Registrar: Leslie Fiske
Participants: 10
Weather: Temperature in the low 40s; cloudy into rain; wind speed ESE at 16 mph
Bird Species: 37
The rain delayed the trip by a week, and although many of the expected species had already left the area for parts north, we were able to view 37 species under the great leadership of Peter Dorosh.
Beginning at Calvert Vaux Park, we saw a variety of wintering ducks and other lingering birds. We were also treated to great views of an Eastern Meadowlark. We then caravanned to Coney Island Creek, hoping to spot gull rarities, which we unfortunately could not find. However, we did get good views of a Common Loon beginning to show its breeding plumage. Our next stop was at Manhattan Beach Park, where our target was the thousands of Black Scoters reported to be on the channel the prior two weeks. We were not disappointed in our views of the scoters, including three Surf Scoters and one White-winged Scoter. Again, we looked for gull rarities at Sheepshead Bay. We did not see any, but we got some nice views of Lesser Scaup. Our final destination was Salt Marsh Nature Center at Marine Park, where we saw a nice variety of marsh birds and ducks, including American Wigeon and Pied-billed Grebe before we were forced to end the trip when light rain became a deluge.
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Widgeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Red-Breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ring-Billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
American Crow
Fish Crow
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
