Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Tom Davis Memorial Walk, 8/26/2023

Leader: Tom Stephenson
Registrar: Anne Lazarus
Participants: 18 participants
Weather: Rain delaying trip on arrival, then sunny, calm, 70s-80s F.

Every spring and summer the water levels in the East Pond are mechanically lowered to create mudflats where shorebirds can forage. When the tides are high shorebirds gravitate to the exposed mudflats of the East Pond. This year the high tide on Aug. 26th was at 4:30 pm. We made the decision to shorebird in early morning at Plumb Beach where the low tides exposed the mudflats. Sure enough the shorebirds arrived in numbers where they foraged for invertebrates. In addition we saw many species of terns, including Caspian, Gull-billed Tern, Forster`s, Common and Least Terns. Two Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers and Sanderlings were among the special shorebirds of Plumb Beach. We walked to the marshes where we were greeted by three Clapper Rails. A Seaside Sparrow was observed by many, and a Saltmarsh Sparrow was also present.

Our second stop was the West Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Our outstanding leader, Tom Stephenson, found a Baird`s Sandpipers. He made sure we all had the opportunity to see this special shorebird. We did not neglect the Semi-palmated Sandpipers, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, ducks, including one female Ring-necked Duck in eclipse plumage and carefully analyzed. Other interesting ducks included Green-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers. We were amazed to see about twenty Black-crowned Night Herons gathered in one small location on the West Pond.

Our final stop was the south end of the East Pond. Because of frequent storms this spring and summer the water level was high. We could not walk beyond the south border of the pond. Despite the restricted exposure of mudflats, we counted several shorebird species, including Short-billed Dowitcher, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, several species of sandpipers, Semi-palmated Plovers and more. We had excellent looks at a Little Blue Heron.

Torrential rain did not stop the dedicated Linnaean members from driving in the early morning. What a rewarding trip we had!

Species Lists

Birds
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Peregrine Falcon
Clapper Rail
Black-bellied Plover
Semi-palmated Plover
American Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Semi-palmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird`s Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster`s Tern
Least Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Bugs and Birds at Brookfield Park with Seth Wollney, 8/19/2023

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 7
Weather: 72 F, partly cloudy, NW winds at 11 mph
Bird Species: 25
Insect Species: 20

It was a surprisingly cool but windy day when we traveled to Staten Island in search of birds and insects. Many thanks to Seth Wollney, excellent all-around naturalist, for sharing his knowledge about the many species that inhabit Brookfield Park, a remediated landfill that borders Richmond Creek on the north. It has hills covered with low-growing vegetation, as well as marshes along the creek. Many native plants grow here, but unfortunately, phragmites are also starting to invade the habitat.

Despite the wind, we saw a good variety of beautiful insects and birds, including a pair of Bald Eagles and many Great and Snowy Egrets. A flock of nearly 100 confiding Semipalmated Sandpipers seemed to be following us as we walked through the fields.

Species Lists

Insects
American Sand Wasp
Ant sp.
Black Swallowtail
Blue Dasher
Broad-winged Skipper
Cabbage White
Carolina Grasshopper
Carolina Saddlebags
Black Saddlebags
Common Green Darner
Dog-day Cicada (aka Swamp Cicada)
Horace’s Duskywing
Eastern Tailed-blue
Monarch
Orange Sulphur
Pearl Crescent
Red Milkweed Beetle
Seven-spotted Ladybug
Spot-winged Glider
Spotted Lanternfly
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Viceroy
Wasp sp.

