Date: 1/14/25 3:03 pm From: <marciaaabrahams...> <marciaaabrahams...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Don't miss tomorrow evening's Queens County Bird Club meeting featuring Karlo Mirth "The Wonderful, Unusual Fauna of Tasmania"
The next Queens County Bird Club meeting will be tomorrow, January 15, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362.
Karlo Mirth will present "The Wonderful, Unusual Fauna of Tasmania"
In November 2023, Alison and Karlo Mirth spent two weeks driving around Tasmania, the beautiful island off the southeast coast of Australia. Their main goal was to see as many of Australia's unique fauna, including the two fascinating egg-laying mammals, the Platypus and the Echidna. Other animals on their wish list were kangaroos, koala, wombat, wallabies, and, with a little luck, Tasmanian Devil. Many bird species were seen as well. The trip also included a short visit to Adelaide and the mostly undeveloped Kangaroo Island.
Please be prompt and ring the bell to be let in since there will not be coverage at the front desk.
Marcia AbrahamsVP/Programs CoordinatorQueens County Bird Clubhttps://qcbirdclub.org/Email: <MarciaAAbrahams...>
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Date: 1/13/25 4:23 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - thru 1/12 - Dickcissel, Snow Goose, Warblers, many more wintering birds, etc.
New York County, N.Y. City - including Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt islands and the waters adjacent as well as skies above -
thru Sunday, January 12th -
More than 85 species of wild birds were found in N.Y. county on Sunday alone, January 12th. The 3 not-quite-wild, but free-swimming domestic-Muscovy ducks continue at The Pond in Central Parks s-e sector, a site that has regularly seen exotic, non-native ducks appear there at times over many, many years.
A Dickcissel in Riverside Park has continued on, and there is a bit of --NEW location-info to share -- for 5 or more weeks, this bird was seen mainly where suet and seed had been proffered regularly for all birds to come feast on, and that location was just south of tennis courts, nearest the latitude of West 119th Street. Now, and in the last few days, the suet-feeder and scattered bird-seed has been re-located most often to a dirt and woodchips pathway thru the Forever Wild sanctuary, formerly and historically known as the Ladies Grove, and the -recent- area of the suet-feeder with bird-seed scattered about is on that path, and near the latitude of West 117th Street, still down-slope and west inside Riverside Park from Riverside Drive, but now a lot closer to the entrance to said park at West 116th and Riverside. From that entry point, one would walk downhill to the north-northwest a short way on the zig-zaggy paved path, to where the s. entry to the dirt path thru the sanctuary begins, and projects north - a short way up that path, has been the most-recent area of bird-feeding. It appears that as many as 95 percent of all hyperlocal-area birds have followed the suet and seed feeding up to this latter area. It is still possible that the suet and seed-feeding may also be done just south of those nearby tennis courts again, and if birds - flocks are not noticed in the sanctuary, it may be wise to head out and farther down to the lower-paved path to the area just south of those tennis courts. The Dickcissel is FAR more likely to be with the crowds of other local birds than not. And wherever a flock is found in these areas some patience may also produce the sought bird.
A lingering and lightly-wandering Snow Goose had spent parts of Saturday on the N. Meadow ballfields of Central Park -with Canada geese- and was seen in-flight as well, and later on the same day was back to the C.P. reservoir. It has by-now visited many lawns and water-bodies of that park along with the small flock of Canada Geese it seems to travel around with. By mid-day or so of Sunday 1-12, if not earlier, this one-and-only Snow Goose of New York County had moved out of the C.P. reservoir, where it may go with the small group of Canadas that it flocks with in seeking safe-roosting at that reservoir, and then often moves around with its Canadian friends - thus this Snow was back at the Harlem Meer of Central Park by afternoon, where again viewed by multiple observers - and no-longer seen at the CP reservoir for that day at least in mid-afternoon! This one Snow Goose also has been to Randalls Island multiple times since first appearing in this county, and could certainly show up there again.
Ongoing other ducks and waterbirds at Central Park still included Pied-billed Grebe and American Coots, Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks in several waterbodies, all 3 Merganser species with Common -of which there were at least 5 seen by many observers on Sunday- and Red-breasted at the reservoir, and Hooded Merganser in several places at times, a female-plumaged N. Pintail lately-lurking in the reservoir, along with the usual Ruddy Ducks, N. Shovelers, Buffleheads, etc.
In many locations on the rivers-estuaries and harbor area of the county, American Black Ducks, Gadwall, and some Red-breasted Mergansers are being found, as well as Atlantic Brant. A small number of Ruddy Ducks are usually present along stretches of the East River, possibly near piers. Both of the expected Loon species are around in county waters, in just low to fair numbers lately.
At least 3 warbler species were revealed to be lingering, some for a good many many weeks, at least, on Randalls Island, with sightings of ongoing Orange-crowned, at least two ongoing Pine -A. Cunningham as-of 1-11-, and ongoing Myrtle-form of Yellow-rumped Warbler all there as-of Saturday, 1-11. Also ongoing, as expected, were Common Goldeneye far off the shore on that islands n-e corner, and also lingering were Chipping Sparrow and some other sparrow species. A more-unexpected report in winter was that of House Wren at the Little HellGate marsh at Randalls on Sunday, and this is a species that has been recorded previously in January in this county -and in the region- but would be even-rarer if found surviving into February or in March before the equinox. It may also be that some of these go undetected in these colder months and when no one is actually expecting to see these here.
It is nice to see some Cedar Waxwings come in thru this past week, a species that can sometimes be scarce in winter here, but also is possible at any time, in any month of the year, and in winter months of course to be sought where dried berries or wild fruits may still be. Often but not always, Cedars in winter months may associate loosely with American Robins, of which there have been a good many all around here, so far this winter.
Among various regionally-expected waterfowl, one Greater Scaup in-close afforded a nice view of the species at closer range than is typical in this county in the modern era. From Governors Island, just south of Manhattan, at least 2 Greater Scaup were noted on Sat., 1-11. In long-ago times in this county and also in much of the local area and wider region, Scaup of both typical species were far more regular and sometimes very numerous in winter, in multiple locations, that included Central Parks reservoir among other locations. There also were years when Tufted Duck would appear, also in Central Parks reservoir as well as that duck moving to the East and Hudson rivers, in some of those long-ago winters. Long-ago for the younger birder means, well into the 1980s. A number of birders could state -not all that long ago- in the big historic picture of NY birding.
A couple of Killdeer continued on at Randalls Island, and also seen from Sherman Creek park in northern Manhattan, 2 of the typical sites for that species. A hen Wild Turkey was ongoing on Roosevelt Island, east of Manhattan island.
Various other species of wild birds ranging thru the county up to mid-January included Mute Swan, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Great Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture -seen from county locations-, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Coopers Hawk in many locations, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, owls, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in very-many locations, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker in limited numbers of locations, Yellow-shafted Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Blue Jay, Common Raven in various locations, American Crow, very-scarce Fish Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, multiple Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher , Northern Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, many American Robins, Cedar Waxwing, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow at very-few sites, Field Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Red Fox Sparrows in modest numbers, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow in good numbers and many locations, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow - -possibly still-lingering- -, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, ongoing-at-Central Park Rusty Blackbird, plenty of Common Grackles, and among warblers not noted above in highlights, Ovenbird and Common Yellowthroat, with the slight chance that another warbler species or two are holding-on in some locations of the county. Likely there are at least a few additional species not in the listing here for this past week, as well as the usual-abundant feral Rock Pigeons, European Starlings, and House Sparrows.
Thanks to many keen observers and photographers for sightings and reports, to non-x alerts and of course, in eBird with the Macaulay Library for media-archiving.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Just got back from looking for the Ft. Miller Taiga Bean-Goose with success. Saw it yesterday on Wall St. in Northumberland before I even got to my first location where it had last been reported on the river. I was driving east on King St. and saw a mob of birders looking at something in a field on the left and there it was. Great views with a scope but not good for photos, unfortunately. A much easier bird to find than the Tundra Bean-Goose years previously:-) I think it was just luck though running into the mob of birders. What a great bird to find as was the Tundra Bean-Goose when it showed up. Since I didn't get any photos yesterday of it I wanted to try and find it again, but like with the Tundra Bean I was at a loss after trying the N. River Rd. spot and several other places that had geese. Like last time a few other species of geese were found in the flocks of Canadas but not Taiga Bean. We had seven Snow Geese and a hybrid Ross's Goose at the N. River Rd. spot, but no others except the Canadas. Was hoping to maybe pull out another Pink-footed or White-fronted, but not to be:-)
Andrew
Andrew BlockConsulting Naturalist
Yonkers, New York www.flickr.com/photos/conuropsis/albums
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Date: 1/11/25 4:34 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - thru Fri., 1/10
Manhattan, N.Y. City - thru Friday, Jan. 10th -
The lingering Snow Goose chose the Harlem Meer in Central Park for most of Friday to spend some time on, thru Friday, 1-10. An Orange-crowned Warbler showed on Friday 1-10, for a group led by G. Willow at the C.P. Reservoir shore, also seen there later in the day.
As noted in the weekly NYC area RBA, a Dickcissel continued on towards passing six straight weeks at the same location in Riverside Park north, just south of tennis courts nearest to W. 119th St., and often but not always in the area of a small suet-feeder. Some patience can be needed at times for that bird.
Many other of the recent birds noted for Manhattan also have lingered.
- -
In New York County, a Long-tailed Duck was again reported off Governors Island, on Friday, 1-10.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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You can also send reports and digital image files via email to
nysarc44<at>nybirds<dot>org
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos
or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
[~BEGIN RBA TAPE~]
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, January
10, 2025 at 11:00 pm.
The highlights of today’s tape are PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, WHITE-WINGED
DOVE, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, PAINTED BUNTING, TUNDRA SWAN, GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK,
DOVEKIE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED
CHAT, DICKCISSEL and more.
The three PINK-FOOTED GEESE in Northport since December 28 were still
visiting the same soccer field as of Thursday, with at least 2 showing
up Friday – the address for this site is 337 Eatons Neck Road, which
leads to a parking lot next to the soccer field. If the Canada Goose
flock is present, look through the locked chain-link fence for the
PINK-FOOTS but do not enter the field.
A surprise visitor last Saturday to an Oakwood Beach yard on Staten
Island was a WHITE-WINGED DOVE visiting a feeder with some MOURNING
DOVES, where it was photographed before disappearing towards nearby
marshes.
The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD visiting feeders at a home in Eastport since
November 2nd was last seen there this past Monday, and we thank the
very gracious homeowners for their hospitality in permitting so many
birders to enjoy this exciting visitor – well done!
The female-plumaged PAINTED BUNTING and the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
continue to share habitat together in Far Rockaway, still present
today in the plantings along the beach boardwalk, currently between
Beach 26th and 27th Streets.|
Two TUNDRA SWANS paid a surprise visit Tuesday to the cove by the
Jones Beach West End Coast Guard Station but were gone by the
following day.
The lower Westchester GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE has been alternating
roosting sites between Playland Lake in Rye and the Bowman Avenue
pond, depending on ice conditions, and another has been out in
Riverhead recently on fields by the Reeves Avenue buffalo farm or
nearby Doctor’s Path.
A EURASIAN WIGEON was seen again Monday from Cordwood Park in St.
James, with another reported again Saturday on the West Pond at
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
A drake KING EIDER was noted through Thursday with COMMON EIDER in the
vicinity of the Ponquogue Bridge at Shinnecock, and a HARLEQUIN DUCK
was off Oakland Beach at Gilgo today, with others still in Jones
Inlet.
Out at Montauk Point last Saturday 3 DOVEKIES were reported along with
300 RAZORBILLS, and 18 RAZORBILLS were seen off Riis Park the next
day, but note that the Southern Nassau Christmas Count Saturday
recorded over 2,000 RAZOBILLS from Tobay west to beyond Jones Inlet in
a large early morning flight.
The Southern Nassau Count also recorded 5 BLACK-HEADED GULLS, these
recently hanging out mostly around the Jones Beach West End bar and
over to the Field 10 marshes.
