Date: 9/1/26 1:56 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - 8/31 - prob. W-f. Ibis, shorebirds, other migrants
Manhattan, N.Y. City - Monday, August 31st -
What appears to be a White-faced Ibis - unless somehow shown to be a hybrid with Glossy - was discovered at Sherman Creek park mudflats, n. Manhattan, thanks to L. Beausoleil for first getting word out, as even Glossy Ibis on the deck in this county has been fairly rare over time. As additional observers arrived and photos were being made, talk turned to the rarer-in-region White-faced Ibis, which would be a likely first county record if confirmed as that species. In a sense, this actually would be in the list of somewhat-anticipated species for rhe county, as the understanding of local occurrences of these Ibis species grows. At Sherman Creek on Monday, in particular there were also many Calidris-genus sandpipers present, possibly more than 100 total at times, of which those identified were Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers each in high numbers. Also present were Semipalmated Plover, Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers, and often typical here, Killdeer. The Ibis was found and observed only in later hours of the day, by a number of additional observers, and that ibis - just the one individual - was observed to fly south, but low along the Harlem River estuary, to an unknown new point, if it stopped off again along that waterway.
Elsewhere in Manhattan, a Marsh Wren coming to Bryant Park in midtown was slightly unusual there, although hardly a first for that park. Other parks and greenspaces held a multitude of migrants on Monday, with nice diversity for example at Inwood Hill Park. At Central Park, with many observers out and about there thru all of the day and in all sectors of that park, at least 20 species of migratory warblers were found including Mourning Warbler and some Myrtle-form Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as other boreal-forest breeding species. Tennessee Warblers have been noted for many, many days by now. Again numerous all thru Manhattan in appropriate habitat were flycatchers including those in the genus Empidonax. Common Nighthawks and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have continued to move in numbers.
Thanks to very many independently-walking observers and photographers for sightings, alerts, reports, and in-the-field tips and discussions on birds being seen.
