Date: 10/6/26 1:22 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - Mon., 10/5 - ASH-THR. Flycatcher, Sora, Clay-c. Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Randalls, Roosevelt, and Governors Islands and the adjacent waters and skies -
Monday, October 5th -
The year-first Ash-throated Flycatcher for N.Y. County was found at Inwood Hill Park on Monday - Joe DiCostanzo, a regular of this park and well-known to many birders from all around NY state, this region, on thru Brazil, and Great Gull Island NY, where he did much past work with Helen Hays and others in conservation of and research on breeding, and in Brazil, migrant-wintering of terns, particularly Common Terns and Roseate Terns, of Great Gull - the Monday-in-Manhattan Ash-throated Flycatcher also re-discovered in the same area of Inwood Hill by B.M.B., his eBird moniker, and also a regular of Inwood Hill Park - and happily also seen by a number of the other reliably regular and keen birders of Inwood Hill, and some additional birders of Manhattan, the flycatcher seen around the n. sector of the park, somewhat closer to the W. 215th St. side -and far from the Dyckman St. side- around the marsh regeneration area by the lagoons s. edge and in or along the nearby soccer pitch or field. If searched for again, as this bird surely will be, and if not re-found on Tuesday, some searching all thru the semi-open edges of various fields in the area might be productive…. Hopefully, this rarity can be re-found, however it is a species that on some occasions regionally can turn up as a one-day-wonder. Thanks to all for the alerts and follow ups, and later reports. At least several observers did obtain photos, and also useful should the bird be found again would be video with audio. It is possible that there is some proclivity to this species turning up, when it does here, in the northern Manhattan sector of the county, although with sample sizes low over the years, it is just a possibility that that area could be in any way favored by rarer Myiarchus and kin.
…. In other NY State flycatcher-rarities, the lingering Says Phoebe originally found by Tim Graves was still being seen Monday at Tibbetts Brook Park in southern Westchester County. And a lingering Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is ongoing, out-west in Chautauqua County. As a reminder with flycatchers of all sorts, if found from now on in the northeast region, give a second look, perhaps especially so to any Empidonax-genus types that might turn up in the reminder of this year….
Back to Manhattan in N.Y. County, slightly late Common Nighthawks - perhaps two - were seen on Monday from Inwood Hill Park, a site that can regularly have sightings of this species, in season. This park runs just slightly behind Central Park in the total number of species of birds found annually, and that with something like 2 percent of the huge numbers of birders and photographers who roam Central Park all year around. The n. portions of Manhattan have many very keen birders, and some are very loyal to certain patches and parks in that productive part of Manhattan. The same is so for other sections of Manhattan as well - it aint all-about Central Park in Manhattan.
Giving northern Manhattan some more of its due in birding, an Orange-crowned Warbler was among the sightings at Fort Tryon Park, this not the first of the species for Manhattan or the county, but a seasonal specialty most-regularly found by this month and with luck, sometimes on into winter. Fort Tryon Park is also a site to check on the hummingbirds that in particular may show at that parks Heather Garden, potentially in later season if any appropriate flowers remain in bloom - the heathers, even with very small flowers and which are hardy thru chilly weather, and can bloom in winter there, can be utilized by hummingbirds and, at least some years ago, hosted 2 Calliope Hummingbirds for some weeks in late fall into winter. For this past week Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were the species being seen there and in multiple other locations of Manhattan, and some at the other islands of the county.
A Sora was seen and photographed - D. Ricci- at Bryant Park, in mid-Manhattan on Monday, this species of course potentially a skulker - and thin as a rail - thus could be tough to see at times!
Also Manhattan, a brightly plumaged Dickcissel was seen and photographed at Battery Park on Monday, and multiple other migrants were also present there.
Randalls Island provided Clay-colored Sparrow, and Blue Grosbeak, again on Monday, each presumed to be lingering from prior observations in recent days there. Many other migrants were also still being seen at Randalls, and at least two Yellow-crowned Night Herons were present, at that site which is the best in the county to find the latter species.
Central Park on Monday featured more than 85 species of birds in total and at least 19 of those species were migratory warblers. These sightings from many, many observers, including those on, or in support of, not-for-profit guided bird walks, and independent observers and photographers, in sum having been out and about at all hours and in all sectors of that park, rather than only in one limited area and for short duration on Monday. The now Long-lingering American Wigeon and Green-winged Teals were ongoing at Central Park thru Monday. The number of sparrow species found there were at least nine, including the sparrow known as Dark-eyed Junco.
