Author Archives: David Barrett

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About David Barrett

Birder and writer

Cliff Swallow, Central Park Meer

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I started thinking about Cliff Swallows earlier this week, as reports of them came in from Long Island. There is little doubt that they pass over Manhattan every year, both in spring and fall, but it seems that they rarely join the three more common swallows (Barn, Tree, and Northern Rough-winged) in skimming the surface of Central Park water bodies. They are known to forage for insects at generally higher levels, which makes them harder to spot.

The morning fog today likely encouraged lower flying, and calm winds made the Meer a good place to find insects. When Deborah Allen, a wildlife photographer and birding tour leader, sent an NYNYBIRD text alert of Cliff Swallows over the Meer at 9:52 a.m., I wasted no time in running there.

Upon arriving, I immediately saw swallows skimming the eastern half of the Meer. Nearly all were Tree Swallows, at least ten, along with some Barn Swallows and at least one Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Then I noticed two swallows with buffy rumps (as viewed from above) flying close together — these were the Cliff Swallows! Had these swallows been flying higher, I would not have been able to see this diagnostic feature, nor would I have seen another such feature, their white foreheads. Given the low fog and extremely poor lighting, I would not have been able to see much at all besides overall shape and tail type. But, as it was, I got great close-range looks.

Winter 2015 highlights

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From mid-January to late February I had to focus on a couple of issues that prevented me from devoting as much time as I usually do to birding. One of these was closing on my purchase of an Upper East Side co-op and then preparing for the two-block move out of the apartment where I had lived for over twenty years to the new one.

The winter was fairly forgiving in the sense that sought-after species generally appeared much more than once and did so at the locations where they were noted. A single Common Redpoll, for example, lingered at the Evodia feeders from January 23 until at least March 9. I observed this bird on several occasions. A drake Long-tailed Duck (a species that took me over three years of birding to see) continued underneath Broadway Bridge at the northern tip of Manhattan. I did not venture there to see this bird. Again, I am not doing another big year in 2015, though I may very well end up observing a lot of birds.

It was not a great winter for new life birds, however. The only bird anyone observed in New York County this winter that I did not already have is the Glaucous Gull that lingered from late January to early March in New York Harbor. I thought that this winter might have provided a Rough-legged Hawk — there certainly were many reports of the species in Brooklyn and the Meadowlands area of New Jersey — but no.

Aside from the birds I mentioned in previous blog posts (the Couch’s Kingbird and the Black-headed Gull) or above, these are my favorite birds of the winter — ones that I did observe:

  • American Tree Sparrow (both at the Central Park feeders and on Randall’s Island). In many years this can be a very tough sparrow to find.
  • Canvasback, nine of them, swimming in the Bronx Kill off Randall’s Island on February 22. An American Wigeon also showed up there that day;
  • Long-eared Owl in Shakespeare Garden on March 5. This or possibly another Long-eared Owl also roosted on the pines of Cherry Hill for at least several following days;
  • Common Goldeneye off Randall’s Island on March 6. This species did not show up as often as in previous years;
  • Common Merganser off Randall’s Island on March 8. This species also appeared under Broadway Bridge and, very briefly, on the Reservoir;
  • American Woodcock on the north shore of Randall’s Island on March 8. In my book I describe woodcock as very hard to find (which they were, in 2012), but in recent years they have been showing up in large numbers in Central Park. Some stay in place, visible but at least somewhat hidden, for the entire day;
  • Horned Grebe, a single bird swimming just south of the RFK bridge in the Harlem River on March 8;
  • Green-winged Teal on the Reservoir, March 16;
  • Red-necked Grebe, which I found swimming just offshore on the Hudson River near 65th Street on March 16, one of only two eBird reports of this species in Manhattan this winter;
  • Northern Pintail, three hens swimming off the northeast shore of Randall’s Island on March 17.

