Date: 9/30/26 1:15 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - to Tues., 9/29 - Y.-br. Chat, Clay-col. Sparrow, Dickcissel + Sum.Tanager for Central Park, etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan with Central Park, Governors Island, Randalls Island and Roosevelt Island, as well as the adjacent waters and skies above -
to Tuesday, September 29th -
A Clay-colored Sparrow was found on Governors Island on Monday, Sept. 28. A Yellow-breasted Chat was ongoing from Monday to Tuesday, Sept. 28-29, also at Governors Island. A good many more migrants, some in fairly strong numbers, were noted from Governors on recent days once the island was re-opened after a short hiatus to visitors in the peak storm period last weekend.
A brightly colored Dickcissel was among Tuesday highlights at Central Park, with this latest find of the species at a location just east of the parks West Drive roadway and west of the old bridle path, in the approx. latitude of W. 83-84 Streets. Birders locally sometimes refer to the location as Sparrow Rock, a holdout-name from days of birding that park in the twentieth century. Plenty of observers for this bird once the word was out. As is sometimes so with the species, this Dickcissel showed amiability with a group of House Sparrows, in this case standing out reasonably well in its much brighter plumage.
The now long-staying Summer Tanager, in female plumage, was still at the same area of Central Park by The Pond in the parks southeast corner, thru Tuesday, and yet again well-photographed there.
A Lesser Yellowlegs is one of the shorebirds now confirmed from Randalls Island on Monday, with the storm that brought rarer species in that and prior days in the area and in this county. Randalls had ongoing good variety in expected migrants thru Tuesday, including ongoing lingering Yellow-crowned Night Herons, and good diversity in both warblers and sparrows, as well as many other birds, but not the rarest birds of the storm-watching sessions.
Roosevelt Island has had rather less regular reporting but had migrants seen at the start of last weekend, those including Forsters Tern on Saturday. It is yet another of the many locations in this county that has the potential for an avian rarity, as-always dependent on some observers being around to potentially observe.
Among many and varied migrants being seen, Great Crested Flycatcher and Veery were among some species still around and just slightly late for any peak fall movements. Both of the latter were still being seen at Central Park. At the same time, more sparrows continue to come in to the county, and deserve further scrutiny as some less-common or even rare sparrows get to peak-possibilities in terms of potential date periods in coming weeks or months. As noted already in prior reports, White-crowned Sparrows have turned up in higher than expected numbers already in this county. It is slightly possible that some arrivals were in some way storm-affected.
At Central Park alone on Tuesday, at least 22 species of migratory warblers were seen by many, many observers, these including some with guided, organized bird walks for not-for-profit institutions and organizations, and by those walking independently, all including multiple photographers as well. A fair number of warblers were still being seen in good numbers, partially an indication that not all or perhaps not-most already present in the Parulidae tribe in this county chose to lift off on Monday night. Overall the county with its 4 major islands and many, varied greenspaces was still hosting a wide variety of migrant birds. With any boosts from such arrivals as waterfowl or certain other autumnal arrivals, this month could still tally near 200 species in the county, and at the least will run to over 190 species of confirmed species of wild and free-flying birds this month.
Of ongoing waterfowl, an American Wigeon, plus Green-winged Teal, Wood and Ruddy Ducks, multiple N. Shovelers were all ongoing at Central Park in Manhattan thru Tuesday, with all of those above duck species also appearing elsewhere in this county this month, mainly more-recently, along with regulars such as Gadwall, and movement of N. Pintails, plus the usual motley crew of waterfowl. A very few Brant had summered over in the county and some of those were still being seen. A number of Common Loons have been showing in the county, most as flyovers on the move, but at least a few in local waters here, numbers so far being quite modest.
Laughing Gulls continue their high numbers in this county, a situation already noted well before any recent storms and certainly not reduced yet after the latest storm. These are showing in many locations, including at times by the dozens at Central Park, mainly on or near the reservoir there. All gulls noticed at that reservoir can fluctuate greatly in numbers at any time of day and any part of a year. At times, one might find few to no gulls there, and within the same day there could be hundreds at a different time of the day. This has been so for a very very long time at that site within Central Park.
All sectors of the county had some migrant birds around thru Tuesday and in some locations the variety and numbers were fairly good, post-storm passage. Incidentally a bit of an effect from, or effects related to, that last storm which moved up the coast was still noticeable in the atmospheric layering to as far west as eastern Ohio on Tuesday morning, while the main rotation of that storm pulled off to or past the Canadian Maritime provinces later Tuesday.
Thanks to many observers for sightings, alerts, and reports this week of autumn, even as we could get a touch of summer again for a bit in the NYC area in the upcoming days.