Birds
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Semipalmated Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with Keith Michael, 8/18/23

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Report Narrative by: Anne Lazarus
Participants: 16
Weather: 71 – 79°F, Gentle N – SW winds
Bird Species: 50 + 4 other taxa

Neither rain nor any weather possibility or high East Pond levels could stop us. We thank our amazing leader, Keith, for finding so many exciting birds for us. We appreciate it all. The skippers skipped away very quickly, and only one Pearl Crescent was cooperative. We also saw Green Darners and one Black Saddlebags.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Ruddy Duck
duck sp.
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
peep sp.
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Least Tern
Forster’s Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Osprey
Peregrine Falcon
Empidonax sp.
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
swallow sp.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Insects
Black Saddlebags
Cabbage White
Green Darner
Monarch Butterfly
Pearl Crescent
Spotted Lanternfly

Cupsogue Flats and Beyond with Eileen Schwinn, 8/10/2023

Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 12
Weather: Partly cloudy, southerly winds at 5-10 mph, mid 70`s F
Bird Species: 34

Twelve birders spent a delightful morning at Cupsogue Beach County Park with Eileen Schwinn, an expert Suffolk County birder who has logged many hours at this location. We started the day with a scan of the saltmarsh from the parking lot. Both Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows were seen, as well as a Willow Flycatcher taking advantage of a large hatch-out. We then did a brief sea watch from the platform leading out to the beach; it yielded a few shearwaters, likely Greater or Corey’s, but they were too distant to identify with certainty. On the roadway out to the bay, a Merlin was observed, along with several passerines.

We arrived at the bay about two hours before dead low tide and found an abundance of terns, gulls, and shorebirds on the sandbars and mud flats. Hundreds of Common Terns and about a dozen Royal Terns were present, in addition to a good variety of shorebirds. We were delighted to see a Marbled Godwit foraging on the edge of Spoil Island, and a Pectoral Sandpiper was spotted near the area favored by the Royal Terns. Aware of an approaching storm, we wrapped up around noon and enjoyed lunch together at the snack bar before departing.

Species Lists

Birds
Mute Swan
American Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Willet
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Common Loon
shearwater sp.
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Merlin
Willow Flycatcher
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Northern Mockingbird
Seaside Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Song Sparrow

Central Park Botany Walk with Regina Alvarez, 8/5/2023

Registrar: Richard Davis
Participants: 19
Weather: 78–82 F. Mostly sunny, N winds 5 mph.
Bird Species: 16

Nineteen Linnaeans and botany enthusiasts gathered on a warm sunny morning to wander in available tree shade and light breezes around the Pool and briefly into the Ravine of northern Central Park. Many participants commented on the broad knowledge and enthusiasm of walk leader Regina Alvarez, whose experience in Central Park and in teaching is an excellent combination for transmitting information about the plant life of the Park and the way it has been managed over the years.

She started by lending magnifying loupes to participants, explaining that a jeweler’s loupe at 10x would be best for field study. She demonstrated how to use them by bringing the loupe quite close to the face and resting it against the cheek to hold it near the eye. The object to study must be very near the bottom of the glass.

Our first stop was at a hawthorne tree with quite a bit of cedar-apple rust, which exhibited as small, ball-shaped, reddish clumps with short hairs or tentacles, but is actually a fungus.

She pointed out which plants are native, which non-native, and which invasive. For example, we quickly encountered pokeweed, which is native and produces berries that birds love but are highly toxic to humans. (You can make ink with them.) In contrast, porcelain berry, a non-native invasive from temperate Asia in the grape family, should always be quickly removed from gardens and other habitats, as it will overwhelm and destroy native plant life.

The pokeweed and deadly nightshade sparked a discussion about foraging and the risks to an inexperienced forager. In general, foraging is not advisable in an ecosystem like that of Central Park, which would suffer greatly if thousands of visitors took up the practice.

Virginia knotweed (native) also known as touch-me-not, offered an amusing opportunity to demonstrate seed dispersal, with the seeds popping off and flying to quite a distance. Birds are also fans.

A young black cherry tree’s bark (native) exhibited prominent horizontal lenticels, or striations, that allow for gas exchange—that is, for the plant to breathe. As the plant grows older, as seen lower on the trunk, it develops what looks like burnt potato chip skin. The berry of this tree is beloved by birds and used for the black cherry flavor of soft drinks.