During the week single GLAUCOUS GULLS were reported from the Brooklyn
Army Terminal Pier 4, Miller Field on Staten Island Saturday, in the
Bellport area and at Shinnecock Thursday and Friday, and ICELAND
GULLS have also been seen around Bellport, including at the Yacht
Club, and on Staten Island last weekend.
Two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were at Smith Pond in Rockville Centre last
Saturday, another at Cedar Beach Wednesday.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS continue in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn and
at Sunken Meadow State Park.
A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT has been at Mill Pond Preserve in Wantagh since
last Saturday, and a DICKCISSEL continues in Riverside Park near the
suet feeder south of the tennis courts at about West 119th Street.
The Southern Nassau Christmas Count Saturday recorded 134 species,
including 12 HARLEQUIN DUCKS, 5 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 1 SNOWY and 3
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 2 EASTERN PHOEBES, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, NELSON’S
SPARROW, and 7 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.
To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the
National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
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Date: 1/10/25 4:43 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] 1/9 Bean-Goose at Washington Co., NY and Manhattan, NYC - B.-t. Grackle, Dickcissel, Snow Goose, etc.
Whether the suspected identification is correct to precise species, or somehow is not, this sighting and report deserve a bit of attention, state-wide and region-wide, a great bean-goose find from Washington County, NY, on Thursday - https://ebird.org/checklist/S208670543
. . . .
Manhattan, N.Y. City - Thursday, Jan. 9 -
A Dickcissel was ongoing in Riverside Park-north, at and around a small suet-feeder and vicinity, with the tennis courts nearest W. 119th St. just to the north, this area inside that park west of Riverside Drive. The Dickcissel may require patience to see, or to see well.
A Snow Goose was ongoing in Manhattan, for Thursday again taking in the Central Park reservoir with all the many other waterfowl and waterbirds, which have included Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, the many Canada Geese also roaming at times as with the one Snow Goose of this county, and for the CP reservoir, many gulls, sometimes many hundreds to sort thru.
Still ongoing are also Wood Ducks, all 3 Merganser species with Hooded the most-numerous, and a couple of Green-winged Teal at The Pool in the parks n-w sector, as well as most of the commoner regular ducks of the area, American Black, Ruddy, and N. Shovelers, Buffleheads, Gadwall, etc.
Anyone missing seeing grackles might not have been in Manhattan, or in particular, not birding much in Central Park here in the past week, with ongoing flocks of grackle occasionally getting notice when they briefly darkened pieces of sky over some areas. And then we had the different bird, as one BOAT-TAILED Grackle was found and photographed -P. Soriano- see https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/628821507 - in the vicinity of one of the good-sized flocks of Common Grackles in the north end of that park, on Thursday, 1-9. Rusty Blackbird also has continued in that park.
Other birds ongoing in Manhattan include some of both species of Kinglets, Gray Catbirds, E. Towhees, a fair number of hardy Hermit Thrushes, shy Brown Thrashers, ongoing Red-breasted Nuthatches, and sparrows which number far into the 100s for White-throated, while Red Fox Sparrow is much less common and still thinly distributed in a number of parks and green-spaces. American Robins have continued in fairly high numbers at some locations in Manhattan.
Thanks to many keen observers and photographers for a lot of great finds, and reports, in the chilled weather and winds of late.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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The *62th Captree Christmas Bird Count* was conducted on Sunday, December 15th, 2024. The Count had an impressive showing of almost 50 participants who diligently covered their respective areas. The Captree CBC circle, which encompasses a portion of southwestern Suffolk County, extends from Amityville in the west, to Sayville in the east, and from Robert Moses State Park in the south to Commack in the north.
The day began with relatively calm weather, though quite cold (within the pre-Christmas chill that befell most of our area), which ended up becoming somewhat warmer (though cloudier) as the day progressed. Fortunately, the rainy weather that had been forecast held off until the night, allowing for a mostly dry day of birding.
In total, a nice sum of *127 species *were observed of *34,926 individual birds*. The species count for 2024 was slightly above our 10-year average, but not by a statistically significant amount.
Of our regularly occurring species, some were either missed entirely, or found to be in relatively low numbers. This included some freshwater ducks such as lesser scaup (4), northern pintail (6), and ring-necked duck (7), which can be scarce throughout our count circle. In stark contrast to the Southern Nassau CBC which recorded a new maximum for razorbill (over 2,000), our count (which looks at the very same ocean, though three weeks earlier) only had one (1)! In a similar vein, the Captree Count completely missed Bonaparte's Gull, which has become something of a boom-or-bust species in recent years. The cold snap leading up to the count may have also played a part in missing American woodcock and Wilson's snipe; two birds which are never reliable, but are often found in small numbers when there is a milder run-up to count day.
While some counts were below-average, there were some species which were found in impressive numbers. A list of our seven new high counts are: black-crowned night heron (58!), great egret (25!), Cooper's hawk (19), common raven (21), golden-crowned kinglet (110), white-breasted nuthatch (93), & brown thrasher (10). Some of these species, such as great egret (formerly much rarer into December) are no doubt attributed to more mild autumns and winters.
Generally scarce birds- those which are counted frequently enough to be expected, but rare enough to be exciting- were also well represented. These included species such as American pipit (3), American kestrel (1), chipping sparrow (1), American tree sparrow (18), palm warbler (3), pine warbler (6), among others.
While the cumulative species total for this count sits somewhere around 233, we are still slowly adding new species to that list. This year, we were fortunate enough to add SAGE THRASHER to the checklist of birds seen on the Captree Count, which had the good consideration to continue at Field 5 of Robert Moses State Park since November. A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER which had been found just prior to the count at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, was not as considerate (but it will nevertheless be immortalized on the checklist as a "count week" bird). While sage thrasher was certainly the "rarest" bird on the count, it was a Short-eared Owl in the Heckscher territory that won its finder the illustrious prize for "Best Bird of the Count."
A list of *some* of the Count's highlights (roughly in taxonomic order) are as follows, along with the territory they were found in:
Cackling Goose (2) - Gardiner Wild turkey (9) - Connetquot Black-bellied Plover (3) - Jones Virginia Rail (3) - Seatuck & East Lesser Black-backed Gull (3) - Jones Red-necked Grebe (1) - Fire American Bittern (1) - Fire Red-shouldered Hawk (1) - Seatuck Snowy Owl (2) - Fire & Jones Short-eared Owl (1) - Heckscher Northern Saw-whet Owl (3) - Fire, North(!), & East Northern House Wren (1) - Fire Sage Thrasher (1) - Fire Eastern Bluebird (1) - Connetquot Eastern Meadowlark (1) - Gardiner Common Yellowthroat (1) - Fire Saltmarsh Sparrow (1) - Gardiner
As in past years, a festive compilation dinner took place at Seatuck Environmental Association's Scully Estate. As always, we want to extend our gratitude to Seatuck for hosting us. The catered dinner was also subsidized largely in part by Great South Bay Audubon, for whom we are also extremely grateful.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to the New York State Parks Department, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Town of Babylon. Our relationship with these agencies permit count participants to access various parks, wildlife refuges, etc. which may be typically restricted to the public.
The results of this count will be shared with the Audubon Society, USFWS, Great South Bay Audubon, and anyone else who requests a more official summary.
Thank you very much to all the counters who joined! Do not hesitate to reach out if you're interested in joining this Christmas Bird Count for next year which is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, December 14, 2025.
Good birding, Taylor Sturm Brent Bomkamp Compilers
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Date: 1/9/25 3:57 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, N.Y. City - thru 1/8 - Dickcissel, Snow Goose, Am. Woodcock, Pine Warbler, Rusty Blackbird, etc.
Manhattan, N.Y. City - thru Wed., Jan. 8th -
A long-staying Dickcissel in Riverside Park will have stayed over 40 days around one location there, just south of tennis courts nearest to West 119th St., just west of Riverside Drive and a bit down-slope from that Drive - it was seen and photod again on Wed., and has been irregular to nearly-regular in the vicinity of a small feeder with suet, and around that to an occasional distance of 50 yards or more, usually seen at or near the feeder, however when it is noticed. A fair variety of other birds are also regulars in that area, and sometimes that includes a Coopers Hawk. Others seen regularly there include Red Fox Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Hermit Thrush as well as up to 1-dozen or more additional wild bird species.
A single Snow Goose has remained mainly in Central Park very recently, with change of location within that park being rather regular, lately from The Lake back up to the Harlem Meer and lawns right by that waterbody - as on Wed. 1-8, with stops in the C.P. reservoir also quite regular thru the past week. Other ducks also mainly remained in-place in Central including Green-winged Teals at The Pool, and Wood Ducks and all 3 Merganser species in the reservoir, as well as other ongoing regular duck species there and some in the other partly-frozen waterbodies.
American Woodcock turned up in several locations over the week so far, including at Union Square Park. These are likely still birds working their way out of more-frozen sites or localities. A few Red-shouldered Hawks have stayed in Manhattan thru the recent freezes, and showed in several locations to as recently as Wednesday. Coopers Hawks are being seen in many locations in Manhattan, easily well into double-digits over the length of this one island.
A Pine Warbler was ongoing at Central Park, lately moving about the southern parts of The Ramble and which at-last was at least briefly seen coming to nab a bite of suet in the Ramble feeder-array, Wed. morning. At the parks n. end, a Rusty Blackbird has lingered on. Over the first 8 days of this month, at Central Park, numbers of Common Grackles have continued, an influx that seemed to swell at or just-before the new year mark. There are some single flocks of multi-hundreds, still seen into Wed., 1-8 and some flocks were also far-larger as well as some quite a bit smaller, these flocks showing all around Central with a lot of roaming, all days with multiple to many observers. There also were very scant numbers of Brown-headed Cowbird and Red-winged Blackbird, and a few still around now.
. . .
The hen Wild Turkey some birders call -Astoria- was ongoing at Roosevelt Island, just east of Manhattan and part of the same New York County this week.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Please join the Linnaean Society of New York on Tuesday, January 14th, at 7 pm ET. The evening includes a short general membership meeting, a 45-60 minute lecture, and a Q&A session.
Dr. Liz Derryberry: Non-Parallel Behavioral Responses to Soundscape Perturbations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Our lectures are free, open to the public, and designed to be accessible to all. This month’s lecture will be hosted on Zoom so that you can participate from anywhere.
Non-Parallel Behavioral Responses to Soundscape Perturbations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented environmental perturbations—sometimes referred to collectively as the Anthropause—that have progressed rapidly and over broad spatial extents, affording novel quasi-experimental opportunities to measure outcomes of human-environment interactions. Here she evaluates the resilience of a common songbird to noise pollution by comparing soundscapes and songs across the San Francisco Bay Area prior to, during, and after the Spring 2020 statewide shutdown. Restrictions on human movement during the shutdown reduced noise pollution, relaxing auditory pressures on animals that communicate via sound. Birds quickly responded by producing wider bandwidth songs at lower amplitudes, effectively increasing signal efficacy and salience. In contrast, behavioral responses have lagged behind increasing noise levels as restrictions on human movement have loosened over time. Although song amplitude eventually returned to pre-pandemic levels, paralleling noise levels, birds have continued to produce wide bandwidth songs, with consequences for signal masking in noise. These findings illustrate that behavioral traits are slower to change in response to newly adverse conditions, indicating non-parallel responses to noise pollution removal and re-introduction.
Liz Derryberry graduated in 2000 from the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department at Princeton University. In 2007, she completed her doctoral dissertation work at Duke University on the cultural evolution of songs in white-crowned sparrows. She then joined the Museum of Natural Science at Louisiana State University to study speciation processes in Neotropical ovenbirds and woodcreepers. After five years as faculty at Tulane University, she joined the EEB faculty at the University of Knoxville, TN in 2017.
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Date: 1/6/25 4:11 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan, NYC - to 1/5 - Dickcissel, Snow Goose, over waterfowl, etc.
