Date: 5/3/24 2:59 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - Thurs-Fri., May 2 & 3 - Am. Wh. PELICAN, Blue Grosbeak, Y-thr. Warbler, Clay-col. Sparrow, shorebirds, etc.
Manhattan, and New York County, in N.Y. City -
Thursday, May 2nd,
and Friday, May 3 -
Highlights include AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, and Clay-colored Sparrow both lingering for FRIDAY, May 3rd, as well as Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-throated Warbler and at least 24 more warbler species and many many more migrants as seen on Thursday, May 2nd...
With what may well be a first photo-documented record of the species in the county, an American White Pelican was a slightly-unexpected -!!- visitor to the New York harbor on May 2nd, as seen and reported by Wes Thompson, a Texas birder taking the fast Staten Island ferry late in the day on Thursdsay, across the harbor and then reporting via eBird, and at that point realizing how rare for this county and more-generally, for this city, this sighting is. Followed up on by a party of intrepid N.Y. County resident birders on Friday morning, the American White Pelican was seen and well-photographed very early on Friday May 3rd, thanks to that initial find and reporting via eBird from May 2nd. While moving from N.Y. County waters around into other counties, perhaps at times also into New Jersey waters as they are nearby at New York Harbor, this huge and distinctive species was clearly seen from points in New York County, including by multiple observers at The Battery in the southern edge of Manhattan island, which has views of most of the upper harbor and with scopes and large lenses being put to good use. N.B., there have been past -years-ago- reports of this species flying high, soaring over the island of Manhattan, noted by careful and experienced observers in the past but, unfortunately not photo-documented and also not placed into historical sightings for archiving rarities such as this. Thus this may well be considered as a county-first record for May 2 -and 3rd- of this year. A species that has been seen elsewhere in N.Y. City, very well-documented and seen within this city, previously, by a great number of observers.
A Clay-colored Sparrow in nice adult-spring plumage was at the Strawberry Fields area of Central Park on Thursday, May 2, and again present there for FRIDAY, May 3rd, seen by over 100 observers for the day on Thursday and with alerts sent out by non-X bird-alert systems, and again for Friday as well as scores of reports, with photos-aplenty, in eBird and thus archived photos in the Macaulay Library. Several observers seem to have collaborated in finding this nice now-regular-but-rare sparrow on Thursday with at least one of the finders coming from Canada. This species of sparrow, once a real rarity has become a bit more regular and has shown in spring slightly more than used to, and certainly far more often in fall migrations, when it is now more-than-one a year annually. This coincides with the expanded-in-the-east range of this sparrow in recent decades, perhaps still expanding in numbers in some eastern states or provinces.
A spring-male Blue Grosbeak was seen at Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan - in the area of the heather garden there - on Thursday, May 2, and could well be lingering there.
A singing male Yellow-throated Warbler was seen also in northern Manhattan, but at Sherman Creek-Swindler Cove parks areas, off eastern Dyckman Street and partly just-north of that streets eastern terminus, these areas are along the upper Harlem river estuary. It is possible the warbler may linger in that area, with a chance it might also move up to the adjacent Highbridge Park just up-above to the west.
In Central Park alone, at least 25 species of migratory American warblers were found for the park on Thursday May 2nd, with far more than 100 observers on the day - the species have included still some of the earliest-arriving such as Pine and Palm and also Worm-eating and well-Hooded Warblers, and Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes, as well as later-movers such as Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Cape May, Tennessee, Wilsons, and Canada Warblers and so many more. Also -none- of the sightings from the vast numbers of observers were characterized as -early- being used as a euphemism. All of these many species were also well-photographed by many, many observers amongst the many-more total watchers, and with hundreds of reports put in eBird.
Some of the shorebirds continuing to be found included Lesser Yellowlegs and some Least Sandpipers, at the Inwood Hill Park mudflats, in northernmost Manhattan, seen on Thursday, 5-2. Also a flock of at-least 17 Purple Sandpipers was again found in the rocky shore areas of Governors Island which is a part of N.Y. County, immediately south of Manhattans southern tip, visited by a regular and fast ferry service. Other shorebirds have included Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. There is a reliable report for American Oystercatcher on May 2, from the N.Y. Harbor, albeit possibly in-part also for New Jersey, which is west of the N.Y. County waters and islands. A Bonapartes Gull was again observed off Governors Islands in N.Y. County, for Thursday, May 2nd, with more photos, thanks to M.B. Kooper.
At least 5 species of Vireo were again found in the county - and all of those also within Central Park - White-eyed, Red-eyed, Yellow-throated, Warbling, and Blue-headed Vireos, for Thursday, May 2. The thrush species seen included Swainsons and Hermit and Wood Thrushes and Veery, all in fair to good numbers, in addition to near-ubiquitous American Robins. Flycatchers have included a great many E. Kingbirds, including diurnal movements of dozens of that species on May 2, as well as E. Phoebes continuing, and increased numbers of Great Crested Flycatchers and Least Flycatchers. We also have had reports of Acadian Flycatcher, E. Wood-Pewee, and Olive-sided Flycatcher, these 3 latter not-yet widely seen or reported here however. Sparrow diversity remained high, with many more of Lincolns Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow having shown for many observers, in multiple locations in the county.
Continuing in Central Park on Friday, May 3rd were 2 Green-winged Teal at The Pool in that parks northwest sector, also Wood Duck continues at Central Park, and within the county were still some few Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks among other miscellaneous waterfowl. Rusty Blackbirds were still in a few locations in the county for Thursday and Friday, May 2-3, including at Central Park in more than one area.
A vast number of additional species could be noted... we will leave it at the above, for now!
Good birding to all, with thanks to the many quiet, keen, active observers all around the county and the region,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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