We observed a tulip tree (native) that demonstrated an ability to self prune, with lower shaded branches falling off as the tree grows, leaving a faint mark on the trunk that eventually fades. It is one of our tallest trees, and its long, straight trunk is made of a soft wood that is great for telephone poles, beams, and dugout canoes.

A large oak tree (native) near the birdbath area of the Pool was a fine example of a keystone species—that is, one that many other species depend on thanks to the enormous number of insects they host.

Burdock (non-native) was an example of a biennial, an individual plant with a lifespan of just two years.

The spice bush is a native wetland shrub that offers a fruit high in lipids to birds; it is a form of metabolic energy for migrating birds that is preferable to fruits loaded with sugar. The leaves produce a compound, the spice scent or flavor, that is a predator defense mechanism.

We came upon mugwort, also not native, which was probably brought over by colonists as a medicinal plant. Mugwort, among other plants, produces compounds to deter insects; this can create a detectable odor, which wanes by late summer, after plant reproduction has occurred. Mugwort is an invasive species, taking over open sunny areas.

In the Ravine we spotted some native hydrangea being visited by a native bee. Regina explained that native wild bees are critical for “buzz pollination,” a form of pollination that domesticated bees (honeybees) cannot perform, in which the bee vibrates to dislodge pollen. Plants in the tomato (nightshade) family require this type of pollination to reproduce.

We encountered poison ivy (native), reaching onto the path on a wooden bridge in the Ravine. Regina explained that the Park has a policy of managing rather than eradicating this plant, which produces berries popular with 60 species of birds, as well as the urushiol oil that stimulates an allergic reaction in approximately half the people who come in contact with it. 

Species Lists

Birds
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Common Grackle
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Plants

Trees—Native
Black Locust
Honey Locust
Hackberry
American Sycamore
Black Cherry
Tulip Tree
Tupelo Tree (Black Gum)
American Sweetgum Tree
Bald Cypress
Sassafras
Oak Tree
Red Oak
Black Walnut
Red Maple
Red Buckeye
Pin Oak
Hornbeam
Sweetbay Magnolia
Hickory (species)
Serviceberry or Shad Bush
Eastern Redbud

Trees—Hybrid
London Plane

Trees—Non-Native
Weeping Willow
White Mulberry
Ginkgo

Shrubs, Vines and Flowers—Native
Sweet Pepperbush
Purple Flowering Raspberry
Pokeweed
Hackberry
Blackberry
Jewelweed
Poison Ivy
Woodland Sunflower
Wolffia (Watermeal)
Duckweed
Virginia Knotweed
American Plantain
White Baneberry (Doll’s Eyes)
Spicebush
Wild Bergamot (Beebalm)
Native rose
Arrowwood viburnum
White Wood Aster
White Snakeroot
Green-headed Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Staghorn Sumac
Cardinal Flower
Blue Lobelia
Joe-Pye Weed
Black Raspberry
Witch Hazel
Elderberry
Lizard’s Tail

Shrubs, Vines and Flowers—Non-native
European Plantain
Mugwort
Wineberry
Porcelain Berry
Japanese Knotweed
Bittersweet Nightshade
Devil’s Walkingstick
Burdock Weed

Ferns – Native
Ostrich Fern
Marginal Wood Fern
Christmas fern

Grass—Native
Bottlebrush Grass

Grass—Non-native
Phragmites

Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Brown Rat

Herps
Red-eared Slider

Staten Island, Purple Martins Plus with Howie Fisher, 7/8/23

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 17
Weather: 78 – 82°F, gentle breeze, wind SE – NE
Bird Species: 51

We had a wonderful day of birding on Staten Island. Our leader, life-long Staten Islander Howie Fisher, started our day off at Conference House Park, where the highlight was a White-eyed Vireo. From there we went to nearby Joline Avenue Beach, where we had the days most spectacular birds; Caspian and Royal Terns and seven Brown Pelicans!  Our next stop was to see the annually nesting Purple Martins which are always a treat to see. Our last stop as a full group was to Wolfe’s Pond Park, where we were hoping to see the Neotropic Cormorant that had been around recently, but we had no luck with that bird. A few participants made one last stop, at Oakwood Beach, and we were treated to seeing a Little Blue Heron and a Marsh Wren.

