HUDSON-DELAWARE 
This Western Tanager at Plainfield, New Jersey 11-14 (here xx) April 
2009 appeared to be a first-year male. Photograph by Bill Boyle. 
4 banded at Manitou. Single Chuck-will’s-wid- 
ows were found in the Westhampton, Suffolk. 
Long I. area 26 Apr (SSM), and a Whip-poor- 
will was a bit early at Staten 1. 25 Apr (SW). 
About 40 Red-headed Woodpeckers reported 
included one n. to Saranac L., Franklin, NY, 
where rare these days, 25 May (Erin Walkow). 
An American Three-toed Woodpecker was at 
Elizabethtown, Essex, NY 2 May (Peter Brig- 
gs), and 6 Black-backed Woodpeckers were 
reported from the Adirondacks. On the major 
flight day of 25 Apr, 320 Northern Elickers 
were counted passing by Derby Hill (Kyle 
Wright). A female Pileated Woodpecker band- 
ed at Crown Pt., Essex, NY 17 May (JMCP) is 
only the 5th to be banded there since 1997 
and indicative of the continuing reforestation 
of the area. 
FLYCATCHERS THROUGH WAXWINGS 
Fourteen Yellow-bellied Flycatchers banded at 
Manitou 29 May (B.B.B.O.) was below last 
year’s record-breaking 28 birds but still indica- 
tive of this species’ recent increase in the Re- 
gion, and singles seen at Central Park and Stat- 
en 1. 8 May were a bit early. Thirty-four Wil- 
low/Alder Flycatchers banded 29 May at Man- 
itou is also an impressive total. A Say’s Phoebe, 
very rare in spring anywhere in the East, was at 
Cape May 30 Apr-2 May (A1 Maples, LZ, 
MO’B, TL, m.ob.), and an Eastern Kingbird at 
Plattsburgh, Clinton, NY 30 Apr (CH) was a 
record early for the county. Both White-eyed 
and Warbling Vireos at Hempstead Lake S.P, 
Nassau, Long 1. 8 Apr (SSM) were early, but 
even more unusual was a Yellow-throated 
Vireo at Baiting Hollow, Suffolk, Long 1. 5 Apr 
(Linda Sullivan): the earliest ever for New York 
is 4 Apr. On 19 May, 7000 Blue Jays migrated 
past Derby Hill (Kyle Wright). Common 
Ravens were especially numerous this 
spring; at least 9 were found in and 
around New York City 25 Mar-21 May, 
and 41 were at East Burlington, Otsego, 
NY 13 Mar (MAY). Up to 5 Fish Crows 
were seen in the Rochester, NY area 12 
Apr-3 May (K. Frisch, GL, M. Peter). A 
Purple Martin at Hither Hills S.P, Suffolk, 
Long 1. 12 Apr (SSM) was a bit early, as 
was a Northern Rough-winged Swallow at 
Cold Spring Harbor, Nassau, Long 1. 25 
Mar (SSM). Other early swallows include 
a Bank at Tillman Road W.M.A., Erie, NY 
10 Apr (RSa) and a Barn at Cape May 30 
Mar (DF). The only Sedge Wren reported 
was one at Bashakill, Sullivan, NY 2 May 
Oim Clinton, Jr.), a regular location. East- 
ern Bluebirds numbered 425 at Hamlin 
Beach 16 May (DT), and a Veery was ear- 
ly at Central Park, Manhattan 25 Apr 
(TF). A Bicknell’s Thrush was reported 
singing in Forest Park, Queens 10 May Qean 
Loscalzo, Jeff Ritter et al), and early Swain- 
son’s Thrushes included one at Franklin, NY 
25 Apr (TD) and 3 in Buffalo, Erie, NY 27 Apr 
(D. Gordon). A Wood Thrush was far n. and 
early in Franklin, NY 25 Apr (TD). The Varied 
Thrush that wintered at Sands Pt., Nassau, 
Long 1. remained until 25 Mar (DK). Indicative 
of some major “flight” days were 10,600 Amer- 
ican Robins at Braddock Bay 1 Apr (DT) and 
720 American Pipits at Hamlin Beach 16 May 
(DT). Bohemian Waxwings remained into Apr 
after the major flight last winter; about 450 
were reported from the Adirondacks, includ- 
ing a flock of 110 as late as 10 Apr at Cumber- 
land Head, Clinton, NY (Nancy Olsen). Out- 
side the Adirondacks, 30 were seen at 
Northumberland, Saratoga, NY 12 Mar (WY), 
and, much more unusual, a single bird was at 
Sandy Hook 4 Mar-7 Apr (TBo et al.). On the 
flight day of 16 May, 1190 Cedar Waxwings 
passed over Braddock Bay (DT). 
