Migrants keep arriving

,T
Vesper Sparrow, Jones Beach, NY --November 5, 2005
photo by LLOYD SPITALNIK-- www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com

Yesterday's bird report from TOM FIORE:

Wednesday, 4 September, 2013

Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

There was a report of Vesper Sparrow at the meadow on the upper south slope of the Great Hill, apparently found by Martin Carney, & also seen by others, including Tom Perlman. (Other sparrow species that were seen in Central today included Chipping (few), Field, White-throated (few), Swamp, and of course Song as usual.)

Many birds were moving in the first 2 hours of daylight & there seemed to be a bit of a "reverse flight" phenomenon, wherein, within Central Park, if not more widespread, there are birds coming back a bit to the north after dawn's light, and moving a while until presumably finding a flock &/or simply some feeding area to settle down in after a night's migration... it was a very clear morning & wind was fresh out of the W/NW so conditions were somewhat favorable to onward movement, at least locally in Manhattan. I made little attempt at watching up for diurnal raptors; some likely also were moving.

In general, a fairly good arrival of fresh migrants, even if it felt that about 90% of those that flew over the night preceding kept right on going. There were some first-of-fall sightings, and numbers of a few migrant species picked up a little but numbers were hardly remarkable for any migrant. The best numbers actually have been for Common Nighthawks, which over the previous week had totaled at least 88 in migration over "central" Manhattan, not just from Central Park but a couple of locations, including along the Hudson river at 125 St. and also from near Mt. Morris Park in Harlem, just south of 125 Street. The best numbers came on Tues. night, as witnessed by several observers at the latter location, & at least 35 nighthawks were counted then; other nights in the past 7 days featured as few as 3 or as many as 12.  The season for them is probably waning again, but at least some could still be moving into (rarely) early Oct. (& any nighthawk seen that late or later in the year should definitely be photographed if possible, even if just with a cell-phone camera, as the chances increase for a vagrant, rather than a Common still moving so late.)  In flycatchers, a modest showing with some of those species (besides mentioned kingbirds, below) of species known to breed in NYC, as well as at least one that absolutely does not, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, plus other assorted Empidonax-genus members, less-readily identified to species in fall.

Other birds of note for Wed. (today) include: Greater Yellowlegs (calling) seen going over at ~ 9 a.m. from near the north meadow; Laughing Gull (reservoir, later in day - not especially late but uncommon in fall); Yellow-billed Cuckoo (at least one on the Great Hill, early a.m.);  Eastern Kingbird ("group" of five, all within 2 minutes, flying south at ~ 7:30 a.m.); Philadelphia Vireo (1 seen well at the wildflower meadow/Loch, in mid-morning) and dozens & dozens of Warbling Vireos, as well as Red-eyed Vireos, some of each of those common migrants also singing a bit; Blue-headed Vireo (my own 1st of the fall); Black-capped Chickadee (3, maybe local breeders but just as likely now migrants); Marsh Wren (Lake shore near the Ladies Pavilion / W. 77 St. area late in day);  Veery (a modest movement); Wood Thrush (few); & the following (at least 24 species of) 

Warblers:

Northern Parula (several)

Blue-winged (several)

Tennessee (n. end & the Ramble)

Nashville (several)

Yellow (multiple)

Chestnut-sided (multiple)

Magnolia (several)

Cape May (north end woods)

Black-throated Blue (several)

Black-throated Green

Blackburnian (several)

Pine (Summit Rock, in p.m.)

Prairie (several)

Bay-breasted (n. end)

Blackpoll (several)

Black-and-white (multiple)

American Redstart (many)

Ovenbird (several)

Northern Waterthrush

Mourning (Loch, & w. side/Ramble)

Common Yellowthroat (multiple)

Hooded (female type)

Wilson's (several)

Canada (several)

A few of these were to me, the firsts of fall in NYC, but some had been seen recently by others and:

there may have been a few other warbler species today; I did not hear of any Palm, Yellow-rumped, or other possible species, nor any reports of relative rarities such as "Connecticut", &  etc. but I didn't see or speak with all that many of presumably a good number of birders out & about in Central thru the day; Scarlet Tanager (fair numbers); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (modest numbers); Indigo Bunting (1, possibly of a  'locally-produced' NYC pair); Bobolink (small flock flying off from a tiny patch of weeds along the 97 Street transverse, late morning); Baltimore Oriole (modest number of migrants), & some additional species, plus usual residents. Among the latter, a good number of Carolina Wrens have been in evidence around the island of Manhattan over the last 4+ months, presumably having had a decent breeding season, although I've also wondered about the odd movements this species undertakes; in any event there have been Carolina Wrens in a variety of odd spots around street, rather than park-rich, neighborhoods, along with good numbers in & close to places with lots of park area.

There was a finch-like song (not call; a full song) emanating from trees around the so-called "sparrow rocks" area that is a bit southwest of the Pinetum, which to my ear was quite like a blue grosbeak song, but without seeing the songster, I am unsure what was singing, & although I saw no one nearby with any obvious electronic device in hand playing that song, this is an increasingly possible scenario when an uncommon or rare "bird" is being heard but not at all seen in a place such as Central Park (or anywhere else in the world, more & more)... and I have encountered non-birders also playing, for example, the typical calls of red-tailed hawk, on a device, or cell-phone, in the most recent encounter with such, to (it seemed) scare off a few squirrels, or maybe simply to test the hearing abilities of a passing birder... 

seems no one may have definitively seen a Connecticut Warbler again once other birders converged at the Great Hill on Tuesday to seek it, nor was the also-typically-skulking Y.-b. Chat again found in the same area, to my knowledge. These and other Tuesday migrants may well have moved on with the fresh influx the next night.

Good birding,

Tom Fiore