Manhattan, N.Y. City - to Sunday, January 5th -
The long-staying Dickcissel of Riverside Park was still coming in to and near the suet-feeder at The Drip area in Riverside, just south of tennis courts near the latitude of W. 118-119 Sts. - also around and even ON the feeder was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a Hermit Thrush made one exceedingly brief try at a little suet-nibble, but more-so the latter bird went for crumbs of suet fallen to the ground beneath the feeder there. As on many recent days, the Dickcissel had periods of being in-view at and near the feeder, as well as long long stretches when it was not in view at some hours. All the birds in this area may go-quiet at times, and this can be due to a Coopers Hawk being nearby. On Sat. 1-4, for example, some seekers found the Dickcissel in the morning, whereas multiple attempts by multiple seekers in the mid-later afternoon hours were unrewarded by the bird hoped-for.
The lingering, ongoing and mobile Snow Goose of New York County which travels around with a smallish flock of Canada Geese, came down to try out The Lake -sometimes known in warmer seasons as the Boating or Rowboat Lake- at Central Park for much-of if not all-of Sat., 1-4, and ongoing at The Lake thru Sunday 1-5 when it went into the southern cove of the lake later on. This not the first time that individual Snow Goose had visited that waterbody, but this time seen by more observers there. This goose has gone at least as far south in that park as the Sheep Meadow, again with some Canada geese, in its stay in the county. There is just the one current Snow Goose -so far- and it has appeared by now in as many as 8 distinct locations, albeit mainly within Central Park since first being seen in the county -in late 2024- at Randalls Island, a short way east of Manhattan, where that goose has also returned at least a few times, before coming-back again in to Central locations.
Other waterfowl have continued much as previously, with Central Park having many of the ducks, including Green-winged Teal, Wood, Ruddy, and American Black Ducks, Hooded, Common, and Red-breasted Merganser, Buffleheads, N. Shovelers, Gadwall, and of course Mallards. Also still present there have been American Coots, and many gulls not always thoroughly sorted-thru for possibilities beyond the typical 3 wintering species of gull here - Ring-billed, American Herring, and Great Black-backed Gulls. N.B., one additional observer with 2 others for the Central Park reservoir adult Iceland Gull photographed on Jan. 2, R. Gaylord. That gull species has not been reported again since, unfortunately - but could be somewhere in the county,
Rusty Blackbird has been ongoing at Central Park, the most-regular sightings of late being at the north end of the park, either around The Pool or often around The Loch. Others of the species may also still be lingering in appropriate habitat in Manhattan, and particularly in Central Park. A Pine Warbler was reported from Central Parks Ramble on Jan. 4th, days after the Jan. 1st sighting of that species at that park. At the bird feeding area of the Ramble in Central Park, recent sighings included Red-breasted Nuthatch and Ruby-crowned Kinglet picking at suet on occasion, and in past years when Pine Warbler has been a rare winter-visitor here they may also visit a suet-feeder when in the area of active feeders - which may be possible of recent Pine Warbler occurring in this year as well. Many other birds are coming in to any actively-maintained bird-feeding areas recently, also including the area of Riverside Park north at The Drip where up to twenty or more species of birds have been sighted from that location, not all necessarily coming to one small block of suet, but seen from the same site, Both species of Kinglet have continued on at several sites on Manhattan island, including Central Park. Not too unusual for here, large to very-large flocks of Common Grackles have been noted from several parks and areas in Manhattan in this month.
…...
And, from New York County, a single Long-tailed Duck was found -L Beausoleil- and then photographed -J. Suzuki- off Governors Island on the morning of Sat., Jan. 4th. Later-moving and arriving sea and bay ducks might yet show in various corners of the county, and clearly there has been some nice movement of waterfowl around the area in just the last week or so, as well as since the winter-solstice.
Thanks to many observers and photographers for a lot of finds and reports.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore,
Manhattan
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Date: 1/5/25 2:40 pm From: Paul R Sweet <sweet...> Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC, Sun. Jan. 5, 2025: Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow
Regarding the assertion that Common Grackles are recently absent from Central Park, I and other observers (see eBird) can confirm there is a large flock, in the 100s, roaming the park.
Paul Sweet | Collection Manager | Department of Ornithology | American Museum of Natural History | 200 Central Park West | NY 10024 | Tel 212 769 5780 | Mob 718 757 5941
> On Jan 5, 2025, at 5:14 pm, Deborah Allen <dallenyc...> wrote:
>
> EXTERNAL SENDER
>
>
> Central Park NYC
> Sunday, January 5, 2025
> OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, Deborah Allen, m.ob.
>
> Highlights: Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow Sunday. Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine SIskin Saturday.
>
> Snow Goose - continuing lone adult on the Lake today
> Canada Goose - 400-500
> Wood Duck - 1 male southeast Reservoir
> Northern Shoveler - around 40
> Gadwall - 4
> Mallard - 50+
> American Black Duck - 5
> Bufflehead - 12
> Hooded Merganser - 8
> Ruddy Duck - Reservoir
> Mourning Dove - 40-50
> American Coot - 2 Reservoir
> Ring-billed and Herring Gulls (mostly Ring-billed) - 350-400
> Great Black-backed Gull - 5
> Cooper's Hawk - 3
> Red-tailed Hawk - 5
> Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 male Evodia Field
> Downy Woodpecker - 2 or 3
> Hairy Woodpecker - 1 male top of the Oven (Chez Armando)
> Blue Jay - 4-6
> American Crow - 8-10
> Black-capped Chickadee - 6-8
> Tufted Titmouse - 20-30
> Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Evodia Field Saturday (Karen Evans)
> White-breasted Nuthatch - 5 or 6
> Brown Creeper - 1 top of the Point (Chez Armando)
> American Robin - 15-20
> Pine Siskin - 1 Evodia Field on Saturday (Karen Evans)
> Fox Sparrow - 1 photographed in Ramble (David Barrett)
> White-throated Sparrow - 20-30
> Northern Cardinal - 10-12
> --
> There has recently been a noteworthy absence of Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, and Common Grackles in Manhattan and the Bronx.
>
> Great Horned Owls in the Bronx have paired up and will be nesting soon.
> --
>
> Deb Allen
>
> --
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> ARCHIVES:
> 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html
> 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
> 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01
>
> Please submit your observations to eBird:
> ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/
>
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Date: 1/5/25 2:14 pm From: Deborah Allen <dallenyc...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Central Park NYC, Sun. Jan. 5, 2025: Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow
Central Park NYC
Sunday, January 5, 2025
OBS: Robert DeCandido, PhD, Deborah Allen, m.ob.
Highlights: Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow Sunday. Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine SIskin Saturday.
Snow Goose - continuing lone adult on the Lake today
Canada Goose - 400-500
Wood Duck - 1 male southeast Reservoir
Northern Shoveler - around 40
Gadwall - 4
Mallard - 50+
American Black Duck - 5
Bufflehead - 12
Hooded Merganser - 8
Ruddy Duck - Reservoir
Mourning Dove - 40-50
American Coot - 2 Reservoir
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls (mostly Ring-billed) - 350-400
Great Black-backed Gull - 5
Cooper's Hawk - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 male Evodia Field
Downy Woodpecker - 2 or 3
Hairy Woodpecker - 1 male top of the Oven (Chez Armando)
Blue Jay - 4-6
American Crow - 8-10
Black-capped Chickadee - 6-8
Tufted Titmouse - 20-30
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Evodia Field Saturday (Karen Evans)
White-breasted Nuthatch - 5 or 6
Brown Creeper - 1 top of the Point (Chez Armando)
American Robin - 15-20
Pine Siskin - 1 Evodia Field on Saturday (Karen Evans)
Fox Sparrow - 1 photographed in Ramble (David Barrett)
White-throated Sparrow - 20-30
Northern Cardinal - 10-12
--
There has recently been a noteworthy absence of Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, and Common Grackles in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Great Horned Owls in the Bronx have paired up and will be nesting soon.
--
Deb Allen
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Yesterday (Saturday 4 January, 2025) presented challenging conditions for the 85th Southern Nassau County CBC. At 30-36 F, temperatures were somewhat colder than has been usual in recent years, but even shallow still water was open and had been so for more than a week. The problem was the west-northwest wind, which averaged about 25 mph during daylight, with gusts above 40 mph. In exposed areas it was often difficult to observe any birds that might have been present. Even so, our 94 participants showed great fortitude and ingenuity in working their territories as best they could, and the preliminary species total of 134 was just slightly below the average of the past ten counts.
The effects of the wind were evident in many lower than expected counts of common passerine birds; for example, totals for Carolina Wren and Song Sparrow were about 60% of recent norms, despite ample (uncomfortable!) party-hours and -miles on foot. Ten-year minima for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, House Sparrow, Ipswich Sparrow, and Song Sparrow were likely wind-related, at least in part, as were misses of Cedar Waxwing (first since 2012-13) and Field Sparrow (first since 1939-40). The last, however, has been trending steadily downward for many years, along with the ecologically similar American Tree Sparrow. Tree Sparrow is unique on this long-running count as a common songbird that has never been scarcer than it is at present. One of relatively few species never missed on 85 tries, it was found in ample numbers even during the earliest years of the count, when coverage and effort were vastly lower than norms over the past half century or more. Besides Cedar Waxwing and Field Sparrow, just three other expected species eluded us this year: Common Merganser, Great Cormorant, and Tree Swallow. Of these, the first two have been trending downward on the count for years, and the last is notably volatile from year to year.
In general, we had better luck with larger aquatic birds, recording all-time maxima for Canada Goose (10,465), Razorbill (2029), and Bald Eagle (10), as well as ten-year maxima for Northern Pintail (178), Redhead (25), Ruddy Duck (794), Killdeer (23), and Northern Gannet (1180), and a stupendous but narrowly sub-maximal count of 1373 Hooded Mergansers. An all-time high of 1191 American Robins, though probably unrelated to the factors influencing the other high counts, is also notable.
Broadly, the themes just described among the more numerous species were also evident among the scarcer species. The second part of our compilation is devoted to these less expected species, and the list of savesand also spoiled saves, turned up by more than one teamwas exceptional, especially given the windy conditions. As suggested above, these novelties were heavily weighted toward birds favoring open or aquatic habitats: Two Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Laughing Gull, five (!) Black-headed Gull, American Bittern, eleven Great Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Virginia and Clapper Rail, five (!) Semipalmated Plover, three Wilsons Snipe, three American Woodcock, two Long-billed Dowitcher, Snowy Owl, two Marsh Wren, Lapland Longspur, and Nelsons Sparrow contributed to the robust species total. Although the woods and thickets yielded fewer surprises, a Red-shouldered Hawk and three Northern Saw-whet Owls were excellent finds; two Eastern Phoebe were unexpected, given the windy conditions, as were a Yellow-breasted Chat and robust showings by Orange-crowned (7), Pine (3), and Palm (3) Warblers. Not to be overlooked among the days many highlights were the many regularly occurring species that tested observers stamina and skill. Species such as Brown Creeper (Massapequa), American Pipit (two teams), Rusty Blackbird (Hempstead Lake), and Common Grackle (Atlantic) were among the many that easily could have been missed but were instead found and added to our record books. As one of the last counts conducted each year, this longstanding and well-attended CBC inevitably involves many people who have already worked hard in ensuring the success of other counts, earlier in the season. This year was no exception, with participants from this years Brooklyn, Montauk, Captree, Queens, Central Suffolk, Smithtown, Northern Nassau, Bronx-Westchester, and Drake Passage CBCs joining together yesterday for one more challenge.
Finally, after several years in which our compilation was affected adversely, by the pandemic and by the unavailability of Ottos Sea Grill in Freeport, this year we resumed our tradition of a festive, full-scale compilation. At the suggestion of Sharon and Marc Brody, Patricia organized a delightful dinner at Fabios on the Water in Merrick, enjoyed by about 50 of us last night. We extend thanks for permits and assistance with access from the New York State Parks, Town of Hempstead, and Town of Oyster Bay, and we express our gratitude and admiration to all of the participants who contributed to the legacy of this venerable exercise in citizen science.
