Marie Winn's Central Park Nature News: 2012-08-26

Rare sighting in Central Park-- Red Crossbills

Red Crossbills, are on the RARE list [seen fewer than 10 times since 1970] of the Birds of Central Park checklist .

Yesterday, Aug 31, 2012, at 9:00 AM, Jacob Drucker wrote on eBirdsNYC:

Hi All,

At 6:35 this morning I has a group of 6 large finches with relatively large bills, long wings and notched tails giving 'kip kip' calls fly over the lake moving west, viewed from Balcony Bridge. Though seen/heard for only a few seconds, RED CROSSBILL fits the bill. A search of the pines in Strawberry Fields immediately after did not turn up the birds.

Today,Mike Bryant saw them again. He wrote [again, on eBirdsNYC] ::

9/1/2012 8:27 AM,
Still in the park. Flock feeding in hemlocks by transvers road just west of the castle visible from round fenced area by castle steps going down to Shakespeare garden.

photo of a Red Crossbill by LLOYD SPITALNIK - Madison CT 12/27/07

http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

CORRECTION!!

I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed to have made such a pessimistic mistake on this morning's post. Here is Murray Head's correction:

Hi Marie,

You refer to Lincoln's site and say that all the 2012 fledglings have not survived.
Obviously no so... As the Horvaths are caring for the two they rescued
and will release them when they are ready.

Murray

This one is number Eight!

Below, Pale Male and his eighth mate* on 8/26/12 photo courtesy of PaleMale.com

That's the good news. The bad news is that none of the 2012 fledglings seem to have survived, according to the website PaleMale.com

*A reminder for those who think this makes our hero a Don Juan: all his previous mates either raised a family in the nest, died or disappeared, [presumably dead].

Today's birds + PS at 12:44pm

Eastern Wood Pewee - Photo by Lloyd Spitalnik - http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

David Barrett reports:

Starr Saphir's walk in the Central Park Ramble this morning had 45 species including 11 warblers, with these highlights:

Osprey (flyover)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (north of Hernshead)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Upper Lobe)
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo (heard from Maintenance Meadow, FOS for the Park)
Philadelphia Vireo (between Azalea and Maintenance Meadow)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (heard, near 80th and CPW)
Swainson's Thrush (Maintenance Meadow)
Worm-eating Warbler (Upper Lobe)
Tennessee Warbler (Strawberry Fields, FOS for the Park)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Oven, FOS for the Park)

PS- Brenda Inskeep just sent this in: Tom Perlman and myself just had an adult Golden Eagle flyover (Meer) with outstanding views at 12:44 heading SE.