Once more we were fortunate to have Rick Wright, who guides Bird and Art Tours with Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours and is the author of Peterson’s Reference Guide to Sparrows, lead a walk for Linnaean. DeKorte Park has over three miles of easy walking paths with beautiful views of the surrounding marshes and waters.
The walk began at 2:30 pm with good looks at Northern Harriers, and continued with many other species. Rick pointed out several characteristics about the gulls, sparrows, and ducks that enhanced our ID skills. A very pleasant, easy-going, and educational birding experience.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Northern Pintail Canvasback Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Belted Kingfisher American Crow European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Ursula Mitra Participants: 15 Weather: 28 degrees F, sunny to overcast, winds SSW 10-20 mph, light snow from time to time Bird Species: 56
We thank Richard ZainEldeen for leading this wonderful trip to several locations on Staten Island. This was approximately the 120th trip he has guided for The Linnaean Society of NY in 40 years, an impressive contribution to the Society.
It was cold and slightly windy as 15 participants gathered at Great Kills Park. We met at the second parking lot, where Buffalo Street turns along the ocean beach. From there, we saw Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers, Common Loon, and Horned Grebes. Since it was high tide, we then focused on the bay side, but returned to the parking lot at low tide later in the day, just to check again for the King Eider that had been reported at that location for some time. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it.
Next we visited Blue Heron Park, a lovely place with a beautiful Nature Center and bathrooms. Behind the Nature Center were feeders that attracted a nice group of birds. Highlights were a Brown Creeper and a Hairy Woodpecker, and two Red-shouldered Hawks flying over. We were also fortunate to glimpse an Eastern Screech Owl (red morph) sleeping in its cavity in the park.
Our next stop, Wolfe’s Pond Park, yielded Killdeer, Dunlin, Sanderlings, Common Goldeneyes, a Ruddy Turnstone—and a Bald Eagle!
We stopped next at Arbutus Lake, hoping to see Ring-necked Ducks—and we succeeded, eliminating the need to go to the Moravian Cemetery (our fallback to find this species). Concluding the trip was an optional visit by five members of the group to the Staten Island Hospital parking lot to see 45 Wild Turkeys (maybe not quite “Wild,” as they seemed fairly tame and paid us no attention, allowing for some very close looks at these magnificent creatures.) Thank you for the tip, Richard!
Overall it was a wonderful outing. A big thank you to everyone for coming and contributing. Good birding!
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser 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 Common Loon Great Cormorant Turkey Vulture Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Eastern Screech-Owl (red morph) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren (h) European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow House Finch Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Linda LaBella Participants: 15 Weather: Sunny, 50 Degrees Distance walked: 5.6. miles Bird Species: 35
Our day started at the Coney Island Pier, where we spotted a lone Black Scoter along with many Common Loons. Then, walking west across the beach to the 35th Street jetty, we were entertained by a number of Purple Sandpipers. The haze over the water impeded long-range sightings, but we still had views of huge rafts of Brants; and although Coney Island Creek Park was unusually quiet, we enjoyed a number of other species and some surprisingly stunning domestic-bred fancy pigeons.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Pied-billed Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Purple Sandpiper Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Blue Jay American Crow Red-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal
We extend our thanks to Annie Barry, long-time Governors Island birder and walk leader, for sharing her “patch” with us on our first ever Linnaean Society field trip to this location. Our four-mile trek took us around the entire island and included Colonels Row, Fort Jay, the Hills, Picnic Point, the Hammock Grove, Nolan Park, and the coastline. Along the southeast waterfront, we saw several species of ducks and gulls and had excellent views of a mixed group of Great Cormorants and Double-crested Cormorants. On the west side of the island, we saw a large flock of Brant, a Red-breasted Merganser, and, unexpectedly, a Common Goldeneye drake. A large murder of crows flew overhead as we entered the Hills at the southern end of the island. Yellow-rumped Warblers were actively feeding on berries, and several Hermit Thrushes, Northern Mockingbirds, Song, White-throated, and Swamp Sparrows, and a Carolina Wren were also noted. At the end of the walk Annie told us that springtime brings many warblers and other migrants to the island, some attracted to the meadow that has been established around Fort Jay. We all agreed that this venue deserves frequent visits by New York birders.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Red-tailed Hawk Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow crow sp. Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird Hermit Thrush House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Eileen Schwinn, Vice-President of the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, graciously agreed once again to lead a bird walk for us. Eileen is a gifted birder with a very thorough knowledge of the birding spots in this area. We started the walk at Shinnecock Inlet West and made multiple stops on Dune Road before ending the walk at Suffolk County Farm.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler Mallard American Black Duck Northern Pintail King Eider Common Eider Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Horned Grebe Mourning Dove Black-bellied Plover Sanderling Greater Yellowlegs Razorbill Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Northern Harrier Belted Kingfisher Downy Woodpecker American Kestrel Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Ruby-crowned Kinglet Northern Mockingbird European Starling House Sparrow House Finch Snow Bunting Dark-eyed Junco Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler
Registrar: Susan Axelrod Participants: 10 Weather: Sunny, temp in mid-teens, NW winds, 10 mph Bird Species: 35
Despite the cold weather and snow, ten brave birders looked for birds at Croton Point Park. Our leader, Ethan Goodman, did a great job of finding and pointing out birds for us. We started at the ballfield parking lot and then walked into the park and up the grassy knoll looking for sparrows, Horned Larks, and whatever else came our way. We saw a number of Song and Savannah Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and one Lincoln’s Sparrow. A large group of Horned Larks flew by, but never landed to give us good looks. We were, however, treated to a Red-tailed Hawk kiting and a Northern Harrier hunting. There were a few Bald Eagles flying around as well.
After lunch we looked for owls in the surrounding trees, but despite seeing a number of roost holes, we found no one at home. We were rewarded with seeing other birds, including Dark-eyed Juncos and a Northern Mockingbird. We then birded the shoreline from the nearby train station, where we saw a number of Buffleheads, American Black Ducks, a female Red-breasted Merganser, and a Great Blue Heron flying from one shoreline to the other. All-in-all it was a fun, productive day—and quite a workout walking on the snow.
SpeciesLists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan American Black Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker American Kestrel Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Horned Lark White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Alice McInerney Participants: 20 Weather: Sunny, cold. Temp: 30’s. Very little wind. Bird Species: 57
Many thanks to our co-leaders, Tom Burke and Gail Benson, who organized a rigorous and exciting day of birding in Westchester County.
We began at Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary and Rye Playland, where we were treated to views of Snow Buntings, three merganser species, and Great Cormorants, among many other species. We then moved to Bowman Avenue Pond at Rye Ridge Plaza to search for the Greater White-fronted Goose. With much skill, our leaders found the bird (among about 400 Canada Geese), and with much patience, they made sure that the entire group had excellent views. After lunch at the Marshlands Conservancy’s picnic tables, we walked its wooded and seaside trails and found many more species, including several Killdeer.
Species Lists
Birds Greater White-fronted Goose Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard American Black Duck Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Northern Harrier Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow White-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Snow Bunting Field Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal
Under the expert leadership of Peter Dorosh, we explored two parks on Jamaica Bay, the new Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens. At Shirley Chisholm SP we saw a Fox Sparrow and a Horned Grebe, first-of-season birds for many participants, as well as common winter waterfowl, including a Common Loon and Buffleheads. Three beautiful Northern Harriers sailing over the mounds of the former landfill were a treat, as were several lingering Killdeer and Tree Swallows.
We arrived at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at lunchtime. The new saltmarsh installation at the site of the old West Pond breach has now been completed, and visitors can once again walk all the way around the West Pond. We identified 14 duck species on the pond, including Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal. A mature Bald Eagle flew over the bay, prompting several thousand Brant to take off and circle the pond before settling down again. Two immature Bald Eagles were also seen flying overhead. Initially, we were disappointed not to see the Eurasian Wigeon that had been reported earlier in the week, but we found it later in the Pumpkin Patch Channel west of the pond. Another highlight of the walk was a Barn Owl resting in its box.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler Gadwall Eurasian Wigeon American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Coot Killdeer Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Barn Owl Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon American Crow Tree Swallow Golden-crowned Kinglet Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