Patricia Lindsay & ShaiMitra
Bay Shore, NY
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You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44 (at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC) 125 Pine Springs Drive Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for *Friday, January 3rd 2025* at 11pm. The highlights of today's tape are PINK-FOOTED GOOSE, PAINTED BUNTING, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN TANAGER, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, SNOWY OWL, DOVEKIE, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, DICKCISSEL and more.
Last Saturday three PINK-FOOTED GEESE were first spotted in a flock of Canada Geese on the soccer field in Northport just west of the four stacks and they have continued in that area through today. The address for the site is 337 Eaton's Neck Road which leads to a parking lot next to the soccer field. If the Canadas are present, look through the locked chain-link fence for the PINK-FOOTS but don't enter the field.
At Far Rockaway both the female plumaged PAINTED BUNTING and the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW were present all week. Today they were both near the boardwalk between beach 26th and 27th Streets.
The Eastport RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD and bonus ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER were still present today at 353 Old Country Road where birders are welcomed to view the backyard feeders. To visit the home park along Union Street just east of the house, walk back to 353 and enter the backyard near the marked shrubs.
The WESTERN TANAGER seen back in mid December on Staten Island was apparently still present, spotted Wednesday along the wetlands trail boardwalk at Mount Loretto Unique Area.
Among the waterfowl the Westchester GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was on Playland Lake in Rye Monday but back on the Bowman Avenue Pond in Ryebrook Thursday. A EURASIAN WIGEON was found Monday off Cordwood Park in Saint James and was still in the same area today while another was reported on Wednesday on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. A male KING EIDER was noted Tuesday and today with Common Eider around the Shinnecock Inlet and on Wednesday HARLEQUIN DUCKS included a male at Orient Point and a female at Midland Beach on Staten Island. A young male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was present Friday on Great Pond in Southold and a drake was seen a few times between Crab Meadow Beach east to Sunken Meadow State Park.
One or two BLACK-HEADED GULLS continue to be seen on the north side of Jones Beach often around field 10. Another has been appearing at Plumb Beach since Wednesday and one remains in the Setauket Harbor area. A GLAUCOUS GULL has been around Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 and sometimes at Bush Terminal Piers Park with another at the FDR boardwalk on Staten Island Wednesday and one out at the Bellport Bay Yacht Club Thursday. A few ICELAND GULLS have been noted from Plumb Beach and Central Park Reservoir out to Orient Harbor and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on Prospect Park Lake Sunday.
Reports for Montauk Point Sunday included a DOVEKIE, 150 RAZORBILLS, 6 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and 2 RED-NECKED GREBES, and a DOVEKIE was reported from the south end of Fort Pond yesterday.
A few SNOWY OWLS have shown up recently but locations are generally kept secret due to the potential for disturbance.
A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was found today at Mill Pond Preserve in Wantagh and a DICKCISSEL continues in Riverside Park near the suet feeders south of the tennis courts at about West 119th Street.
To phone in reports, call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
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An Iceland Gull was inadvertently left out of the compendium of sightings noted from yesterday, Jan. 2nd- found on the Central Park reservoir - S. Wallace, R. Zucker, the Iceland in adult winter plumage, and seen later in the day on the dividing dike of the reservoir, nearer the N. pumphouse building of the reservoir edge on, of course the north side.
A lingering but mobile Snow Goose was ongoing for Friday, while one late day observer had found it on the Great Lawn of Central Park very late on Thursday after having spent much of the day on the reservoir immediately to the north, and for Friday this Goose was mainly or wholly seen on the reservoir. It is clearly mobile and might show anywhere within reason in Central Park - never-ever yet at The Pond in the parks south end, where feral waterfowl will be found in addition to wild duckage there- and the Snow Goose is also still as-likely to make returning forays with its Canadian Goose friends to Randalls Island just east of Manhattan, as it has been on multiple occasions since this one birds discovery in the county.
There are also some observations of this same Snow Goose from the Harlem meer in Central Parks northeast quadrant, as was so for a part of Friday morning, and on several other part-days of previous sightings. Near the Central Park Meer by the compost and plant nursery of that park, Chipping Sparrow is ongoing thru Friday. On the contrary we seem to have no new reports for an adult White-crowned Sparrow seen by many and photographed on Jan. 1 at Central Park, the latter also very possibly lingering near where first seen at the Ramble areas eastern edge, or perhaps across the road, the Parks East Drive in habitat that sparrows often can favor.
The nearly 5-weeks lingering Dickcissel in fairly bright plumage has remained at Riverside Park, seen mostly at and not-far from the Drip area, with a small suet feeder in that area, just south of the Riverside tennis courts near about W. 119th St, inside the park and downslope to the west from Riverside Drive. A bit of patient searching and watching may reveal this bird which at times is quickly noticed by seekers, other times requiring longer vigils or short walkabouts in that area.
Decent variety in ducks continues for Manhattan with so far Central Park having the highest diversity of native ducks in total, thanks in part to ongoing 3 species of mergansers still there at the reservoir thru Friday, Common, Red-breasted, and the more regular of the three, Hooded mergansers in nice numbers for the park. Checking thru all of the waterfowl, gulls, and sundry other birds at the Central Park reservoir as with any gatherings of water-birds, might reveal some uncommon or rarer species of bird.
Of various January warblers on Manhattan, at the least an Orange-crowned Warbler was continuing at Carl Schurz Park, often right by the Gracie mansion southwest corner shrubberies and small bird feeder, this individual still present on Friday, 1-3. As may have been any of the other most-recent warblers this month in the county.
Many more species of birds are of course still about, some long-lingering and some sure to overwinter, others only-potentially to give it a try as cold weather comes back in again.
Thanks to many keen observers and photographers all-around for many sightings and reports.
Good birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Date: 1/2/25 6:39 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - thru Jan. 2nd - Dickcissel, Snow Goose, other lingering spp., etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt Islands, and the adjacent waters and skies above -
thru Thursday, January 2, 2025 -
The -Manhattan- Riverside Park lingering Dickcissel was ongoing into 2025, seen by multiple observers thru Thursday, Jan. 2nd at a suet-feeder and nearby, and, back on Dec. 31, in addition to multiple observers-photographers finding at and on a suet feeder as previously-regularly seen for more than one month, the Dickcissel was also seen in the area to the north of all of the tennis courts, now known as the Pollinator Meadow - easiest way up to that space is by a trail on the western edge of all of the tennis courts, but please be careful and cautious if wandering in there at this time of year, or at any time, even with the paved paths not that distant, this Pollinator Meadow area can be or feel quite isolated and is usually very-little used by regular park-goers.
For January 1st and also at more times on Dec. 31, the Dickcissel made its appearances at the suet feeder and nearby, including being in brushy areas next to the adjacent slope, but also some yards south of the drip-area and where the suet-feeder is found. The feeder is sometimes not that apparent when unfilled, and those unfamiliar with the area may stand by a fence outside the Drip and adjacent feeder, just south of the tennis courts restrooms, all being at the latitude of about W. 119th St. inside Riverside Park, west of Riverside Drive, and downslope. Please do not pass inside fencing here.
A single Snow Goose has again been on the move locally within the county, its 2 known-favored areas so far being northern edges at the Bronx Kill, or north fields on Randalls Island, and in Central Park when its friendly-flock of Canada Geese make the moves, as they have been - the Snow has shown in the Harlem Meer as well as the reservoir of Central Park, and has also turned up at least briefly at times, on the N. Ballfields and on other lawns in the north half of Central. It has regularly gone between Central Park and Randalls Island in one day, along with its Canadian goose friends. The flock it travels with may be as few as 40 Canadas, but at times might be greater numbers of the latter. And of course, in Central and at Randalls Island combined, there can easily be over one-thousand Canada Geese at any given moment in winter. For Jan. 1st and 2nd, the Snow Goose was on the Central Park reservoir all day long, especially near the South pump house on Dec. 1st, although also seen on the other end of the reservoir on same day and near or on the dividing-dike of the reservoir, with vast numbers of observers for 1-1-25.
A drake Long-tailed Duck was seen and photographed -M. Ross- off Inwood Hill Park’s s.w. end at the Dyckman pier - which off the western terminus off Dyckman Street in upper Manhattan, flying along the Hudson River, on Jan. 1st. This species is seen at least very-occasionally at this location and area of the Hudson, and just-might be more regular there than is understood. This can easily represent a lot of waterfowl and waterbird movement still taking place into January - as has been increasingly noted in recent-modern birding-times, as so many rivers, lakes, bays, and ponds may stay open for far-longer to the north than was so in longer-ago times.
A hen-plumaged N. Pintail was on The Pool, along with 2 lingering Green-winged Teal, etc. on Jan. 1st. 4 female-plumaged Common and 1 Red-breasted Merganser continued their recent stays on the Central Park reservoir. Other ducks ongoing at Central Park including Wood, American Black, Hooded Mergansers, and Ruddy Ducks as well as N. Shovelers, Gadwall, Buffleheads, and motley Mallards, along with whatever -exotica- has lately shown at The Pond in the parks southeast sector.
A Black Scoter was seen - a very uncommonly-reported bird in N.Y. County - from off Governors Island on Dec. 31st. That island ought to have the highest potential for many types of wintering ducks offshore, yet can be a bit disappointing in that regard. A good scope is nearly essential if working the harbor waters to seek any birds out off the island.
A Red-throated Loon seen -H. Russ- and photographed right off Inwood Hill Park’s north side was rather unusual for the specific location on 12-31-24. Slightly uncommon for that same area, a single N. Shoveler was also seen on the same day, as well as on some other days.
An adult White-crowned Sparrow was found -K. Sisco et al- in the so-called Maintenance Meadow at the very northeastern edge of the Central Park Ramble, on Dec. 31st, later seen and photographed by multiple observers there, esp near the restrooms, which are north of the field, just west of the parks East Drive roadway, nearest to a latitude of E. 79th St. This species has rather rarely wintered thru in Central Park, sometimes by a feeder -not at the Ramble- and sometimes elsewhere, in past winters over some decades. More of the overwintering individuals of the past were in immature plumage as their winter began. It is also slightly-possible this bird on 12-31 was still a very-late transient, but as-or-more likely it is a lingering individual that had not been much noticed or had remained in some -other- area rarely-watched by birders.
Some other sparrows also still showing for 1-1-25 included American Tree and Field, as well as the 2 still-lingering Chipping Sparrows, those last around the n.e. sector of Central Park, and which were seen on the C.B.C. in mid-December and also before and since then. Red Fox Sparrows are still widely if thinly distributed all around, often but not always among flocks of the many White-throated Sparrows of the county. Swamp Sparrow is not at all regular in winter but some are usually lingerers, and this winter is no exception. Song Sparrows are very widely continuing on.
Pine Warblers were amongst that family - the Parulidae, or American warblers- to show up on Jan. 1st in the county, with three individuals at Randalls Island, and one still being found at Central Park. It is quite possible all are birds seen previously and were still in those areas but not showing for some lengthy stretches. Orange-crowned Warblers have remained in several locations, with the most-watched recently still being one at Carl Schurz Park, esp. around the s.w. corner -and adjacent feeder- at Gracie mansion at the parks n.w. edge - seen and photographed again on 1-1-25, and may at times come to the suet, but also remains hidden inside of the walled mansion-grounds at times, appearing on and around shrubberies and in trees outside there, and perhaps with some forays out farther from the mansion. A couple of other Orange-crowneds include one at Randalls Island, tough to see on some recent visits, and another lingering Orange-crowned at Central Park, seemingly sought by few, and also not found in just one area, but has sometimes been not far from the Discovery center building on the Meers north shore. Still more Orange-crowneds could well be lurking and lingering in some areas of the county. Also still around have been Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warbler, the latter two warbler species in thickets at -The Hills- of Governors Island, and the Myrtle Warbler also present in a few additional sites thru 1-1-25. Additional Common Yellowthroats include sightings at Bryant Park in Manhattan, and in a private greenspace in lower Manhattan, and perhaps still other locations. Further warbler locations, in Central Park may include the inner grounds of the zoo there, where an admission is charged to those not zoo-members, and of course only open at standard times.
A hen Wild Turkey -called Astoria by some birders- has continued into 2025 at Roosevelt Island in the East River east of Manhattan, a part of N.Y. County.
