Tom's weekend report

Eastern Meadowlark - Central Park - photo by Barrie Raik

Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

Saturday & Sunday, 13 & 14 April, 2013

There was migration both Friday & Sat. nights, with wider diversity & higher numbers overall as of Sat, night for Sunday's results.  A very modest vulture & raptor flight was observed overhead on Sunday in addition to the birds seen in the park.  The peak hours seemed to be late morning & early afternoon but there may have been some late flight. A fair NW wind is part of the typical pattern that can bring migrant hawks thru this city both spring & fall.    For me, the first 90+ minutes of daylight Sun. before the dogs were let loose was superb in the n. end, as many birds stayed out on lawns. Later on such species as Palm Warblers, Hermit Thrush, Chipping & other Sparrows, & juncos were mainly put up to trees by the 4-leggeds & the folks letting them run.  Some of the notable species, a couple of them new in Central this year, are highlighted in bold. Some are simply a bit more notable. (It was not the first Brant sighting of the year in Central, for example but they're uncommonly seen there, even though annual in Manhattan's salt-brackish waters.)   Easily 50+ birders were in the park, likely double or triple that all throughout, & even or especially so on Sunday.  A full list is below for all that I & multiple others saw; there well may have been some additional species.

Loon (species, either Common or Red-throated) - several high flyovers
Common Loon - several flyovers
Pied-billed Grebe - reservoir
Double-crested Cormorant - multiple flyovers & fair numbers in the park.
Great Blue Heron - 2 flyovers
Great Egret - several, in park & also a few flyovers
Black-crowned Night-Heron - multiple

Turkey Vulture - 8 flyovers, Sunday

Canada Goose
Brant (group of 6 calling flyovers on Saturday, likely a local movement)
Mute Swan - 1 continuing at Meer
Wood Duck - 5
Gadwall - 12

Mallard
Northern Shoveler - 50+, mostly on reservoir
Bufflehead - 8, reservoir & the Pool
Hooded Merganser - 3, reservoir

Ruddy Duck - few lingering

Osprey - 2, Sunday flyovers
Northern Harrier - Sunday
Sharp-shinned Hawk - several sightings
Cooper's Hawk - multiple sightings
Broad-winged Hawk - 14 flyovers, fair showing for spring in Central, all Sun.
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin - 1 hunting, Sunday
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot - 3 at reservoir, 2 on Meer
Spotted Sandpiper - reservoir, Sunday (early for Central Park & NY; in April 2005 one was seen 5 days earlier at C.P.)

Laughing Gull - reservoir, mid-day both days

Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull 

Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher - both days, north end, etc.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (n. end pair)
Yellow-shafted Flicker - fairly common Sun.

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo - several seen singing in n. end Sunday

Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow - multiple flyovers
Northern Rough-winged Swallow- several at Meer, Pool, & reservoir
Barn Swallow - multiple, Meer, reservoir, & elsewhere, & flyovers
Black-capped Chickadee - few, relative to winter numbers

Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1, near Meer
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper - multiple
Carolina Wren
House Wren - singing, several locations
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet - getting 'scarcer'
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - many, some singing
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - several on Sunday
Hermit Thrush - increased again to 100's on Sunday
American Robin
Gray Catbird - wintered
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher - at least 3, several or all likely new this spring
European Starling
Yellow-rumped [Myrtle] Warbler - multiple
Pine Warbler - at least 6 males around Meer Sunday, & others
Palm Warbler - reinvigorated Sunday: 40+ around north end
Louisiana Waterthrush - several locations
Eastern Towhee - multiple
American Tree Sparrow -1, Sunday, getting a bit late for here
Chipping Sparrow - fairly widespread, esp. Sunday
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow - 8+ by Sunday
Fox Sparrow - several lingering on Sun.
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow - multiple
White-throated Sparrow - many singing & in breeding finery
Dark-eyed Junco - 100's, all around n. end, especially Sun.
Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird 

Eastern Meadowlark - 1, modestly late, N. Meadow, Sunday
Rusty Blackbird - several
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird - several
Purple Finch - several, Sat.-Sun.
House Finch
Pine Siskin - several Sunday, in n. woods, also at Loch later
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow 

Good birding,

Tom Fiore

Manhattan