Black-headed Gull, East River

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Welcome to 2015, everyone! My thought for the day is that big-year birding requires a huge commitment in terms of time and effort. I have heard from some readers who will be doing theirs this year, and I wish them all the best. I concluded my book by saying I would not be doing another big year for a long time, but went out and still had a decent year in 2013 after dialing back the effort and birding more efficiently. Then I began 2014 determined to take it even easier, but I soon sensed that my “amateur” record of 212 might be in danger, so I upped the intensity and ended up exceeding my 2012 total by one bird, with 213.

I think four big Manhattan years is enough — at least for now. I have some other priorities that require focus. I will still be birding, but I will do a lot less chasing and pay a lot less attention to the numbers.

Today’s relatively warmer temperatures (40 degrees F with 15+ mph winds, ha!) encouraged me to run along the East River and over the bridge to Randall’s Island, where I quickly regretted not carrying another layer to don while walking and observing.

My goal was ducks and other waterfowl — Common Goldeneye and the scaups, in particular, both of which have been showing up around New York City in good numbers. I did not see any of those, nor did I see any loons, which used to be regular on the East River and off the Randall’s Island shore.

But did see something even rarer: a Black-headed Gull fishing on the East River near latitude 116th Street, across from Icahn Stadium, at 3:40 pm. Perhaps it is the same gull that has been observed flying over the 70th Street Pier just before sundown since the end December. Next to the Couch’s Kingbird, it is my best bird of 2015 so far.

Couch’s Kingbird, West Village

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The news first appeared on the New York Birders group on Facebook late yesterday afternoon — Gabriel Willow had received photos from a friend who had been observing an unusual bird perching on his balcony and elsewhere around the building, perhaps for six weeks. The photos indicated either Tropical or Couch’s Kingbird, with a description of the call pointing toward the latter. Already dozens of birders were planning to visit the location from which it could be publicly viewed, the west side of Washington Street between Jane and Horatio Streets. Neither Tropical nor Couch’s Kingbird had ever been recorded in New York State.

In fact, Couch’s Kingbird almost never was observed any farther north than Texas. It is no surprise that Western Kingbirds sometimes appear in New York, as they range throughout the middle and western section of the United States north into Canada. Strong westerly winds can cause them to veer off course as they move south in the fall until they encounter the East Coast. But a Couch’s Kingbird would need to travel over 800 miles north, not south, to arrive in New York from where it is usually found, in addition to veering excessively far east. And that is the sort of mistake very few birds make.

I was still at home when the bird in question was re-found this morning on Hudson Street between Bank and Bethune at 8:15. Andrew Farnsworth and others later heard it calling and the Couch’s identity was confirmed. It then flew back to the Washington and Jane Street location, where it remained through 9:30.

I arrived in the area at 9:55. I saw twenty birders searching for it, but none appeared to be seeing it. So I walked around the neighborhood to try to find it elsewhere, knowing that these birders would issue an online alert if it returned.

I walked over to the Hudson Street location near Bleecker Playground and saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, but no Kingbird. Then I continued ambling around, visiting the High Line, and occasionally checking in on the primary location to see if all binoculars were raised. This went on for nearly two hours.

At 11:45 I heard someone yell, “Got it!” I ran from a block away to see the Couch’s Kingbird perching high atop the trees by Washington and Jane, its yellow belly gleaming in the sunlight. It appeared to be roughly the size of an Eastern Kingbird, and it gracefully swooped around the trees and out over the street to catch flies.

By then, forty birders had assembled on the east side of Washington Street, all of them seeing a bird they had never before seen in the city.

American Pipit, Randall’s Island

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Before I get to today’s activity, I should say that I am having a very productive November in terms of adding year birds. On November 2 I joined Andrew Farnsworth for a memorable early-morning migration watch on the Hudson River by Inwood Hill Park’s Dyckman Fields. A cold front had passed, and northwest winds were gusting over 30 mph at times. We saw three Northern Pintails fly by. We saw a lone Bonaparte’s Gull winding its way south, low over the river, eventually landing on the water within thirty feet of the pier on which we stood. We also a female Black Scoter floating down the river. Three year-birds in one morning — not bad! We also witnessed the peak day for Turkey Vulture migration, with upwards of 100 of them moving past us overhead, along with many Bald Eagles.