Good 2025 birding to all, and thanks to many finders and observers for many great reports.
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Date: 1/1/25 7:53 pm From: <marciaaabrahams...> <marciaaabrahams...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] The next Queens County Bird Club meeting will be on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, featuring Karlo Mirth "The Wonderful, Unusual Fauna of Tasmania"
The next Queens County Bird Club meeting will be on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362.
Karlo Mirth will present "The Wonderful, Unusual Fauna of Tasmania"
In November 2023, Alison and Karlo Mirth spent two weeks driving around Tasmania, the beautiful island off the southeast coast of Australia. Their main goal was to see as many of Australia's unique fauna, including the two fascinating egg-laying mammals, the Platypus and the Echidna. Other animals on their wish list were kangaroos, koala, wombat, wallabies, and, with a little luck, Tasmanian Devil. Many bird species were seen as well. The trip also included a short visit to Adelaide and the mostly undeveloped Kangaroo Island.
Please be prompt and ring the bell to be let in since there will not be coverage at the front desk.
Marcia AbrahamsVP/Programs CoordinatorQueens County Bird Clubhttps://qcbirdclub.org/Email: <MarciaAAbrahams...>
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Date: 12/31/24 6:39 am From: David La Magna <dlamagna...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Smithtown CBC 2024 Summary (Suffolk County) - Record Breaking Year
The 100th Smithtown Christmas Bird Count took place on December 27th and it did not disappoint. Within the count circle there were two blown out man-made dams which was assumed would contribute to loss of freshwater species diversity. Despite this and partially frozen water, but otherwise gorgeous weather conditions, 37 observers were able to smash the previous count record of 116 species with a new record of 121 species. There were also a number of count high records.
*From the count checklist that includes species seen in at least 6 of the past 10 years there were only four misses. The missed species were*: -Lesser Scaup -Ruddy Duck (this miss causes it to drop off the 6 out of 10 checklist for 2025) -Pie-billed Grebe -Peregrine Falcon
*All time count highs (high > 1) included the following (** species has not been observed in at least 6 of the previous 10 years)*: -Wood Duck, 38 individuals (28 of which were in the Lake Ronkonkoma vicinity which itself constituted a count record, previous record is 27 in 1989) -Green-wing Teal, 51 individuals (previous record is 44 in 2023) -Wild Turkey, 65 individuals (previous record is 39 in 2022) -Cooper's Hawk, 16 individuals (previous record is 10 in 2020) -Bald Eagle, 17 individuals (a number of suspected breeding pairs were observed, alleviating the concerns about double counts, previous record is 6 in 2020) -Wilson's Snipe**, 3 individuals (Thatch Pond/Smithtown, Landing Avenue Park & Blydenburgh, ties 2022 record) -Lesser Black-backed Gull**, 3 individuals (all previous records are single individuals) -Great Horned Owl, 34 individuals (previous record is 31 in 2014) -Red-bellied Woodpecker, 232 individuals (previous record is 231 in 2007) -Merlin, 6 individuals (previous record is 4 in multiple years) -Blue Jay, 696 individuals (previous record is 465 in 2023) -Common Raven, 23 individuals (ties 2022 record) -Golden-crowned Kinglet, 52 individuals (previous record is 47 in 2012) -Brown Thrasher**, 6 individuals (ties 2023 record) -Eastern Towhee, 29 individuals (previous record is 28 in 2007) -Baltimore Oriole**, 4 individuals (3 of which were at a single feeder in the Lake Ronkonkoma area, previous record is 2 in 2023. Baltimore Orioles make their way onto the 6 of 10 list for 2025)
*Additional finds not observed in at least 6 of the past 10 years include (in any particular order)*: -Cackling Goose (single individual, Sunken Meadow SP) -American Coot (4 individuals, Lilly Pond/Lake Ronkonkoma) -Great Egret (11 individuals, multiple locations) -Orange-crowned Warbler (single individual, Setauket Power Cut) -Killdeer (26 individuals, multiple locations) -Great Cormorant (4 individuals multiple locations LI Sound) -Pileated Woodpecker (David Weld Preserve) -Common Eider (2 individual, Mt Sinai & Cranes Neck) -Razorbill (single individual, Kings Park Bluff) -American Pipit (single individual, Blydenburgh Rd Landfill) -Clapper Rail (single individual, Satterly Landing/Mt Sinai) -Red-necked Grebe (single individual, Cranes Neck) -Black-crowned Night Heron (single individual, Nissequogue SP) -Black-bellied Plover (single individual, Cedar Beach/Mt Sinai) -Greater Yellowlegs (single individual, Flax Pond) -Eastern Meadowlark (2 individuals, first count records since 1997, Sunken Meadow SP) -Laughing Gull (single individual, Cedar Beach/Mt Sinai) -Red-headed Woodpecker (single individual, Sunken Meadow SP) -Pine Siskin (5 individuals, Levitt Fields/Setauket) -Turkey Vulture (single individual, Stony Brook area) -Barrow's Goldeneye (single individual, first one since 1998, Callahans Beach) -Black-headed Gull (single individual, photographed, West Meadow Beach/Stony Brook)
*Assorted other notes on more regular species*: -American Wigeon numbers at the lowest they have been since 2013 with only 60 individuals -Common Merganser stronghold continues to be Lake Ronkonkoma with 92 individuals -Northern Saw-whet Owl continues to show up in the count area now for the 8th consecutive year. -Virginia Rail continues to be detected at increasingly reliable locations across the count circle -Purple Sandpiper was a count save this year at only one location, Cedar Beach, with 4 individuals -Cedar Waxwing is an increasingly difficult species to detect in the count circle with only 3 individuals recorded -American Tree Sparrow had a surprising showing with 27 individuals, the highest since 33 individuals were detected in 2008 -Chipping Sparrow was a count save with only 1 individual -Brown-headed Cowbird was a save found near Lake Ronkonkoma -Snow Bunting was a count save only found at the Kings Park Bluff
*Count Week Species*: Eurasian Wigeon, Cordwood Park 12/30/24
Thank you to Rich Gostic, the previous compiler, for assisting in setting up and helping me through this first count.
Additionally, we would like to thank the Setauket Neighborhood House <https://www.setauketneighborhoodhouse.com/> for donating their space for participants to gather for a compilation.
Next year's count will be December 27, 2025.
Happy New Year, David LaMagna Smithtown Christmas Bird Count Compiler
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Date: 12/31/24 2:50 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - thru Mon., 12/30 - Dickcissel, Snow Goose and other waterfowl, etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt islands and the adjacent waters and skies above -
thru Monday, December 30th -
A Dickcissel still visiting the area in Riverside Park -Manhattan- for one month has lately been often-shy or tough to spot, as in part, Coopers Hawk presence has factored in to how readily any birds, including that species, come in to feed in the area still called by locals, The Drip, just south of Tennis Courts at about W. 118-119th Sts. inside the park and below Riverside Drive. The Dickcissel may well be staying in that general area much of the time, still - also a factor for its not showing as readily on some recent days, the thaw and milder days, rainy or not, have of course melted all snow-ice remaining in that area, and all the birds can feed in any places they choose to, not all concentrated in one area with some available food. In any event, some seekers have put in vigils and had no luck, while at least a few have been lucky at the one area the Dickcissel was or still is at-all regularly observed. Some of the surrounding habitat is not at all easy to search, with very steep slopes and brush, as well as fences on among other places the west edge of a path past the tennis court entrance, and parts of the stairway just north of The Drip. Some of this larger area also has gratings to the active railway tunnel - Amtrak-use - that here goes under parts of Riverside Park walkways - and those areas of gratings are often brushy at their edges, and very tough to watch for birds, nearer to the West Side Highway traffic… The adjacent sanctuary with dirt and woodchip path thru, which is above, just east-of The Drip is another area where any locally feeding birds may visit, and there are also a lot of steep, brush-filled, tough-birding areas immediately north of the long wide stairway on the north side of the Sanctuary, or just-east of the actual tennis courts. All making for many potential hiding-places for any kind of birds. The habitat to the north also extends all the way to the highway exit by W. 125th St., some of which is not at all recommended for birding unless one is very aware and familiar with all of the area. Even more patience may be required to find the Dickcissel so long as any hungry hunting Coopers Hawk is in that vicinity and such a raptor might well remain all through winter. The Dickcissel was seen again thru Mon., Dec. 30th, but there have lately been many seekers unable to observe, even some days after rather long patient waits for that bird. Some sightings lately have been nearly at the very end of the days, but to mix that up, a sighting on Monday came soon after sunrise.
A Snow Goose was ongoing in the county, almost certainly one individual which was perhaps first-found at Randalls Island but then seen by far more observers at Central Park, mainly at the reservoir there although also showing a bit on some lawns, empty sports fields, and at The Meer in that parks n. end, while as of very recently, including to Monday Dec. 30, the Snow Goose had wandered back over to Randalls Island where it has been seen in and near the Bronx Kill at the islands n.-n-w. sector as well as usually with a group of 40+ Canada Geese that it may be somewhat attached to for the time around here.
Many more Canada Geese, and some Atlantic Brant have been showing in general and particularly at Randalls in recent days, though so far no rarer wild goose turning up amidst these flocks scattered around this county. On Randalls also have been a few ongoing American Tree Sparrows, Field Sparrow, and a motley selection of other winter birds, Belted Kingfisher among them. Some brushy-edge areas are not really accessible just now, due to various major work projects.
For a slight increase of variety of waterfowl, initially 3 female-plumaged Common Mergansers came into Central Parks reservoir, remaining for a few days, with at least 4 seen -and photographed together- at same time there on Monday, 12-30, with at least one female-plumaged Red-breasted Merganser also present - a 3-merganser-spp. trifecta for Central, which is not that commonly seen there.
Over at Randalls Island, or really-far-out in the western Sound off the northeast edges of Randalls, some Common Goldeneyes have again been scope-able, best on days with fairly good lighting and not too much wind to stir the waters. On rare occasions, those and other bay-ducks in the past have come in a bit closer… any of such ducks also would be possibilities this winter from Governors Island, if scoping and seeking and also with some luck. Long-tailed Duck and Scaup are additional possibilities thru winter.
Far more typically, Red-breasted Merganser in small numbers are scattered about the waters of the county, mainly out on the bays and rivers or estuaries, as are some Red-throated and Common Loons, and again with some searching and luck, possible Great Cormorant as well as some lingering Double-crested Cormorants at times. N.B., some small portions of the habitat at some -edges- of Randalls Island are now non-accessible or not possible to view, due to major construction projects. We hope that some of that work is completed in the coming year, time will tell.
Duckage at Central Park was otherwise much as has been with a few Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, and numbers of Hooded Mergansers along with Gadwall, N. Shovelers, Ruddy and American Black Ducks, Buffleheads, etc. in particular at the C.P. reservoir where gulls are found in their hundreds, if not occasional 1,000-plus, most being Ring-billed and American Herring Gulls, along with Great Black-backed, the typical 3 wintering species, and a chance on any winters day of some other gull showing as well - as would also be so in any location anywhere in the county, especially so where more gulls may typically gather.
On Dec. 30th at one point of the day, over 1,500 gulls were present at the Central Park reservoir - numbers there fluctuate during any day, and can be much higher or lower at certain hours. On some days the highest gull numbers there are seen in mid-day, but that also can vary.
While very few of the earlier-in-December warblers of this county were still being found this past week, a few were, including Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned Warblers and Myrtle form of Yelllow-rumped Warbler, all within Manhattan, with at least the last three species noted also on other islands of the county within the last week. Ongoing Orange-crowned Warblers include one seen and photographed again on Monday, 12-30 at Carl Schurz Park on Manhattans east edge, near the Gracie mansion sw corner feeder and in shrubs right by that feeder, as well as moving-about in the park at times, its suspected to likely also go in the shrubby leafy grounds of Gracie mansion, which with high wooden fences cannot be viewed for any bird within 8-10 feet of ground-level. Another Orange-crowned Warbler has been more-elusive but was ongoing in Central Parks north-ne sector by the Meer.
