Central Park Winter Walk with Richard Zainaldeen, 3/12/2023

Registrar: Kathleen Matthews
Leaders: Richard Zainaldeen, Erika Piik, & David Spawn
Participants: 39
Weather: Sunny, 38-42° F, 8 mph N wind, “feels like 36”
Bird Species: 38

A forecast of rain and snow, on our originally scheduled March 11th walk, forced a reschedule to
Sunday, March 12th and meant only 39 of the originally 58 registrants were able to participate.

Dividing into three groups, we fanned out into Strawberry Fields, then moved to Hernshead, Oak
Bridge, and into the Ramble. Absent from our list were American Woodcocks and most of the
other hoped-for, early Spring migrants, but we did enjoy the almost comical abundance of Tufted
Titmice, multiple Fox Sparrow (some signing), and a lovely showing of “Geraldine”- Central
Park’s seemingly resident Great Horned Owl.

Species

Birds:
American Coot
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Hooded Merganser
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Northern Cardinal

Pelham Bay Park with Jack Rothman, 2/25/2023

Registrar: Evelyn Huang
Participants: 16
Weather: 28–33° F; mostly cloudy, some snow, 6 mph NW wind
Bird Species: 41

The group met at 9:00 am at the Orchard Beach parking lot, and immediately proceeded to Orchard Beach. We started scanning the SE corner of Hunter Island, then scanned the Sound from the middle of Orchard Beach continuing to Twin and Two Tree Islands. We then did some land birding through Hunter Island, persisting even when it started snowing in contravention of the weather forecast.

Walking back from the shore, we saw some White-tailed Deer walking in the woods, and the sight of them in the falling snow was very charming. Just before we were set to depart, someone suggested checking a nearby spot in the woods where a Barred Owl had been seen. The majority of the group made the short walk and after scanning the copse of trees we shortly found the owl and had good looks. It was a wonderful morning despite the snow and wind-chill.

Species Lists

Birds
Brant (Atlantic)
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Purple Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle

Mammals
White-tailed Deer

Croton Point Park with Ethan Goodman, 2/18/2023

Registrar: Mary Braza
Participants: 7
Weather: Clear skies, 30-40 degrees F, windy
Bird Species: 27

The group explored nearly the entire park, including the designated trails of the grasslands on the site of a former landfill. Highlights of the trip were the Bald Eagles, the American Kestrel, and the Eastern Bluebirds. After hiking through both the grasslands and the wooded section of the park, we looked for additional birds near the Croton-Harmon Railroad Station.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Bufflehead
Mourning Dove
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Birding the MET with Kevin Sisco, 2/17/2023

Registrar: Amanda Bielskas
Weather: Partly cloudy and a little rainy temperature was warm (for February) but cooled throughout the day.
Participants: 9
Bird species: 20+

Our group of 9 birders met promptly at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 10:30am for a tour of some of the birds that can be found inhabiting the museum. We started in Ancient Greece, worked our way over to the Ancient Egyptian wing where there were numerous falcons, hawks and vultures, many herons and even the sacred ibis. After Egypt we toured some Byzantine and early Roman art where we saw birds including doves which were depicted in many religious works and also passed several tapestries in the Medieval section that featured falcons and partridges. We then made some stops in the American Wing where we saw more eagles and some aquatic birds including swans and ducks. We did a slight detour and managed to find the likely extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the visible storage section. We continued onto the Native American galleries and admired the imagery of Thunderbirds and Ravens. The Tour continued in some of the European Painting Galleries where we were able to view some parrots and finches in some classic works. The tour concluded with the art deco gallery from a Paris apartment with beautiful wall sized oil paintings featuring herons and peacocks. This was an amazing informative tour full of beautiful works of art in a vast variety of mediums. Many thanks to Kevin for guiding us through thousands of years of artworks and over 20 species of birds real and imagined.

Species Lists

Birds
Chickens/Roosters
Coots
Cranes
Doves
Ducks
Eagles
Falcons
Flycatcher
Geese
Goldfinches
Griffins
Hawks
Herons
Hoopoe
Magpie
Ostrich
Owls
Parrots
Partridges
Peafowl/Pheasants
Pelicans
Pigeons
Ravens
Sacred Ibis
Sirens
Swallows
Swans
Thunderbird
Vultures

Coney Island Pier and Coney Island Creek Park with Rob Jett, 2/11/2023

Registrar: Linda LaBella
Participants: 16
Weather: Clear skies and cool temperatures, 45 degrees 
Species: 39

Rob Jett’s field trips to Coney Island and Coney Island Creek Park are always fun and often fruitful, and this trip was no exception. Right from the start, while viewing from the boardwalk, we witnessed thousands of Northern Gannets in a continuous stream—diving, feeding, and circling over the bay. It was an amazing sight that continued the entire time we remained at the beach.