Inwood Hill Park was also the scene just six days later of a Dickcissel, which appeared on various of the Dyckman Fields, just as one had in December 2011, and lingered for at least a few days (unlike the former one, which lingered over two weeks).

I added Green-winged Teal on the Central Park Reservoir on the 3rd and Horned Grebe on the Hudson off Battery Park on the 13th.

This brings us to today, when I ran over to Randall’s Island in the early afternoon to bird the entire island from south to north. No one had reported from there in nearly two weeks, and I figured it might have something interesting with the recent blast of cold weather possibly bringing some new waterfowl.

But after traversing the island and carefully checking the northeast shore, I had not seen anything of interest. I was mildly surprised to see two American Coots swimming just offshore, as I usually see this species only on the Central Park Reservoir. Otherwise, it was just the expected birds, with the large flocks of Brant and Canada Goose having returned.

As I left the northeast fields, I figured my birding was over. Then, as I was walking along the median strip just past the walkway to the Bronx, I saw a brown bird take off and circle overhead while vocalizing, and land nearby. The flight style was not that of a sparrow, nor was the sound, which, owing to traffic. I could barely hear. I focused my binoculars on it right away and had my first American Pipit of the year. It remained on the weeds-and bare-ground median strip as long as I did, occasionally flying up as cars went by.

It was a huge relief to finally see it this year. In years past I had had it in December and January on Randall’s Island, when large flocks appeared after snow cover to the north drove the birds south in search of open grass. Not this year, though. I was only two minutes away from an October 12 NYNYBIRD report of an American Pipit near the Central Park Compost Heap. Despite running to it immediately, I never saw the bird. I returned there on several occasions afterward, as it is a desirable spot for pipits. Nothing. I chased another report of pipits on Randall’s Island but chose to wait an hour before setting off, and I ended up being perhaps only ten minutes too late. I searched the length of the Randall’s Island on some other good migration days but had no luck.

Long-tailed Duck, Hudson River, Inwood

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The Long-tailed Duck was perhaps my top nemesis bird. I should have had it during my 2012 big year on one of the morning watches during Hurricane Sandy, but I was not at the right vantage point. Since then I have made many trips around Manhattan looking for it at likely times and places, but until today, never finding it.

There are a couple days each year, usually in early March, when thousands of Long-tailed Ducks gather in New York Harbor and along the southern shore of Brooklyn and Queens. You would think this is the best time to see the species in Manhattan, but I have taken Staten Island Ferry rides and also watched from the Battery and the west side Greenway then and have not seen any. It seems that nearly all of these Long-tailed Ducks proceed northeast and do not pass over Manhattan or follow the Hudson. That is not to say it is impossible to see one — there were a couple observations of single Long-tailed Ducks this year in March from Battery Park or nearby. But you need to go very early, or else have luck on your side.

I also checked the Battery area this January when the Hudson River was mostly frozen over, thinking that the lack of open water to the north would drive birds into the harbor, which remained unfrozen. As far as I could tell, it did not.

I watched for these ducks, too, at Randall’s Island and on many visits to Inwood Hill Park.

I went to Inwood Hill Park, the Dyckman fields, today (October 30) mostly to sky-watch. It seemed like a good day for Golden Eagle, Snow Goose, and Northern Harrier. I also scanned the fields for sparrows and other land birds, but did not find anything unusual.

Andrew Farnsworth joined me just after 3:15 p.m., and we watched from the pier at the marina. Aside from a low pass by an adult Bald Eagle, I was not seeing much of interest. Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks were flying very high, and a Peregrine Falcon occasionally visited the area.