There may be some other warblers - individuals or other species of, lurking and lingering in any parts of the county, even after a hard freeze and several -small- snowfalls.
Among the birds of the past week-plus in or over N.Y. County have been these -
Snow Goose - the one bird in multiple birders opinions, at Central Park and at Randalls Island.
Canada Goose - many thousands scattered around the county this week.
Atlantic Brant - regular, in particular annual-winter locations.
Mute Swan - regular pair, at least, off Randalls Island mainly in the East River.
Wood Duck - Central Park, mostly - in December also at Inwood Hill and a few more locations.
Gadwall - widespread in the rivers, etc.
American Black Duck - increased a bit this past week.
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - mostly at Central Park recently.
Green-winged Teal - Central Park.Northern Pintail - 1 off Inwood Hill Park, Dec. 26th.
Lesser Scaup - only those 3 seen off Inwood Hill Park on one day, Dec. 26th.
Bufflehead - widespread.
Common Goldeneye - very distantly scope-able lately, far off Randalls Island NE corner.
Hooded Merganser - particularly in numbers at Central Park.
Common Merganser - up to 4 at Central Park reservoir, many observers of 2, 3, or four.
Red-breasted Merganser - increased in past week, multiples in the rivers, bay, estuaries.
Ruddy Duck - most readily seen in Central Park -in the county- recently.Red-throated Loon - relatively few reports.
Common LoonGreat Cormorant - not too many reports.
Double-crested Cormorant - not that common but still in the multiple.
Great Blue Heron - scarce, but ongoing.
Great Egret - a flyby perhaps exiting the county, seen from Governors Island, Dec. 27-L. LaBella.
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black Vulture - scarce now.
Turkey Vulture - small numbers.
Bald Eagle - regular sightings for some parts of county.
Sharp-shinned Hawk - scant.
Cooper's Hawk - multiple locations, some semi-resident for winter so far.
Red-shouldered Hawk - still present to 12-30, flyovers and at least 1 hunting thru woods.
Red-tailed Hawk - very regular in many locations - residents.
American Kestrel - some residents continuing.
Merlin - ongoing in at least 2 or more locations.
Peregrine Falcon - multiple residents.
Wild Turkey - 1 female continuing at Roosevelt Island.
American Coot - modest numbers.
Killdeer - modest and seemingly shrinking numbers in past week at few typical locations.
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull - numerous to nearly-abundant.
American Herring Gull - as for previous species.
Iceland Gull - N.Y. Harbor, probably some others have passed thru or even lingering in the county.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - Randalls Island, and perhaps still in a few other locations.
Great Black-backed Gull - fairly regular, occasionally in modestly-high numbers at some locations.
feral Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove - ongoing.
owls - locations withheld.
Belted Kingfisher - Randalls Island in particular.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - multiple lingerers, as is fairly regular and expected now thru many winters.
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker - multiple sites.
Yellow-shafted Flicker - very scarce.
Common Raven - multiple locations.
American Crow
Blue Jay
Horned Lark - perhaps flocks have moved on, from Randalls and Governors Islands.
Black-capped Chickadee - a modest-irruption year, ongoing in many many locations.
Tufted Titmouse - a fairly strong irruption, ongoing in many locations in numbers.
Red-breasted Nuthatch - few lingering on, esp. Central Park.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper - relatively few into the past week.
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren - very scarce by now.
Golden-crowned Kinglet - scarcer by now.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - multiple locations.
Hermit Thrush - many still lingering, many locations.
American Robin - fairly high numbers around, and still on the move at least locally.
Gray Catbird - scarce.
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher - shy and also very scarce.
European Starling - very common and widespread.House Sparrow - almost ubiquitous in this county.
American Pipit - recent sightings mostly a week or more ago by now.
Cedar Waxwing - almost vanished by now.Eastern Towhee - scarce, a few continuing.
American Tree Sparrow - scarce, which is typical for this county.
Chipping Sparrow - last sightings from Central Parks north end to at least Dec. 28 and could be lingering still. This species occasionally overwinters here.
Field Sparrow - few reported very recently, some in December, incl. 12-30 on Randalls Island.
Savannah Sparrow - scarcer in recent weeks, may be lingering.
Red Fox Sparrow - some lingering, reduced though from earlier in December.
Song Sparrow - in many locations.
Lincoln's Sparrow - one recent confirmed report of a lingerer in lower west Manhattan, Hudson River Park - to at least Dec. 26.
Swamp Sparrow - scarce now.
White-throated Sparrow - normal numbers, always fairly common here as a wintering species.
Slate-colored -Dark-eyed- Junco - still in good numbers.
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird - very scarce lately.
Rusty Blackbird - a few reports in Central Park, not many.
Common Grackle - ongoing in a few locations.
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch - fewer in past week, were rather regular earlier in December.
House Finch
Pine Siskin - small numbers in scattered locations, Manhattan and Randalls Island lately.
American Goldfinch - some flocks, not in high numbers this week.
-
Orange-crowned Warbler
Northern Parula - not seen since Dec. 21.
Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warbler - few.
Pine Warbler - possibly still in a few locations, but not reported lately.
Palm Warbler - last reports were from Randalls and Governors Islands.
Ovenbird - lingering at least in 2 locations, perhaps more, an annual overwintering-attempts species.
Common Yellowthroat - at least several, Manhattan and Governors Island.
-
Some additional birds were likely seen or have occurred in the past week. One interesting report, a possible European Goldfinch in the Central Park Ramble. That species has occasionally shown in New York City and rarely, in N.Y. County, over recent years as well as historically, all believed of feral origin, not -wild- as in having migrated in from Europe or Eurasia. There may have been some breeding, among the feral flocks, in NY state in recent times.
Thanks to all observers and photographers who shared many many sightings and photos or reports to the non-x alerts systems and of course in eBird, all through 2024.
Good end-of and start-of year birding to all,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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The 95th Montauk Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, December 14th. *124 species* were observed on the count day. This is in line with the count's recent historical average, though well below last year's total of 134 species. The lower total was almost certainly influenced by the cold temperatures in the lead-up to the count. Many half-hardy passerines that are often recorded on the count, like Marsh Wren and Yellow-breasted Chat, were absent. Significant amounts of open fresh water were frozen on count day, though the larger bodies remained unfrozen.
Species highlights included the first count record of *Sooty Shearwater *seen following a commercial dragger in the Point South territory. This remarkable record was not wholly unexpected, however, given the large numbers of shearwaters lingering in the vicinity of Montauk Point until early December. Also remarkable were *three Black-headed Gulls* observed in the Lake West territory. Other interesting species included *three Harlequin Ducks* (Point South), *one Black-legged Kittiwake* (Point South), *one Red-shouldered Hawk* (Lake West), *one Long-eared Owl* (Lake West), and *two Red-headed Woodpeckers* (Gardiners Island).
Only a handful of new high counts were set, including 436 Ring-necked Ducks (almost all on Gardiners Island), 522 Hooded Mergansers (almost all on Gardiners Island), the aforementioned three Black-headed Gulls, and 21 Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Our deepest thanks to Frank Quevedo and the South Fork Natural History Museum for hosting the compilation and providing dinner and to all participants for joining us and to the area leaders for organizing coverage.
For those interested, the 2025 count will take place on *Saturday, December 20, 2025*.
Co-Compilers Brent Bomkamp Angus Wilson
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You can also send reports and digital image files via email to nysarc44 (at)nybirds{dot}org.
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC) 125 Pine Springs Drive Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Ben Cacace
BEGIN TAPE
Greetings. This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for *Friday, December 27th 2024* at 11pm. The highlights of today's tape are PAINTED BUNTING, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, MARBLED GODWIT, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and more.
The female plumaged PAINTED BUNTING and the nearby CLAY-COLORED SPARROW both continue along the beach in Far Rockaway. Today the PAINTED BUNTING was in the underbrush off the boardwalk near Beach 24th Street often requiring more patience than the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW spotted today around the corner of Beach 26th Street a little west of the BUNTING. Another CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was found today at Powell's Cove Park at College Point in Queens but park at the south end of Powell's Cove.
The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD continues in Eastport at 353 Old Country Road and the homeowners continue to welcome visitors. Park along Union Street just east of the home, walk back to 353 and enter the backyard just past the house near the marked shrubs. Also watch for the ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER still visiting feeders today. The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD at a private home in Rocky Point was also still present today.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE visited Great Pond in Southold for a few days at least to Tuesday and another was seen again Wednesday on Tung Ting Pond in Centerport while the one in lower Westchester, currently frozen out of the Bowman Avenue pond, was spotted on a local private golf course Sunday and on Playland Lake in Rye on Tuesday. Among the several reported CACKLING GEESE this week have been one Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to Thursday and singles Sunday in Prospect Park and Van Cortlandt Park. A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was reported on the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Thursday and today. A female HARLEQUIN DUCK has been present on Staten Island since Tuesday off the Ocean Breeze fishing pier at Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach while others should still be around Jones Inlet. Following last week's report of a drake BARROW'S GOLDENEYE returning again to the waters off Crab Meadow Beach in Northport comes this Tuesday a sighting of an apparent hybrid BARROW'S / COMMON GOLDENEYE at that location with hopefully more to come on this
A MARBLED GODWIT was seen yesterday in the channel across from Jones Beach State Park field 10 and one or two BLACK-HEADED GULLS were also noted Thursday and today at the same location. An immature GLAUCOUS GULL continues at the Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 and a young ICELAND GULL was spotted along Newtown Creek in Brooklyn last Sunday. During the week lingering RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were noted in Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, at Caumsett State Park, and Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island, and at Blue Mountain Reservation in Westchester.
Occurring among the later lingering warblers this week have been NORTHERN PARULA at Inwood Hill Park, BLACK-THROATED BLUE in Brooklyn and WILSON'S in Prospect Park as well as quite a few ORANGE-CROWNEDS.
A DICKCISSEL continues in Riverside Park in northern Manhattan often seen at the suet feeder just south of the tennis courts at about West 119th Street.
The Bronx-Westchester Christmas Count last Sunday recorded 120 species including GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, RED-NECKED GREBE, a record 33 BALD EAGLES, 3 HOUSE WRENS, 4 BALTIMORE ORIOLES and 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.
To phone in reports, call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
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Date: 12/27/24 11:07 am From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Manhattan Dickcissel & waterfowl updates, Fri., 12/27
On Friday early-morning, 12-27 a Dickcissel was up and at the suet feeder area as it has been so regularly for 4 full weeks now, in Riverside Park just south of tennis courts near about West 118-119th Sts, within Riverside. A bit of patience will sometimes bring the desired bird into view here.
A Snow Goose came back to the Central Park reservoir, where it was present among many Canada Geese and various ducks, at first-light of Friday, 12/27, seen at that crescent-moon hour nearer the nw side of the reservoir, but moving about.
At Inwood Hill Parks lagoon waters, 3 Lesser Scaup, now confirmed from multiple reporters there, were present on Thursday, 12-26, a mainly uncommon species in the modern era - long-ago a very common species at, for example the Central Park reservoir, known to observers now who are at-least 40 years of birding experience in the area.
And a somewhat belated note, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen -J. Suzuki- off Randalls Island north side by the Bronx Kill, which divides New York and Bronx counties there, back on 12-21, not reported since then but could certainly still be in the general area.
Good birds,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Date: 12/26/24 7:51 pm From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] N.Y. County, NYC - Dickcissel, Snow Goose, H. Lark flocks, etc.
