BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR READERS

Pine Warbler --- photo from Wikipedia.com

Here is Tom Fiore's latest Central Park Report:

Sat.-Sun.-Mon, 9-10-11th January, 2016 - Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City

On Saturday, a drab 1st-year female Pine Warbler was on the Great Hill, seen on the west side & moving north thru the P. Sharp garden section, staying fairly high in bare trees.  Also in that area was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  A few hours after the Pine was seen, 2 of us tried to relocate it as well as the recent Wilson's Warbler, looking in a wide circle in the nw part of the park, but we could not come up with either warbler again, only the kinglet as well as more-typical winter birds.  Also seen & heard nicely in the earlier a.m. was a Common Raven.

Sunday, a search ahead of the main rain event for the above 2 Great Hill area warblers was unproductive, while other than very good numbers of gulls at the reservoir, it did not appear that any unusual birds came in with the storm.

Monday, the reservoir held far fewer gulls (up to 1,200+ were noted Sunday) while ongoing birds there were a drake Ring-necked Duck, small no's. of Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, & nearly 200 Ruddy Ducks in disparate groups on the reservoir. With all waters having lost the skim of ice due to the very mild rainy day, some waterbirds were again dispersed a bit.  One warbler definitely lingering is the Orange-crowned that was first seen Dec. 20 by R. Lieberman's CBC party & has been regular since not far from the n. edge of the E. 79 St. transverse.  American Robins are fairly widespread in the park as well as noticed in other Manhattan parks in the past week, & not common but occasional have been Cedar Waxwings with up to 24 seen today, in small groups in the Ramble & at a number of crabapple trees elsewhere. A few Ruby-crowned Kinglets also have persisted in several parts of the park.

good winter birding,

Tom Fiore,
Manhattan