But at 3:45 things got interesting. Andrew noted a distant flock of ducks flying south very low over the river. Before they were close enough to identify they reversed direction briefly and then continued south. As they approached I could see dark wings with white on the face, neck, and flanks. They were a dozen Long-tailed Ducks!

They soon reversed direction again (they did this quite a bit) and headed back north, out of view. Perhaps they encountered and joined another flock, because a few minutes later we saw what turned out to be 46 Long-tailed Ducks flying back and forth over the river, this time going past us toward the the George Washington Bridge and then turning around and again proceeding north.

Pine Siskin, Central Park Wildflower Meadow

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The early arrival of Red-breasted Nuthatches, some in August, across southern New York State augured well for winter finch irruptions, just as it did in 2012 when massive finch irruptions followed. It does not appear that this winter will bring the same volume and species variety that 2012 did, but some of the more common finches may show up in Manhattan.

There have been anecdotal reports, beginning last week, of Pine Siskins moving through Central Park in the very early mornings. The first eBird report came on Monday, 29 September, of this week, when five Pine Siskins were observed briefly at the south end of Strawberry Fields.

I recalled the initial frustration I had in adding Pine Siskin to my year list in 2012 — it took me a week from the first Central Park report for me to see one, despite birding nearly every day. I did not want to go through that again, nor did I want to be in the park at 7 a.m. watching for morning flight.

I remembered that in 2012 some Pine Siskins were seen among the large flock of American Goldfinches in the Wildflower Meadow. This year the meadow is in unusually good condition, abounding with fruits and seeds on trees and shrubs. On my second pass through it, midday on 2 October, I saw a Pine Siskin perching atop a shoot of vegetation. It soon flew, but it gave its rising zhee call a number of times afterward.

Connecticut Warbler, Central Park Ramble

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The Connecticut Warbler has proved over the last couple years to be very chaseable. Unlike most warblers, it prefers walking (not hopping, and this is an important element in identification) to flying during the day, and so it tends not to go far from where it is sighted. When it appears in a not-densely-vegetated area, as it did two years ago near Tupelo Meadow in the Ramble, it can offer extended views to many observers. The flip side is that its tendency to stay low in heavy brush can also make it very hard to see in the first place and challenging to re-find.

Yesterday, September 29, a Connecticut Warbler was observed walking on the loose dirt and leaves of the hill that rises just north of the Riviera (the path along the Lake) at the south end of the Central Park Ramble. It was reported quickly, both online and by BirdCP text alert at 5:59 p.m. I was at home when I received the alert, and in a few minutes I was running toward the Ramble, binoculars in hand.

I did not want to waste any time, as sunset was 6:40 and the Ramble could be dark well before then on a cloudy day. I arrived at 6:13 and saw three birders in the area. They said they had just seen the Connecticut, and almost immediately it appeared again near a large log. I watched it for a few minutes as some of them took photographs. The bird had a gray hood and unbroken eye-ring, and it was walking, so there was no question about identity.

The Connecticut Warbler was my 196th species of the year. I still need Golden-winged Warbler to complete another “perfect” warbler year (of all regularly-occurring warblers in Manhattan), as I had once before in 2012. It appears extremely unlikely that I will see one, as none have ever been recorded on eBird in Manhattan in October, and cross-breeding is making the pure species rarer each year.

**3 October Update: 

More chaseable Connecticut Warbler reports in Manhattan followed: first at Madison Square Park in the afternoon on 30 September, and then the next day in Strawberry Fields, Central Park at 5:35 p.m.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Muscota Marsh

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The first Pectoral Sandpiper ever recorded on eBird in Manhattan was seen very early on the morning on September 1 of this year on Randall’s Island by eBird project leader Marshall Iliff, who had no idea at the time that he had set a record.  The species is seen nearly every day at Jamaica Bay, and it also occurs occasionally in the New Jersey Meadowlands marshes. Iliff’s bird, which he reported quickly, stayed in view only a short time on the NE shore before flying off. I saw no compelling reason to chase, but I did run the island later that evening, finding nothing.