New York County -in N.Y. City- including Manhattan, Randalls, Governors, and Roosevelt Islands, and the adjacent waters and skies above -
to Thursday, December 26th -
A Dickcissel in brightening plumage has continued on around the area in Riverside Park -Manhattan- just south of tennis courts, nearest W. 118-119th Sts., west and downslope from Riverside Drive. This individual is now believed to be the same bird that had been seen on a feeder-cam in the east-of-Morningside area on W. 117th St., approx. 1 mile east of the Riverside Park location - back in late Nov., before the first Riv.Park sightings, which began on Nov. 30 -K. Fung- and interestingly, it seems that this Dickcissel, appearing to be the same individual, came back to that location about 1 mile farther east, in -at least one- foray in mid-Dec., although overall for Dec., the sightings have been rather consistently from Riverside Parks regular location - where a suet feeder has also regularly pulled it, and multiple other more-common birds, in to feed. If seeking this bird, best advice is to simply give it some time, up to an hour or more, as it is not constantly right at or next to that suet, and may well fly off some distances, at intervals each day. Some of us have noted it going off a bit west to the brushy slope - much tougher viewing - towards the West Side Highway. A nice plus has been that this bird at least occasionally has given the characteristic electric-buzz call note as it flies -or possibly when is about to - for those observers alert to distinctive calls. When seen, the Dickcissel may or may not be with any particular other species, but is commonly seen in-company with the more-regular species of that area, such as White-throated Sparrows, as well as House Sparrows, and Slate-colored Juncos, plus multiple other regulars of the suet-feeder area, and what is known as The Drip - not actively providing any moisture in winter months. The Dickcissel will often come on to the suet-cake if any is in the holder, or be seen directly below, or as-often perched at eye-level or both higher or lower, and certainly foraging around on leafy, brushy ground in that area. Red Fox Sparrow has been noticed lately in this area, a species also recently found in various other county locations.
Uncommon at-best for most observers in N.Y. County, esp. in numbers, a nice flight of Horned Larks recently came in to settle for more than 1 day, on at-least 2 islands, Governors Island and Randalls Island, with well over a dozen noted on multiple days and many observers from Governors, and slightly fewer for highest numbers at Randall’s Island, with many observers seeing varying single-digits of the larks. Also noted from these islands of N.Y. County have been some American Pipits, in far-lower numbers overall.
Also uncommon for the county -esp as a grounded or on-the-water sighting- a Snow Goose was noticed in Central Park, on the reservoir this week from 12-24 and 12-25, with dozens of observers. That Snow Goose had moved up to the Harlem Meer in Central park’s northeast end, sitting with about 50 Canada Geese, on Thursday, 12/26 -photographed there, too- and seen by multiple if fewer observers than the big-bunches from 12-25 to see the uncommon goose. Note too, this individual Snow Goose might be traveling about the area, and could well show up on Randalls Island or about-anywhere in Central Park including on some fenced lawns, etc. in coming days if it lingers. Green-winged Teal -minimum of 3, with 2 bright drakes- continued a long stay in Central Park, at The Pool, and several Wood Ducks also have continued on at Central Park. Various other ongoing waterfowl there included Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, N. Shovelers, Gadwall, American Black Duck, and other regular species, along with ongoing American Coots and the typical 3 species of wintering gulls. Up to 12-25, the last Lesser Scaup to have a confirmation via eBird in N.Y. County -off Randalls Island- had been from early December, but with more ducks and geese and associates in transit lately, that status could shift.
A lot of the late-lingering warblers of earlier in December, many especially having been seen in Manhattan, were not being reported since either just-before, or much-after the local bird counts and count-week period, which ended in this county by Dec. 18. Among exceptions was a very-late Northern Parula still being seen at Inwood Hill Park’s marsh-regeneration area site - in northern Manhattan, at least thru Dec. 21 but not since? That warbler appeared to have started to increasingly rely on a single Y.-b. Sapsuckers drillings, in that location and that alone would not be likely to provide sufficient or proper food for the warbler ongoing into some frigid - changeable weather. At least ten days prior, in addition to more-watched Nashville Warbler at Union Square Park in lower Manhattan, that species was also noted from Stuyvesanttown, some distance east of Union Square in Manhattan, on Dec. 17. With multiple Orange-crowned Warblers around the county to about mid-month, there is a chance some have survived the very latest arctic weather blast, as well as snowfalls, although no very-recent reports came in this week. At least one Common Yellowthroat looked to have kept on at Bryant Park, in midtown Manhattan. Some additional warblers in the county from thgis month just-might still be hanging in at various locations if food is still plentiful enough for some, but this winter looks rather different already to one year earlier, when so many warbler species lasted locally even into January. Among warblers still present to the Manhattan count-day was also Pine Warbler, at Central Park with many observers, and that species also seen after the CBC day there.
A Lincolns Sparrow was apparently a continuing bird -A. Evans- for the pier-26 scrubby area, a part of the Hudson waterfront park in lower Manhattan along the Hudson River, to Thursday, 12-26. That species has shown a bit more proclivity to linger in this county into at least early winter in the current era of birding. American Tree Sparrow, never that common in most of N.Y. County in any years in the modern era, was seen at Governors Island on 12-25. A couple of Chipping Sparrows, at least two seen on the day of the CBC in Manhattan, were lingering at least some days around the outdoor plant-nursery in Central Parks northeast quadrant. There are still some reports of Rusty Blackbird, a species that is known to attempt overwintering at times, the recent reports mainly from Central Park.
Low-multiple numbers of Red-shouldered Hawk have continued to appear, some still on the move in this area. Merlin is still being found in Central Park, esp in the vicinity of the Great Lawn, as had been for many weeks by now. Bald Eagle and Turkey Vulture have also been noted from various points in the county, the eagles a little more-regularly. Coopers Hawk is quite a regular species in winter as well as just about year-round, although rather scarce in the summer months here. Common Ravens have continued to be seen and-or heard in multiple areas, now a regular part of the avifauna of this county…
A female Wild Turkey, which some were calling by a name -Astoria- has continued on and on for many months at Roosevelt Island.
Many other birds of course also have occurred this month, many also still lingering, and some probably yet to be discovered for the month, just ahead of 1-1-25.
Good festive-time birding to all, and good luck to those doing CBCs,
Tom Fiore
manhattan
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Date: 12/23/24 2:31 pm From: Joan Collins <joancollins...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Red & White-winged Crossbills, Evening Grosbeaks, and more, Long Lake (Hamilton Co.)
Today, December 23, 2024, I found a flock of 32 Evening Grosbeaks in Tupper Lake near the intersection of Webb Rd. and Pine St. White Ash trees have abundant seeds this year and the flock was feeding in a large Ash. They flew off toward Washington St., which also has lots of White Ash trees. Almost all the birds were females, and I only spotted 3 males in the flock.
I have found White-winged Crossbills in many locations along Route 30 in Long Lake - particularly large flocks near the John Dillon Park area with ~40 observed south of the park and ~25 north of the park. The flock to the south was feeding on Black Spruce cone seeds. I made note of this spot to Tyler Hoar in September when I sent tree seed crop info - it was the only place I found Black Spruces with cones - and in that particular group of trees, the crop was bumper! A strange anomaly! White-winged Crossbills are all along Sabattis Rd. beginning just south of the inlet of Little Tupper Lake and ranging north to Rt. 30. I've been observing bill-touching behavior in pairs.
Red Crossbills appear to be widespread and I'm finding them everywhere I look. Large flocks were found along North Point Road in Long Lake from the intersection with Forked Lake Rd. to the outlet of Raquette Lake. Many were singing and gritting in the road. I found a flock today (25-30) along Route 421 to Horseshoe Lake (St Lawrence Co.), also with lots of singing. The flock was just before the steep hill down to the lake. They were all intent on dead snags, focusing on the softest part of the dead trees. I took photos and videos showing they were sticking their tongues into the soft wood sections. I frequently see this behavior in Red Crossbills and always wonder what they are doing. There was a lot of fighting among flock members for these decayed spots. Red Crossbills are all along Sabattis Road where they have also been feeding in Red Spruces with White-winged Crossbills and gritting with them. I have also found Red Crossbills in several areas of Newcomb including Tahawus Rd. and Route 28N. I observed mate-feeding at Sabattis Bog in Long Lake on Dec. 15, 2024.
Pine Siskins are here this winter and we've had a few at our feeders. Several times, I have observed huge flocks, where they appear as a small dark cloud! Recently, a huge flock was gritting in Sabattis Road and they covered a big section of road from one side to the other! They are numerous along North Point Rd. in Long Lake. Amer. Goldfinches often join them. They are feeding on the abundant Yellow Birch catkins. (Red-breasted Nuthatches have also been feeding on the Yellow Birch catkins and also on Red Spruce cones - alongside both crossbill species!)
It is always an exciting winter when crossbills are around!
I have an aversion to social media, but I'm making a New Year's resolution to start posting bird photos once again - at least once in a while! I am not a photographer, but I love to photograph crossbills and I posted some photos to my Facebook page below.
You can also send reports and digital image files via email to
nysarc44<at>nybirds<dot>org
If electronic submission is not possible, hardcopy reports and photos or
sketches are welcome. Hardcopy documentation should be mailed to:
Gary Chapin - Secretary
NYS Avian Records Committee (NYSARC)
125 Pine Springs Drive
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Hotline: New York City Area Rare Bird Alert
Number: (212) 979-3070
Compiler: Tom Burke
Coverage: New York City, Long Island, Westchester County
Transcriber: Gail Benson
Greetings! This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for Friday, December 20,
2024 at 11:00 p.m.
The highlights of today's tape are SAGE THRASHER, GRAY KINGBIRD, PAINTED
BUNTING, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN TANAGER,
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, EURASIAN WIGEON, KING EIDER, HARLEQUIN DUCK
and BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, BLACK-HEADED and GLAUCOUS GULLS, CLAY-COLORED
SPARROW, DICKCISSEL and more.
The SAGE THRASHER at Robert Moses State Park since November 17th was last
reported around the southwest corner of Field 5 last Sunday the 15th.
A GRAY KINGBIRD spotted late last Saturday morning at the Mount Loretto
Unique Area on Staten Island disappeared quickly and was never relocated.
Interestingly, a WESTERN TANAGER was found Saturday in the same area at
Mount Loretto, and it stayed around at least to Wednesday, feeding in the
many fruiting trees there.
Another exciting duo involves a PAINTED BUNTING in female-type plumage
found Tuesday along the beach in Far Rockaway. Initially occurring in
grassy strips near the boardwalk just east of Beach 32nd Street, the bird
apparently has moved closer to Beach 24th Street, still in the same habitat
around the boardwalk. This same area has also retained a CLAY-COLORED
SPARROW, found last Saturday and continuing there through today.
The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD in Eastport was still present today at 353 Old
Country Road, and the homeowners continue to welcome visitors. Park along
Union Street just east of the home, walk back to 353 and enter the backyard
just past the house near the marked shrubs. Also look for the
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER still visiting the feeders today. The RUFOUS
HUMMINGBIRD at a private home in Rocky Point was still visiting today.
An ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was seen near the restaurant and photographed
along the edge of the parking lot at Montauk Point last Friday the 13th,
but could not be relocated the next day for the Christmas Count.
A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continues to roost with CANADA GEESE on the
pond off Bowman Avenue next to the Rye Ridge Plaza Shopping Center in Rye
Brook, and one was also noted on Tung Ting Pond in Centerport Tuesday.
A EURASIAN WIGEON was found on the Queens Christmas Count Sunday at the
restricted Edgemere landfill. The female KING EIDER was still with the
COMMON EIDER flock off Point Lookout on Wednesday, where up to seven
HARLEQUIN DUCKS have been seen lately, and three HARLEQUIN DUCKS were on
the Montauk Count Saturday between Ditch Plains and the east end of the
town of Montauk. A drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE has returned to the Crab
Meadow Beach area off Northport, noted there as recently as Wednesday.
A BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen at Jones Beach West End up to Wednesday, with
a GLAUCOUS GULL there Thursday, and a GLAUCOUS has also been around the
Brooklyn Army Terminal Pier 4 recently.
Three MARBLED GODWITS have been traveling around with the AMERICAN
OYSTERCATCHER flock at Jones Beach West End, present through Thursday.
RED-NECKED GREBES last weekend were noted at Floyd Bennett Field, Robert
Moses State Park and Montauk.
A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was reported at Hot Dog Beach off Dune Road Sunday, and
the DICKCISSEL in Riverside Park was still noted yesterday south of the
tennis courts at about West 119th Street.
