A Rare Visitor for Mother's Day

TODAY!  In Central Park!! A Chuck-Will's Widow

Anders Peltomaa posted a report on ebirdsNYC, and a link to a photo of today's bird. But I was unable to copy that picture to this site. SO…here is a photo of another Chuck Will's Widow, one that visited the park 8 years ago:

Chuck Will's Widow
Photo by David Speiser -- 2008  Central Park



Meanwhile, there were quite a few other birds!  Here is TOM FIORE's report for Central Park today:

Mother's Day Sunday, 8 May, 2016

A very big (impressive even for some who've been at this spring migration watch for some years) migration took place overnight Sat. into Sunday and some flight was still ongoing through the mid-day (& could well keep going still for some sorts of migrants) in Manhattan and clearly all around the greater region, perhaps a bit less so on the most eastern sections of the region (?),

and in Manhattan's Central Park alone, more than 100 species of birds have already been found, by a whole lot of observers combining, & with efforts in all corners of the park... the borough has the potential of adding at least a dozen, perhaps 2 dozen more species to that "century" mark by day's end, given the volume & good diversity that is being found.

A putative Chuck-will's-widow is a candidate for "bird-of-the-day" in Central - and yes, an American Bittern also in the Ramble area is a very good find for this park... as are the at least 2 dozen species of Warblers, the at least 5 species of Vireos, the at least 5 species of Catharus [genus] Thrushes, the at least 4 species of Wrens, the at least 9 species of Sparrows (very late "red" Fox being possibly the least-likely to get at this date in May), the 2 spp. of Orioles, 2 spp. of Tanagers, & much, much more.

There are really great numbers of many, many species - one example being more than 30 Wood Thrush in Central, and that's just from one active observer going all thru the park this a.m. (myself); a Wood Thrush singing beautifully even out at the Columbus Circle monument is certainly not where that species is typical - but today is un-typical (!)

good birding & if mom's out birding too, she ought to be happy with this day,

Tom Fiore
Manhattan