Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper Participants: 15 Weather: 74° F, light winds from the southwest Bird Species: 33
For a great sea watch on Long Island in September, we would have liked to have had winds from the east. Although we didn’t have ideal wind conditions, we did have an enjoyable and fairly productive sea watch. Mary did a great job of orienting our group on what to look out for and we were soon seeing a steady stream of both Common and Royal terns fly by or stop to feed in good view. Our hope was to see some oceanic birds and we did have three Cory’s Shearwaters spotted during our watch. Some of the participants who saw them were delighted to have these new life birds and to learn how to spot their unique flight style. Also observed were at least 100 Dolphins swimming quite close to the shoreline. We were very fortunate to be joined by Pat Lindsay and Shai Mitra to help Mary lead the large group, and they also generously brought bagels, lox, and cream cheese for everyone to enjoy.
Our original plan was to walk from our meeting spot to the Fire Island Lighthouse to look for land birds after the seawatch, but it soon became obvious that this was a slow migration day for passerines. The group instead went over to Oak Beach where we observed more terns, shorebirds and gulls, with very helpful identification and behavior tips from Shai. Everyone was very thankful to all of the leaders for sharing so generously of their time, knowledge, good company, and even bagels!
Species List
Birds Mute Swan Mourning Dove Ruby-throated Hummingbird American Oystercatcher Killdeer Red Knot Sanderling Least Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Least Tern Roseate Tern Common Tern Forster’s Tern Royal Tern Common Loon Cory’s Shearwater 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
Registrar: Amanda Bielskas Participants: 20 Weather: Sunny, high of 87 with a slight breeze Bird Species: 62
A couple of early arriving birders walked behind the Visitors’ Center and saw 100+ Mute Swans, Yellow and Black-and-white Warblers, American Robins, and a chipmunk. The rest of the group arrived at about 8:15 am and we all headed to the north end of the East Pond. Highlights seen there included the following shorebirds: American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Hudsonian Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and, near the end of our time at the north end, a Western Sandpiper. Bonaparte’s Gulls, Blue-winged Teals, and Peregrine Falcons chasing some shorebirds were other highlights.
After a relaxing lunch in the shade near the Visitors’ Center, several members of the group headed off to Staten Island in search of Baird’s Sandpipers (they found two!). Half the group remained and headed back to the East Pond, where at the south end they saw five Pectoral Sandpipers, three Glossy Ibis, a Long-billed Dowitcher, a Northern Pintail, Gadwalls, and Northern Cardinals. The trip concluded around 3:30 pm. The eBird trip report can be found here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/73061
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Northern Pintail Ruddy Duck Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Hudsonian Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Stilt Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Bonaparte’s Gull Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull tern sp. Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Glossy Ibis Osprey Downy Woodpecker Peregrine Falcon Black-capped Chickadee Barn Swallow Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Yellow Warbler Northern Cardinal Mammals
Under the expert leadership of Eileen Schwinn, an expert Long Island birder with extensive knowledge of local hotspots, we had a wonderful outing to Cupsogue County Park on Moriches Bay. We started our walk with a survey of the bay from the elevated platform between the beach and the parking lot. It was low tide, and seeing an abundance of shorebirds, we set out for the flats.
Arriving at the bay, we spotted an immature Clapper Rail on one of the ponds in the adjacent saltmarsh. Along the shoreline were numerous shorebirds, gulls, and terns, including Royal Terns (a “first-of-year” species for many participants), Common Terns, and Least Terns. Large numbers of Black-bellied Plovers were present, as well as a few Piping Plovers.
After several productive hours on the flats, we headed back to the parking lot as the tide started to come in. On the way we had great looks at several Saltmarsh Sparrows on the edge of the marsh. Passerines, including Barn and Tree Swallows, American Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, and a Common Grackle, were also seen in the saltmarsh and in the brushy area along the path to the road. We ended our outing with a leisurely lunch before heading back to the city.
