Registrar: Amanda Bielskas
Weather: Beautiful early fall day, 62–73 degrees F, winds 15 mph
Participants: 26
Bird species: 29
This was the first LSNY Birds & Brews walk of the fall. Fall evening walks are challenging to organize, because we start losing light fairly early.
The walk started at 81st Street and Central Park West. We began by birding along the paths of the park to give late arrivals time to catch up. Several raptors flew over, including an Osprey, a Red-tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel. We spotted both White and Red-breasted Nuthatches in the pine trees and also found a good spot to view a Chimney Swift roost. We were targeting Common Nighthawks on this trip, but we had about an hour to bird before losing too much light, when we had to head to Belvedere Castle to observe Nighthawks.
Once at the castle’s overlook, we observed a few more species, including a Great Blue Heron and at least 200 Chimney Swifts going to roost in the 80s and along Central Park West. The stars of the night—the nighthawks—did not disappoint; a pair flying over Belvedere Castle circled several times just after sunset. There were perhaps more than two nighthawks, but it was hard to tell since they were circling behind the castle and nearly always appeared together.
In addition to the nighthawks circling the castle, we also had several Eastern Red Bats. After the sun had set fully, we headed off to a bar on the West Side for libations and some great conversation. We totaled 29 species for the evening and fun was had by all.
Species List
Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
American Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Common Grackle
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Northern Cardinal
Mammals
Eastern Red Bat
Norway Rat
Raccoons
Squirrel