Christmas Counts conducted last weekend featured Queens with 132 species
Sunday, Brooklyn Saturday with 130 species, including 2 AMERICAN BARN OWLS,
Montauk Saturday with 124 species, including over 100 RAZORBILLS, 3
BLACK-HEADED GULLS, a 1st count SOOTY SHEARWATER and 3 SNOWY OWLS, and
Northern Nassau Saturday with 116 species including a WESTERN TANAGER at a
private location.
To phone in reports call Tom Burke at (914) 967-4922.
This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the
National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.
- End transcript
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Date: 12/19/24 6:46 pm From: Jennifer Wilson-Pines <jwpines...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] North Nassau Christmas Count
The North Nassau CBC had 69 participants who spent a total of 137 hours counting birds on Saturday, iDecember 14th, including 8 nocturnal hours.
The following summary was put together by Stephane Perreault
- *24,178 birds *were seen, which is about 89% of the average number of birds seen from 2013 to 2022. The difference was mostly caused by a reduction in Canada goose numbers. Excluding Canada goose, we were at 97% of the 10-year average. - We had a very nice total of *116 bird species* reported. Our all-time average is 105 species per count.
- *Missed Species (*those seen in 5+ years from 2013-2022):
1. Greater Yellowlegs (seen in 8 of 10 previous years)
2. Great Cormorant (7)
3. Wilson's Snipe (6)
- *High Counts (*compared to data starting 2013):
- Northern Cardinal: 382 in 2024; previous average = 279; previous high = 352 - Swamp Sparrow: 44 in 2024; previous average = 19; previous high = 41 - House Finch: 314 in 2024; previous average = 140; previous high = 291 - Northern Mockingbird: 104 in 2024; previous average = 64; previous high = 94 in 2023 - Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 15 in 2024; previous average = 4; previous high = 15 in 2023 - Golden-crowned Kinglet: 52 in 2024; previous average =15; previous high = 41 in 2023 - Bald Eagle: 37 in 2024; previous average = 5; previous high = 15. Sector leaders with high counts confirmed up to 5 birds at a time or several immatures with distinct plumages. - Turkey Vulture: 7 in 2024; previous average = 0; previous high = 4 in 2023 - Dunlin: 25 in 2024; previous average = 10; previous high = 23 - Wood Duck: 58 in 2024; previous average = 7; previous high = 37
- *Low Counts* (compared to data starting 2013):
- Herring Gull: 659 in 2024; previous average = 1161; previous low = 781 - White-winged Scoter: 26 in 2024; previous average =252; previous low = 36
*Acknowledgements:*
- Thanks to all participants for dedicating a day to this important citizen science project at a busy time of the year. - I am always amazed at the dedication of sector leaders. Their organizing efforts start well before count day. They also have to gather the data for the entire sector correctly and quickly, for both birds and effort. - An extra special thanks this year to Jennifer Wilson-Pines for organizing the event. - Thanks (in advance) to Glenn Quinn for entering all the data in the Audubon database and for verifying the results. - Last, but not least, regarding the dinner at the end of a long cold day was held at Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary's new center. Thanks to Kathryn, Julie, Shelby, Joy and Erica for providing the room and the zoom screen. A tasty dinner of homemade hot soup, sandwiches and desserts were provided by the North Shore Audubon board, with special thanks to Jill, Kathy and Jeanne for organizing, cooking and serving.
Happy Holidays!
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Date: 12/19/24 6:13 am From: Steve M. Chorvas <schorvas...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Mohonk Lake-Ashokan Reservoir CBC Results
MohonkLake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC
The 75thannual Ulster County Mohonk Lake/AshokanReservoir (NYML) Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was conducted this past Saturday, December 14, 2024, under classic cold weather conditions, minus the presence of snow cover. A total of 52 participants (47field observers and 5 feeder watchers) comprised of 20 field parties tallied 14,631 individualbirds representing 79 species, plus four additional count-weekspecies (Gadwall, Red-headed Woodpecker, Orange-crownedWarbler, and Brown-headed Cowbird). For historical context, ourall-time record high count for this circle was established last year (88species, 25,850 individuals), our most recent ten-year low-count was 72 species in2022, and our ten-year average is 81 species, 15,959 individuals/year.
Total abundancein any given year is greatly influenced by the presence or absence of a few species thattend to congregate in large winter flocks (geese, crows, robins, starlings, andblackbirds). Canada Geese were the mostabundant species this year, resulting in an increase of 536 individuals aboveour ten-year average, but more than 50% below our all-time high count. Relatively few American Crows were detected(203), European Starlings were down 33%, American Robins were 88% belowaverage, and blackbirds were nearly non-existent this year.
The extraordinarybird of the day was a brightly-plumaged LeConte’s Sparrow lurking in dense vegetation in a field on Hudson Valley FarmHub private property. Will Yandikdiscovered and identified this very secretive Ammodramus sparrow whileconducting banding research in the field. LeConte’s Sparrow is a first-record for the NYML CBC, advancing ourcumulative historical total to 150 species, and is only the second record for thisspecies in Ulster County.
A count-week Orange-crownedWarbler was seen and photographed visiting a suet feeder theday before the count, and on multiple days immediately following the count, but failed to showduring a search of the area on count day. This rare species of warbler was previouslyrecorded on this count in just four of the past 74 years, with our most recentrecord occurring in 2008.
Additional noteworthy species and new high counts were relativelyfew this year. Two species were recordedfor only the fifth time, two Green-winged Teal on Stone Ridge Pond, anda Golden Eagle flying over Millbrook Preserve. Three lingering Wood Ducks representour 10th count-day record. A PeregrineFalcon along Springtown Road (11th), one American Pipit flyingover Davenport Farm (14th), and a Northern Saw-whet Owl vocalizingfrom a stand of conifers at the Hurley Recreation Center (14th), arethree species that have been recorded more frequently in recent years, occurring in at leastsix out of the past ten counts.
New high counts were established for six species (previoushigh count and ten-year average in parentheses). Northern Harrier - 17 (14 in 2008, 6.6avg.), Tufted Titmouse - 601 (554 in 2022, 377 avg.), Winter Wren- 31 (29 in 2023, 9.8 avg.), Eastern Bluebird - 240 (236 in 2023, 165 avg.), SongSparrow - 313 (300 in 2023, 205 avg.), and Northern Cardinal - 383 (aremarkable 36% increase compared to 282 in 2020, 245 avg.). Five Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 63 Red-tailed Hawks were just oneshort of tying previous high counts. Six species were detected by all field parties: Tufted Titmouse, White-breastedNuthatch, Carolina Wren, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throatedSparrow, and American Goldfinch.
There were no new record low counts, and no species stands out asa particularly bad miss. We did not findany Brown-headed Cowbirds on count day (present 45 previous years), or FoxSparrow (26 years), perhaps largely due to the absence of data from afeeder-watch that has been productive for blackbirds and Fox Sparrows in previous years. Common Goldeneye (33 years) was notseen on the two small sections of Ashokan Reservoir that provides appropriatehabitat, and the historically reliable winter vulture roost in New Paltz didnot produce a Turkey Vulture sighting this year. Red-headed Woodpecker was not seen oncount day, Gray Catbird and Yellow-rumped Warbler were missed,and there was little in the way of irruptive winter finches, with the exceptionof one Pine Siskin and four Purple Finches. Ruffed Grouse (46 years, last encounteredin 2011) and Evening Grosbeak (34 years) are no longer expected on thiscount.
Environmental conditions were seasonably cold, especially incomparison to the exceptionally mild weather we experienced the past two winters. Air temperatures reached a low of 11°F under clearnight skies with good visibility from a nearly fully illuminated WaxingGibbous. Afternoon temperatures climbed to 30°F with 0-5 mph NNE wind under sunny skies. There was no precipitation or snow cover, and most exposed ground exhibitedonly minor surface frost. Moving bodiesof water were open with a moderate flow, small ponds and marshes were partiallyfrozen with small pockets of open water. Ashokan Reservoir was mostly open, Stone Ridge Pond was 75% frozen,concentrating over two-thousand waterfowl in the back quarter. Conditions leading up to count day were moreunsettled, with seasonably cold air and frequent rain or light snow.
A complete report with a list of participants and effort information will be published in the John Burroughs Natural History Society newsletter and website at a later date. Thanks to all of the field participantsand feeder watchers for another nice job providing excellent coverage, to thesector leaders for recruiting and organizing their field parties and submittingtheir data in a timely manner, and to Mark and Kyla DeDea and everyone thathelped with refreshments and arrangements at our post-count compilation in theHasbrouck Park stone building. Next year's MohonkLake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC is scheduled for the traditional first Saturday ofthe count period, December 20, 2025.
Steve M. Chorvas Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC CompilerSaugerties, NY
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Date: 12/18/24 4:35 pm From: Corey Finger <10000birdsblogger...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Results of the 2024 Queens County Christmas Bird Count
The Queens County Christmas Bird Count was held this past Sunday, December 15. We had a record number of 97 participants on what ended up being a great day for birding: no precipitation, moderate temperatures, light winds, and some sunshine!
We counted 43,449 individuals of 132 species, which is two off of our all-time high species count, set just last year. Two count week birds, Yellow Warbler and Painted Bunting, both would have been new additions to the count if they had been seen on count day. Despite the Yellow Warbler disappearing for count day and the Painted Bunting not appearing until two days after the count we had a host of highlights and not many lowlights, many of which are shared below.
Thanks to Ian Resnick for making sure we had pizza for the compilation, to APEC for hosting us for the compilation, to Sunny Corrao and Michael DeVito, both from NYC Parks, who led large groups on the count which enabled us to have our most participation ever, to Marcia Abrahams for stepping up and filling in as a Sector Leader, and to Benjamin Davidson who, after the compilation dinner was over and we all learned that we had missed Cackling Goose, took it upon himself to go to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the dark and find the missing goose by the light of streetlights. (And even managed to get a recognizable image by digibinning it!)
Good (Christmas Bird Count) Birding, Corey Finger Queens County CBC Compiler
Highlights.
Cackling Goose - 6th time ever on the count Wood Duck - 30 is a new high count, besting 25 from two years ago Canada Goose - 6967 is new high count, just over a hundred more than five years ago Eurasian Wigeon - 28th appearance and first in 8 years Black Scoter - 808 is a new count high, topping 751 from 9 years ago Hooded Merganser - 373 crushed our previous high by more than 100 Ruddy Duck - 2,704 is a new high, beating last year by several hundred RIng-necked Pheasant - a miss, none seen in Queens since last June. Seems the breeding population that had been hanging on by a thread is extirpated Clapper Rail - 3, a new high count and only the third time recorded Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 2, in different sectors, 6th time recorded on the count American Oystercatcher - 10, only 8th time recorded on the count (oodly) Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 9 more than doubled our previous high count of 4 Cooper's Hawk - 28, bested our previous high of 20 from 9 years ago Bald Eagle - 13, new high count, more than doubling our previous high of 6 from 2 years ago and made up for missing them last year Red-tailed Hawk - 51, new high count, besting our previous mark of 50 from 8 years ago Belted Kingfisher - 15, topping last year's high count of 14 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 27, topped last year's high count of 25 Hairy Woodpecker - also 27, bizarrely also topping our best count of 25 from last year (and Red-bellied Woodpecker was one off our all-time mark from two years ago!) Merlin - 13, new high count, beating 9 from 5 years ago Clay-colored Sparrow - 3rd count record White-crowned Sparrow - 18th count record Swamp Sparrow - 67, broke high count of 64 set 73 years ago! Baltimore Oriole - 3, tied high count that has stood for 58 years, 14th occurrence Orange-crowned Warbler - 10, new high count by 1 Pine Warbler - 6, doubled our previous high and only 7th occurrence on the count (oddly) Black Vulture - 4th record Turkey Vulture - 6th record
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Date: 12/16/24 5:21 am From: Peter <prosbird...> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Kings CBC December 14th
Attached is a link to my blog with the preliminary numbers sent me by compiler Rick Cech
December 14th Kings Christmas Bird count preliminary numbers/totals 130 species overall. Thank you to all who participated in the 125th CBC!