Species List
Birds Mute Swan Mallard Mourning Dove Clapper Rail American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Killdeer Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Least Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Least Tern Common Tern Royal Tern Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Osprey crow sp. Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Northern Mockingbird American Goldfinch Saltmarsh Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle
This was the Linnaean Society’s first field trip to Brookfield Park. Once a landfill, the park has undergone remediation and is now a beautiful grassland with miles of trails, small ponds, marshes, and creeks. Many thanks to our expert leader, Maya, who possesses a wealth of knowledge about both birds and bugs. She pointed out various butterflies and other insects, caterpillars, and spiders as we walked along, and discussed the symbiotic relationships they have with various native plants. The plants we saw included Purple Loosestrife, Evening Primrose, Swamp Mallow, Queen Anne’s Lace, Birdsfoot Trefoil, American Senna, Mullein, Milkweed, and Giant White Clover. Shorebirds were present in the smaller ponds, and herons and egrets were seen in the marshes along Richmond Creek. Barn Swallows were especially prevalent, with several dozen perching on a building near the parking lot. This park certainly warrants a return visit, perhaps in winter when Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers are present.
After leaving Brookfield Park, the group travelled to Oakwood Marsh to look for the immature White Ibis that had been seen there for several days. Unfortunately, the ibis did not make an appearance while we were there.
Species List
Birds Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Semipalmated Plover Least Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Yellow-crowned Night Heron Black Vulture Osprey Tree Swallow Barn Swallow European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Goldfinch Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Butterflies Monarch butterfly Viceroy larva Furcula family caterpillar Spicebush Swallowtail Pearl Crescent butterfly Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly
Moths Hummingbird Moth (Clearwing Moth) Odonates Black Saddlebags bragonfly Carolina Saddlebag Green Darner Leafhopper Spotted Lanternfly Insects and Arachnids Tortoise beetle Cucumber beetle Large Milkweed bug Swamp Mallow beevil Carpenter bee Carolina grasshopper White-banded Crab spider
Registrar: Richard Davis Participants: 19 Weather: 82 F with humidity/heat index 85 F at start. Sunny, winds N/NE 4 mph. Bird Species: 16
Nineteen Linnaeans and botany enthusiasts gathered on a simmering morning in the midst of an August heatwave 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 insight and enthusiasm of walk leader Regina Alvarez, whose history with Central Park and teaching experience are an excellent combination for transmitting knowledge of the plant life of the Park and the way it has been managed over the years.
She pointed out the plants that are native and those that are invasive. For example, we quickly encountered Pokeweed, which is native and produces berries that birds love but is highly toxic to humans. In contrast, Porcelain Berry, an 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. Then 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.
The native Hackberry offered an opportunity to examine galls, a gall being an abnormal growth on a plant that appears as a bump, wart, or bulb to wall off an offending invader—in this case, an insect egg that becomes a larva. The plant creates additional tissue to protect itself and the insect takes advantage of this to eat the tissue. Certain insect secretions further incentivize tissue production from the plant. A sort of back and forth between the plant and insect begins to occur. It also happens that birds know about galls and what is inside them, and they take the opportunity to eat them.
We noticed that the invasive Phragmites on the west end of the Pool at the new boardwalk (built with wood planks from Black Locust) are especially high. The Pool at this end is covered in Duckweed, one of the smallest plants in the world. It looks like algae, but in fact crowds out algae and creates food for ducks and shade for organisms beneath the surface. Mixed in with the Duckweed is Wolffia, the world’s smallest flowering organism.
There was a spirited discussion of Poison Ivy and the fact that half of the human population may not be allergic to it; however, it is not worth testing whether you fall in the unaffected or the affected group (potentially painful). Undisputed is the fact that Poison Ivy produces berries popular with 60 species of birds.
Towards the end of our walk we encountered Bittersweet Nightshade, a member of the tomato family. There was a brief discussion about nightshades that can affect autoimmune conditions like arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease when consumed.
Species Lists
Birds Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Black-crowned Night-Heron Downy Woodpecker Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Blue Jay European Starling American Robin House Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Common Grackle Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart 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 Baby Oak Trees Red Oak Black Walnut Red Maple Red Buckeye Pin Oak Hornbeam Sweetbay Magnolia Hickory (species) Serviceberry or Shad Bush
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 Viburnum (species) White Wood Aster White Snakeroot Cutleaf Coneflower Purple Coneflower Staghorn Sumac Black Raspberry Witch Hazel
Shrubs, Vines and Flowers—Non-native European Plantain Mugwort Wineberry Porcelain Berry Japanese Knotweed Bittersweet Nightshade
Grass—Native Bottlebrush Grass
Grass—Non-native Phragmites
Butterflies Silver-spotted Skipper Pearl Crescent Zabulon Skipper
Gastropods Snail
Odonates Slaty Skimmer
Mammals Eastern Gray Squirrel Eastern Chipmunk Brown Rat
Registrar: Linda LaBella Participants: 13 Weather: High 93 degrees, sunny, breezy Bird Species: 69
The forecast for the day was hot, humid, and overcast, but a cool breeze kicked up and the sun came out, making for more tolerable conditions. We started at the south end of the East Pond, picking through the Short-billed Dowitchers to look for Long-billed. Gabriel helped us identify the hendersoni subspecies of Short-billed from central and western Canada by pointing out how they differed from the more common griseus of northeast Canada.This instruction turned out to be quite helpful as we walked around the pond examining various groups of dowitchers and finding a few long-bills hidden in the flocks.
