Date: 10/4/26 5:19 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - Sat., 10/3 - major migration, new arrivals, etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Governors, Randalls, Roosevelt, and Manhattan islands and the adjacent waters and sky -
Saturday, October 3rd -
Plenty of migration was occurring from overnight Friday, Oct. 2 into Saturday, Oct. 3, all around the region, and N.Y. County partook of a fair bit of this strong regional migration event. Birds including those mostly known to migrate at night were still flying on and around seeking good places to settle for the day, into not just late morning but some even to the afternoon hours of Saturday.
A nice find at Roosevelt Island was an Eastern Meadowkark, likely a first of fall for N.Y. County. That species was observed at several times of day, by several observers, and multiple other migrants were also observed there including some diversity in warblers and sparrows.
Randalls Island received a good number of observers and effort to find birds through the day, while Governors Island had somewhat fewer total species, it was also clearly very active with many birds, as was so all around the county, and in general around the wider region. Manhattan island with its many many observers all over the island and at every hour of day, plus some in the dark hours of twilight meant that Manhattan also had a very large tally of birds by end of Oct. 3rd. These sightings included at least 5 species of owls, some already known of.
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Both Governors Island and Randalls Island received the first known Nelsons Sparrows of the season for this county. Randalls also pulled out Dickcissel and Blue Grosbeak, while Governors brought American Pipits. The great day for Red-headed Woodpeckers was likely topped by up to five individuals of that species at Governors, at least two there being adults. Red-headed Woodpeckers also occurred at Randalls Island, and in the multiple at Central Park, although by far the most observers saw a single adult thru the day at Central, and there were also sightings of Red-headed at Riverside Park, and reports that strongly suggested others elsewhere in Manhattan on Saturday.
Clay-colored Sparrow was one more of the specials seen at Randalls Island, while all around the county were fresh additions of White-crowned Sparrows, Lincolns Sparrows, and many other sparrow species, along with the sparrow known as Dark-eyed Junco in higher numbers than previously. The at-least 12 species of sparrows for Saturday in this county also included Vesper Sparrow.
Warblers occurred in their strongest flight of this southbound season so far in this county with a large push of Yellow-rumped Warblers, all noted to form being of the expected Myrtle form. Also moving in very high numbers were Blackpoll Warblers as well as over ten additional species, including Palm Warblers of both the yellow and western forms. The county overall had at least 22 species of warblers, almost all or all of which were seen in the multiple, and many by the dozens to many-hundred, thru the county.
Eastern Phoebes made a big move on Saturday, the county overall receiving hundreds of new arrivals of that species, and seeing a very few E. Kingbirds now straggling after the main migrations of most kingbirds weeks ago. Also moving in numbers again on Saturday were Scarlet Tanagers, and in lesser but notable numbers, Baltimore Orioles. At least a few Rusty Blackbirds were seen, with others perhaps coming in with varied flocks of icterids. There were still a few later-moving Bobolinks.
An attempt at a comprehensive list of birds noted in N.Y. County on October 3, 2026 -
Brant - few, so far.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan - East River, ongoing.
Wood Duck - multiple.
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon - including a lingering one at The Pool in Central Park.
Mallard
American Black Duck
Mallard x American Black Duck hybrids
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal - including lingerers at Central Park.
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
duck sp. or waterfowl species - some distant birds not identified past Duck types or sizes.
Wild Turkey - ongoing at The Battery in Manhattan.
Pied-billed Grebe
FERAL Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - multiple.
Black-billed Cuckoo - several, photographed.
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - multiple.
American Coot
Killdeer
American Woodcock
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper - at Central Park.
Laughing Gull - many.
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Forsters Tern - still some around the waters of Randalls Island.
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant - many on the move, new arrivals.
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - ongoing at Randalls Island
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
owl species - a minimum of 5 spp in the county.
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - increased.
Red-headed Woodpecker - multiple, as partially noted already.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern -Yellow-shafted- Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Monk Parakeet - this species is at least a rare-resident, multiple sightings this fall.
Olive-sided Flycatcher - reported, getting a bit late.
Eastern Wood-Pewee - diminished numbers by now.
Least or Empidonax-genus Flycatcher - very few.
Eastern Phoebe - hundreds of new arrivals for the county.
Eastern Kingbird - few, and getting almost late now.
White-eyed Vireo - several.
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay - many hundreds, moving in diurnal flights.
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
House Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Veery - a few reports, now quite late since peak movement is many weeks past.
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainsons Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing - hundreds in morning flight.
House Sparrow
American Pipit - Governors Island.
House Finch
Purple Finch - rather few.
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow - Randalls Island.
Field Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco - increased.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow - increased.
Vesper Sparrow
Nelsons Sparrow - interior form, but possibly sightings of more than one form.
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincolns Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Eastern Meadowlark - Roosevelt Island.
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Rusty Blackbird - multiple, but not very many.
Common Grackle
blackbird sp.
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Ovenbird - multiple.
Northern Waterthrush - multiples.
Black-and-white Warbler - fairly numerous overall.
Tennessee Warbler - multiple.
Nashville Warbler - many.
Common Yellowthroat - many - indeed common, for this day.
Hooded Warbler - at least low multiples, some of these likely lingering individuals.
American Redstart - many.
Cape May Warbler - many dozens of this species in the county, some locations having up to ten or more on the day, and some sightings of 4 or more at one time.
Northern Parula - very many, near common on the day.
Magnolia Warbler - many.
Bay-breasted Warbler - low multiples, some not definite, on a day when so many Blackpoll Warblers were on the move.
Blackburnian Warbler - in the low multiple.
Yellow Warbler - fair numbers around the county.
Chestnut-sided Warbler - multiple
Blackpoll Warbler - many, far more than on any prior single days in this county this fall.
Bay-breasted or Blackpoll Warbler sp.
Black-throated Blue Warbler - multiple
Palm Warbler - many of both the yellow form and the western form.
Pine Warbler - multiple
Yellow-rumped Warbler - all of the Myrtle form, as far as noted.
Prairie Warbler - multiple
Black-throated Green Warbler - multiple.
Setophaga sp. - some in this category, not identified to species.
- - - there were a few additional warbler species reported which require confirmations, mostly due only to the late date per species of some of those reports.
warbler sp. (Parulidae sp.) - plenty in this category, esp. as flyovers.
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Scarlet Tanager - many, a large fresh arrival on Saturday.
- Summer or Scarlet Tanager sp. - some were undetermined to species.
- tanager sp. (Piranga sp.) - some not determined to species.
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - multiple.
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting -multiples.
Dickcissel
. . . And it was very likely at least a few additional migrant species occurred. Over 150 species known so far came into or passed by New York County on Saturday.
Thanks to many hundreds of observers and photographers for sightings, alerts, and reports as well as hot tips on some species.
