Tom Fiore's Memorial Day bird report

Memorial Day Mon., 30 May, 2011 -

Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

Warbling Vireo in nest

from nenature.com

"Ain't over 'til it's over" - but getting there... for local land-bird migration that is. In going out extra-early before rains arrived, a few migrants were vocal, including at least 4 Warbler species and then much later, with warm sun & a look around the well-watered Loch, a few additional warblers and not many other non-summer visitors, except for a smattering of Empidonax, with only one making much noise, a calling Acadian. The warblers were of a similar mix as Sunday except that some (all those singing, of course) were males, including a Wilson's. At least 8 Blackpoll Warblers, half of them females were seen, usually a fairly good indicator of the migration's near-end, yet there will be as much as a week or more of stragglers and perhaps odd birds moving through in one direction or another, if not lingering a while in a city park.

Sunday -

A female Mourning Warbler was among the very few migrants to be found in the park's north end Sunday a.m., almost all of what was seen was well after a fog lifted, and sun emerged. Also seen - found by Tom Perlman - was a Red-breasted Nuthatch, which continues a string of sightings in the park, notably in late spring at the north end, of this species. Some other warblers also found, in our separate findings in the n. end, included Wilson's, N. Parula, Black-throated Blue, Chestnut-sided, Ovenbird (with a 'gimpy' wing), American Redstart, & Blackpoll - most of these, other than a few of the latter, were females. There was a brief altercation between an E. Wood-Pewee (one of a fair number in the park) and what sounded to be an Acadian Flycatcher, which gave some odd, slightly fast calls in response to a "pewee chase". Also seen were a few other (non-vocal) Empidonax-genus flycatchers, as well as resident E. Kingbirds, and not-very-active Great Crested Flycatchers. Modest numbers of Chimney Swifts persist. The most numerous migrant (of which relatively few will stay and attempt to nest) was Red-eyed Vireo, which were singing well once fog lifted. Warbling Vireos include some pairs that have been on nests.