We had a great group of tireless birders who were eager to push on into the afternoon, and Gabriel graciously extended his time to lead us all the way up to the north end of the pond, where we were rewarded by beautiful views of the Hudsonian Godwit and other rarities. Walking back, we were hot and hungry but very happy with our day’s impressive list of 68 species.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Oystercatcher Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Hudsonian Godwit Stilt Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher (hendersoni) Long-billed Dowitcher Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Bonaparte’s Gull Black-headed Gull Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull (American) Great Black-backed Gull Least Tern Gull-billed Tern Common Tern Forster’s Tern Black Skimmer Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron (immature) Black-crowned Night-Heron Glossy Ibis Osprey Red-tailed Hawk Belted Kingfisher Peregrine Falcon (immature) Willow Flycatcher Warbling Vireo (Eastern) Fish Crow Purple Martin Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow (American) Marsh Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Finch American Goldfinch Song Sparrow Eastern Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Yellow Warbler (Northern) Northern Cardinal
Our leaders, Shannon Curley and Jose Ramirez-Garafalo, shared their field observations and extensive knowledge of Fresh Kills Park with an enthusiastic group of birders. Twenty-one years after closing as New York City’s only garbage dump, Fresh Kills Park is fulfilling the objective of becoming a rich habitat for numerous species of birds that are declining in New York State. We observed both Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows visiting probable nesting sites. Although we did not see Sedge Wrens on this trip, Jose pointed out that they have been observed later in the summer in previous years. Four species of swallows were observed, including Cliff Swallows, whose nests in the park were first documented in 2020. A surprising find was a Black-bellied Whistling Duck: we all heard a distinct call that we couldn’t identify until Jose realized it was the flight call of the duck. Many interesting butterflies, odonates, and insects, including a Gulf Coast Tick—one of the largest ticks in the US—were also spotted. Numerous egrets, several species of raptors, and a beautiful male Blue Grosbeak—together with the lovely rolling hills and waterways and the Manhattan skyline in the background—made for a rewarding and enjoyable field trip.
Species List
Birds Black-bellied Whistling Duck (h) Canada Goose Wood Duck Gadwall Mallard Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Peregrine Falcon Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo American Crow Common Raven Northern Rough-winged Swallow Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Marsh Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Finch American Goldfinch Grasshopper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Common Yellowthroat Yellow Warbler Blue Grosbeak
Herp Diamondback Terrapin
Butterflies Black Swallowtail Cabbage White Orange Sulphur Clouded Sulphur Eastern Tailed-Blue Monarch
Odonates Spot-winged Glider Wandering Glider Black Saddlebags
Registrar: Sherry Felix Participants: 8 Weather: 85 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy in the morning. The wind shifted from NW to S. Bird Species: 56
Our small group of dedicated birders met at New Jersey Audubon’s Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary at 8:30 am. We caught sight of a Scarlet Tanager, and an Eastern Towhee was singing high atop a tree. We walked within the sanctuary as far as the Passaic River.
We ate lunch by the Purple Martin houses at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, our second stop in Morris County, then drove around looking for other birds within the Great Swamp. The highlight was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting on a tiny nest by the road.
Our third and last stop was at Lord Stirling Park in Somerset County. We took our time walking because of the heat, which was bearable in the shade.
Species Lists
Birds Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo (h) Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Double-crested Cormorant Turkey Vulture Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker (h) Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo (h) Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee (h) Tufted Titmouse Northern Rough-winged Swallow Purple Martin Tree Swallow Barn Swallow White-breasted Nuthatch (h) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Wren Marsh Wren (h) Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Eastern Bluebird Veery Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow (h) Field Sparrow (h) Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow (h) Eastern Towhee Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Ovenbird (h) Common Yellowthroat Yellow Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting
Butterflies Great Spangled Fritiary Mourning Cloak Spicebush Swallowtail Little Wood Satyr Common Wood Nymph Silver-spotted Skipper Cabbage White