The incident started me thinking about Pectoral Sandpiper, though. So it was with some excitement that I read an eBird report yesterday afternoon of a single Pectoral Sandpiper seen at Inwood’s Muscota Marsh among a small flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers and a single Least. The description of the bird and the presence of the more common peeps on the list made me confident that the observer really had seen a Pectoral. I was not thrilled about the timing, however. The bird likely was seen just before noon, a little more than an hour before low tide, but I did not receive the report until after 3 p.m. and did not read it until 3:30. There would be little if any mud left by the time I arrived, and the shorebird flock might have dispersed or even left the area. But I still had a chance, and I had to try the chase.

I was out the door by 3:50 and I ran to the 86th Street stop on the west side to catch the local, which would take me to the A train at 125th. There were no delays, and I entered Inwood Hill Park by 4:25 p.m. The main bay was entirely flooded and I saw no shorebirds nearby, so I continued on to Muscota. The eastern bay had a small patch of mud where I saw the flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers. After a couple minutes the flock was startled and flew back to the the rocks of Muscota, just a few feet off shore. I scanned the group carefully, but all appeared to be Semis.

So I searched nearby shorelines, returning to Inwood Hill’s marsh and all around the area. I did not see any other shorebirds. Then I came back to Muscota and waited. By 5:10 I was getting ready to leave, but I wanted to get another view of the sandpipers from a different angle, thinking that one or more could be hiding between rocks. So I stationed myself across the little bay, west of Muscota. Suddenly a larger shorebird flew at the flock and then landed on the rocks east of it. As it perched, I could see it was the Pectoral Sandpiper: much larger than the Semis, and with the color and patterning of a Least Sandpiper, except for a bill that was lighter-colored at the base.

I issued an NYNYBIRD text alert on it at 5:18, watched it more, then decided to move in closer. On the way over I saw a juvenile Lincoln’s Sparrow. But I did not re-find the Pectoral, which might have flown or might just have been hidden by rocks. I needed to head out, and did not spend any more time looking. Other observers responded to my alert and were able to see the bird in the same spot later in the evening.

Shorebird success — finally!

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After Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, and Killdeer, the easiest shorebird to observe in Manhattan has been the Semipalmated Sandpiper. The first two are regularly seen in Central Park, with Solitary much harder to find in many years, such as this one. Killdeer occasionally puts in a spring showing on the Great Lawn or northern ball fields, but it can be had almost year-round at Randall’s Island. Semipalmated Sandpiper usually requires an early-August visit to one of the saltmarshes in Inwood, where flocks of a hundred or more sometimes show up.

As you may have read in my previous blog post, these large flocks did not appear this year, and I had mostly given up on getting the Semipalmated Sandpiper along with another less common shorebird, the Least Sandpiper. A Least was noted once this spring on the Central Park Reservoir. It has also sometimes visited the northeast shore of Randall’s Island, where I had it in June 2013.

After several misses, I decided not to go to Inwood again unless I was reasonably sure of adding a new year bird. On August 19th there was a morning eBird report of Least Sandpiper on Spuyten Duyvil Creek at Inwood Hill Park. I hesitated chasing it, missing low tide, and then ended up going in the afternoon and finding a single Least Sandpiper on the rocky eastern shore of the bay.

Two days ago, on the morning of August 26th, an eBird report of nearly 20 Semipalmated Sandpipers at Muscota Marsh (adjacent to Spuyten Duyvil Creek) called me to action again. This time I could plan to arrive near the 4:15 p.m. low tide.

I immediately saw a small flock of what appeared to be a dozen mostly Least Sandpipers feeding on the eastern side of Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It was hard to tell at distance whether or not any Semipalmated were mixed in — the sun’s glare increased viewing difficulty. But nearly an hour later, after I searched other parts of the area, the flock came almost right up to the eastern shore. I was able to view markings distinctly and picked out two birds with distinctly gray coloring — Semipalmated Sandpipers, at last.