On the pier, we were treated to close views of three Razorbills, a seabird of the Alcidae family that has been unusually abundant this winter in the waters around NYC. Along the beach on our way to the 35th Street overlook, and at the jetty, we saw three more Razorbills, Common Loons, and Long-tailed Ducks. We then continued to Coney Island Creek Park, encountering yet another Razorbill as well as hundreds of Brant and other waterfowl, and finished up at the 23rd Street overlook. 

Species List

Birds
Snow Goose
Brant 
Canada Goose 
Mute Swan
Gadwall 
Mallard
American Black Duck 
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup 
Surf Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove 
Razorbill
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Cooper’s Hawk 
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
European Starling 
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Northern Cardinal

Staten Island with Richard ZainEldeen, 2/5/2023

Registrar: Ursula Mitra
Participants:  11
Weather: 44-47 F, overcast, winds WSW 5 mph
Species:  54

This trip started on a high note as eleven Linnaean members collected in the Wolfe Pond parking lot for the annual Staten Island field trip with Richard ZainEldeen, one of the Linnaean Society’s veteran field trip leaders. 

A Peregrine Falcon with a full crop was spotted sitting high in a tree, and it remained there until we left the park two hours later. Within minutes we saw an American Kestrel and a Merlin, also perched.

Richard took us to four planned locations: Wolfe’s Pond Park; Lemon Creek Park; Mt. Loretto Unique Area, where we saw four Harbor Seals relaxing on rocks out in the water; and Blue Heron Park, with its lovely nature center and picnic area.

When news of a Cackling Goose at Silver Lake Park reached us, Richard agreed to add it to the itinerary. We ended the trip on a high note there, seeing a female Common Goldeneye close up, Ring-necked Ducks, and the CACKLING GOOSE!

Thank you, Richard, for another great experience, and thank you to all of the participants for making this a very memorable trip.  Nobody wanted it to end!

Here are the ebird checklists for all locations, with photos by the participants.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707223  
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707330  
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707370  
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707417  
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707468  

Species Lists

Birds
Brant
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Cardinal

Mammals
Harbor Seal

Governors Island with Annie Barry, 1/16/2023

Registrar: Nick Dawson
Participants: 17
Weather: 35°F – 45°F, sunny
Bird Species: 30

On a cold, bright winter day, Annie Barry led an enjoyable walk on Governors Island when, truth be told, the birding gods did not seem to be want to cooperate. Although the group ultimately saw and/or heard 30 species, it was a bit of a grind at times, with long stretches where all that seemed to be on the water were Ring-billed and Herring Gulls and, on land, the passerines had gone silent. Luckily, that made every new species for the day something of an event (“I hear a nuthatch!” “Look, it’s a Mallard!”) in the way it would not normally be. Sadly, Purple Sandpipers were not around to be seen and admired, and the undoubted highlight of the walk was a handful of Bonaparte’s Gulls — a group of eight, and later two more — flying kinetically as they actively fed in the waters of New York harbor, right next to the island.

Species Lists

Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal

Croton Point Park and Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge with Gordon Lam, 1/14/2023

Registrar: Evelyn Huang
Participants: 20
Weather: 33–35° F; mostly cloudy, 12 mph N wind
Bird Species: 31

The group met at 9:00 am at the parking lot of the Croton-Harmon train station and proceeded to search the riverside from the train station. Right away, three Bald Eagles were sighted on the muddy far shore, and another one could be seen flying overhead shortly after. In the water were Canada Geese, Buffleheads, Mallards, and American Black Ducks.

We proceeded to Croton Point Park, where the strong wind may have deterred several birds from showing themselves, but where we had flyover views of more Bald Eagles and a Red-tailed Hawk, saw Tree Sparrows foraging in the grass, and caught sight of an American Kestrel in some locust trees by the maintenance shed near the RV lot. A beautiful perched Bald Eagle gave us good views from a pine tree, and toward the end of the walk, sharp-eyed birders found Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks in distant trees.

After lunch at the parking lot of Croton Point Park, we returned to our cars and drove to the Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, arriving mid-afternoon. We were disappointed to find that the feeders had been taken down, as had the feeders at the Croton Point Park visitor’s center; we speculated that this may have been done as a precaution against bird flu. The group split into two, with some keeping vigil on the viewing platform while others explored the two winter trails that remain open. Those on the platform had better luck, seeing a Red-shouldered Hawk, an Eastern Meadowlark, and a Red-winged Blackbird. Neither group found the Loggerhead Shrike that had been reported there by others.

Around 4:30 pm, as if on schedule, the first Short-eared Owl appeared just as the group was about to decamp due to the cold temperature and dimming light. In total, two owls were seen, the first perched in distant trees across the parking lot, and another swooping over the grassland. This was a life bird for many birders, and served as our sign to head for the warmth of our cars and the drive home.

Many thanks to Gordon Lam for stepping up to lead this enjoyable and informative walk on short notice.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
American Black Duck
Bufflehead
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Short-eared Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Common Raven
Northern Mockingbird
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Northern Cardinal