were detected in various other parks and greenspaces of this county, including at least on both Governors and Randalls Islands as well as some additional parks of Manhattan island on Saturday. Further Warbler species in Central Park on 6-13 included Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats, as well as American Redstart - all 3 of the latter were also found in at least several more sites on Manhattan, and the Yellow Warbler as well as Common Yellowthroat is on other islands of this county, in most cases by now as potential or actual breeders. A slightly late Magnolia Warbler was noted at Inwood Hill Park on Saturday, and it would not be at all surprising for a few other warbler species to have been noticed in the county for Saturday. Ovenbirds, all non-breeders here, continue in several sites of the county, including in Central Park. A pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers has been ongoing at Central Park this month. Multiple Warbling Vireos and fewer of Red-eyed Vireos continue and some of both of these nesting, at Central and various additional parks of Manhattan, as well as on other islands in N.Y. County.
As to any putative or possible hybrids among our American warblers seen on migration, one potential idea in observing would be any attempts made to capture - fallen poop - from such a bird, not always easy to even consider, but a potential way to capture an element of the individual bird without any harm and without ever touching a bird that has questions related to its full identity. Hybrids may be rare in a larger sense, but are not necessarily excessively rare, and of course certain of the American hemispheres warbler species are known to hybridize with others regularly, in varying degree and varied situations in breeding.
Willow Flycatchers continue on territories within the county, and for Central Park, among breeding or potentially-breeding flycatchers thru 6-13 were Acadian, and Great Crested Flycatchers as well as the more-commonly noticed E. Kingbirds plus vocal E. Wood-Pewees, all of these flycatchers also found elsewhere on Manhattan, and most also on other islands of the county, in addition to Manhattan.
Thanks to the many observers and photographers walking with, or affiliated with not-for-profit guided walks and in support of nonprofit institutions and organizations that organize such walks, as well as independent walkers who are unaffiliated to any strictly-for-profit walks done in N.Y. City, the latter group making a considerable portion among the many hundreds of bird observers and photographers active in June here, for many sightings, alerts via the Discord app, as well as thru eBird with the Macaulay Library for media, both auditory and visual.
More reports from around the county at a later date. A sampling of nice ongoing birds in particular places includes Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and Cliff Swallow, both in their N.Y. County stronghold of Randalls Island thru Saturday. The Common Terns are being seen in fair to good numbers at the best-known site for them in the county, at and near Governors Island, which is just south of Manhattan and is also adjacent to the NY Harbor.