WARBLERS 
A Blue-winged Warbler was early at Wil- 
son-Tuscorora S.P, Niagara 25 Apr (WD’A), 
though general arrival was recorded at the 
coast on that day. Golden-wingeds were also a 
bit early at Amherst S.P, Erie, NY 25 Apr 
(Scott Meier) and Sheridan, Chautauqua, NY 
27 Apr (DN). Four Brewster’s and 2 
Lawrence’s Warblers were seen in the Niagara 
area during May, and 2 more Lawrence’s were 
near Rochester. Orange-crowned Warblers 
seen at Cape May 14 Mar (TM) and Alley 
Pond Park, Queens, NY 22-31 Mar (m.ob.) 
likely wintered locally. A Northern Parula at 
Hempstead Lake S.P, Nassau, Long 1. 31 Mar 
(SSM) was nearly a record-early date for New 
York after one 30 Mar 2005. Two Magnolia 
Warblers and a Cape May Warbler appeared in 
Central Park, Manhattan 25 Apr (DK, TF, 
Chris Cooper), and a Bay-breasted Warbler 
was there 26 Apr (Phil Jeffrey, m.ob.), possibly 
a record-early date for New York. Both male 
and female Audubon’s Warblers were carefully 
described in Princeton, Mercer, NJ 7-12 May 
(Charles J. Brine, Sharyn Magee); there are 
about 20 Regional records of this w. sub- 
species, only two of those in spring. A 
Townsend’s Warbler was photographed in 
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 25 Apr (Seth 
Ausubel et al.) for about the 25th Regional 
record. Eight Yellow-throated Warblers were 
found in New York City Parks 10 Apr-24 May, 
a total that is a bit above average. One hun- 
dred Pine Warblers in the Shu Swamp, Nas- 
sau, Long I. 8 Apr (Mary Normandia) is remi- 
niscent of counts made in the 1940s and 
1950s and indicates the increase in abundance 
over the past 20 years or so. Two Cerulean 
Warblers appeared early on Staten 1. — a fe- 
male 18 Apr (SW) that was joined by a male 
19 Apr (EJ) — and 8 others were seen in New 
York City parks 27 Apr-24 May. Two 
Ceruleans at L. Alice, Clinton, NY 18 May con- 
stituted the 6th and 7th records for that coun- 
ty OaiTies Osborn, BK). Twelve Prothonotary 
Warblers in New York City parks 12 Apr-10 
May is far below the record-breaking 26 of 
2005 but still a bit above average for recent 
springs, and one at Camden, Camden, NJ 1 
Apr (MW) was early. A Worm-eating Warbler 
at Beaver Island S.P, Erie, NY 12 May was far 
north (Debbie Sharon). Two Swainson’s War- 
blers heard singing, one at Sandy Hook 23 
May (SB et al.) and one at Hamilton, Mercer, 
NJ 28 May (Chris Brown), add to the increas- 
ing number of spring occurrences of this elu- 
sive species. A Kentucky Warbler at Brigantine 
17 Apr (Ray Duffy) was early, and 9 were in 
New York City parks 27 Apr-27 May. Filling 
out the list of early arrivals were a Wilson’s 
Warbler at Prospect Park 19 Apr (DG) and a 
Canada Warbler at Central Park 26 Apr (TF). 
TANAGERS THROUGH DICKClSSEL 
Sixteen Summer Tanagers in the New York 
City area 6 Apr-21 May was below the record- 
breaking totals of 23 in 2005 and 2006, and 
another was far n. at Golden Hill S.P, Niagara, 
NY 17-18 May Ok Greg Coniglio). A Scarlet 
Tanager was very early at Snug Harbor, Staten 
1. 10 Apr (Eva Callahan), and 172 were count- 
ed migrating over Braddock Bay 14 May (DT). 
A one-year-old male Western Tanager clearly 
photographed at Plainfield, Union, NJ 11-14 
Apr (Holly Hoffman et al.) seems bizarre for 
this usual fall vagrant but follows closely the 
occurrence of another in Central Park last 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 3 
401 
