Registrar: Susan Axelrod
Participants: 10
Weather: Sunny, temp in mid-teens, NW winds, 10 mph
Bird Species: 35
Despite the cold weather and snow, ten brave birders looked for birds at Croton Point Park. Our leader, Ethan Goodman, did a great job of finding and pointing out birds for us. We started at the ballfield parking lot and then walked into the park and up the grassy knoll looking for sparrows, Horned Larks, and whatever else came our way. We saw a number of Song and Savannah Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and one Lincoln’s Sparrow. A large group of Horned Larks flew by, but never landed to give us good looks. We were, however, treated to a Red-tailed Hawk kiting and a Northern Harrier hunting. There were a few Bald Eagles flying around as well.
After lunch we looked for owls in the surrounding trees, but despite seeing a number of roost holes, we found no one at home. We were rewarded with seeing other birds, including Dark-eyed Juncos and a Northern Mockingbird. We then birded the shoreline from the nearby train station, where we saw a number of Buffleheads, American Black Ducks, a female Red-breasted Merganser, and a Great Blue Heron flying from one shoreline to the other. All-in-all it was a fun, productive day—and quite a workout walking on the snow.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
American Black Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Horned Lark
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Cardinal