Species List

Bird Species
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
American Oystercatcher
Killdeer
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Black-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downey Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting

See eBird trip report.

Van Cortlandt Park Nature Walk with Ken Chaya, 6/17/2023

Registrar: Anne Lazarus
Participants: 17
Weather: Sunny, mid-70s with winds to the north at 3.7 mph
Bird Species: 34

On this beautiful late spring morning in Van Cortlandt Park, over one thousand acres of nature and park space in the Bronx, the group saw a nice variety of birds, bugs, and several other animal species, including two types of snakes and an Eastern cottontail. The participants were excited to see the Silvery Checkerspot, one of twelve different butterflies and moths seen on the trip. Ken Chaya, naturalist and the day’s walk leader, also pointed out various interesting beetles, grasshoppers, and other bugs that could easily be overlooked. The bird highlights of the walk were a Scarlet Tanager, a Green Heron, and a perching Eastern Kingbird, which provided a nice photo op for the nature photographers in the group. It was also exciting for the group to see a nest of hungry baby barn swallows being fed, a nice reminder that as spring migration closes, the peak of nesting season for many local bird species is here. 

Species List
Birds
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swifts
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow 
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Yellow Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal

Lepidoptera – Butterflies and Moths
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Cabbage White-multiple (Pieris rapae)
Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calamus)
Summer Azure (Celastrina ladon)
Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)
Orange-patched Smoky Moth (Phyromorpha dimidiata)
Four-dotted Agonopterix Moth (Agonopterix robiniella)

Odonata – Dragonflies and Damselflies
Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis)
Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita)
Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis)
Whitetail Skimmer (Plathemis lydia)
Click Beetle (Subtribe Dendrometrina)

Coleoptera – Beetles 
Rose Curculio (Merhynchites bicolor)
Horned Passalus aka Bess Beetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus)
Leaf Beetle (Paria sp.)
Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii)
Asian Ladybird Beetle Larva and Pupa Case (Harmonia axyridis)

Hymenoptera – Bees, Wasps, and Ants 
Bumble Bee Mimic Robber Fly (Laphria thoracica)
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens)
Square-headed Wasp (Cerceris sp.)
Yellow Mud-dauber Wasp (Sceliphron caementarium)
Chestnut Carpenter Ant (Camponotus castaneus)

Diptera – Flies
Robber Fly (Atomosia puella)
Long-legged Fly (Condylostylus patibulatus)
Sepsis Fly (Nempoda nitidula)
Narrow-headed Marsh Fly (Heliophilus fasciatus)
Stilt-legged Fly (Rainieria antennaepes)

Hemiptera – True Bugs
Green Stink Bug (Chinavia hilaris)
Leafhopper (Pagaronia minor)
Four-lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus)
Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

Orthoptera – Grasshoppers, Kadydids, and Crickets
Short-horned Grasshopper (Acridoidea Family) 
Kadydid (Tettigoniidae Family)
North American Spur-throated Grasshopper (Melanoplus sp.)
Fork-tailed Bush Kadydid nymph (Scudderia furcata)

Neuroptera
Red-lipped Green Lacewing nymph (Chrysoperla rufilabris)

Other Invertebrates
Eastern Harvestman (Leiobunum vittatum)

Reptiles
Common Garter Snake
Red-eared Slider

Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Cottontail

Terns of Nickerson Beach with Patricia Lindsay and Shai Mitra, 6/8/2023

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 17
Weather: Clear sky, smoke, haze, 56 – 69°F, Light N – S breeze
Bird Species: 37

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
King Eider
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Mourning Dove
American Oystercatcher
Piping Plover
Killdeer
Sanderling
Willet
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Black Tern
White-winged Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Black Skimmer
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey
Barn Swallow
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
Northern Cardinal

eBird report with notes from Shai Mitra.