This was our last spring migration walk of 2024. Although we saw quite a few warblers and other migrants, it was clear that migration was winding down. Many birds are nesting, and some fledgling American Robins and European Starlings are already being seen.
Species List
Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Herring Gull Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night Heron Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Swainson’s Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch White-throated Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Canada Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrars: Suzanne Zywicki and Christina Black Participants: 12 Weather: Mostly sunny in the 70s and 80s, with wind gusts up to 20 mph Bird Species: 40
With sunny, windy weather following a stormy Memorial Day Monday, the group met on Tuesday afternoon in Richard W. DeKorte Park in the N.J. Meadowlands. As we learned from both Christopher Takacs (our trip leader and Bergen County Audubon Board member and field trip coordinator) and Don Torino (Bergen County Audubon President and former recipient of Linnaean’s conservation award), the park was once slated to be a landfill. We walked the Marshland Discovery Trail, and some highlights included a chorus of many Marsh Wrens, some sweet Least Terns, several Ospreys swooping around, and Great Egrets hunting.
Next, the group caravanned to River Barge Park, the launch site for a 5:30-7:30 p.m. NJSEA (NJ Sports & Expo Authority) pontoon ride. We boated under the train bridges and through the marshes of the Hackensack River, also part of the Meadowlands. Highlights included a young Bald Eagle, two Yellow-crowned Night Herons, a Peregrine Falcon pair guarding their nest, and Spotted Sandpipers on the shore. The slightly choppy water and deep green marshes stood out against such backdrops as the American Dream Mall Ferris Wheel, passing NJ Transit trains, and, further away, the Manhattan skyline.
Species Lists Richard W. DeKorte Park, Bergen, New Jersey, US 28 species
Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Ruddy Duck Mourning Dove Herring Gull Least Tern Great Egret Osprey Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Marsh Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow American Goldfinch Song Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Northern Cardinal
River Barge Park, Bergen, New Jersey, US 23 species
Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard Ring-necked Duck Mourning Dove Clapper Rail Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Yellow-crowned Night Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Snowy Egret Great Blue Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Peregrine Falcon Tree Swallow Marsh Wren Northern Mockingbird Red-winged Blackbird
Leader: Tod Winston Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper Participants: 15 Weather: 58 – 74°F, Light NE – N breeze Bird Species: 72 Report by: Tod Winston
All in all, this was a very productive, birdy day as we explored grasslands, woodland edges, and wetlands. At Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, nesting Purple Martins and Tree Swallows couldn’t be missed even from the parking lot, and several of our target grassland birds jumped out at us from the get–go: Bobolink males sang their electronic jingle in display flights over the fields, while Grasshopper Sparrows gave us two versions of their song and one of them—very cooperative—perched right in front of us, giving good looks from the viewing platform. The sweet, lilting song of Eastern Meadowlarks could also be heard, and, eventually, several birds sat for us in plain view. Our trek along the refuge trail also netted us nesting Eastern Bluebird, Yellow Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, and a particularly nice view of a Brown Thrasher, singing his double phrases from atop a tree. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (heard in the background) and nesting American Kestrel (seen) also made their presence known, and at one point a raucous mob of angry martins pursued an adult accipiter across the fields, as shown in the excellent photos that Dom has shared. (For more on that accipiter, see the “Troublesome Molting Raptors” section below.)
Thankfully, birds continued to sing all morning long, which helped us locate a different assortment of species as we explored the woods and pond along the refuge entranceway. We got better views of several Willow Flycatchers; a nervous mother bluebird patiently awaited our departure; and American Redstart and Blue-winged Warbler also made vocal appearances, though the latter bird was not very cooperative. A White-breasted Nuthatch, strangely rare this year in NYC, also made a cameo, as did a Wood Thrush—which sang from high atop a dead tree branch, sporting a surprisingly bright shade of orange-brown in the sun. Along the trail we also encountered several “banjo-playing” Green Frogs and a healthy-looking groundhog, a.k.a. woodchuck.
Several more raptors floated by before we departed: a few Red-tailed Hawks, both vulture species, what appeared to be a nearly adult-plumaged Bald Eagle (sporting some brownish edging to its tail feathers), and a molting, immature hawk, also captured digitally by Dom. (Once again, I refer you to the “Troublesome Molting Raptors” section, below!)
Following a much needed rest and lunch in the gazebo, a quick drive through Blue Chip farm didn’t give us much new, though most of us could detect the slow, repeating tone of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, echoing from far off in the woods.
Our “bonus” stop at the Liberty Loop/Walkill River NWR supplied a number of different species. An adult Common Gallinule proved a skulky quarry, but eventually all of us got some sort of view—providing a life bird sighting for several in the group. And a female Wood Duck briefly appeared, followed by several ducklings. The primary target for many, however, the Sandhill Crane, proved more elusive. While a few of us heard their trumpeting rattle from far off, we did not manage to set our eyes on the birds this year. We did, however, get nice views of several new-this-year species for the day, including a soaring Osprey, a lovely singing male Orchard Oriole, and an Indigo Bunting.
Troublesome Molting Raptors Many thanks to Dom for the great shots he shared of two birds of prey that gave us quick looks at the Shawangunks. As it turns out, together they provide a good lesson in the pitfalls of identifying raptors in molt! I’ve shared some thoughts on the two birds below, with some input from several others on the trip, along with feedback from Facebook’s very helpful “Raptor ID” section.
1) On the grassland trail, an accipiter shot by with Purple Martins in hot pursuit. The bird’s quick flapping and somewhat short tail with a square-ish end led me to call it a large female Sharp-shinned Hawk. However, Dom’s photos reveal a very dark, distinct cap coupled with a light orange nape, as well as a fairly large head and bill and correspondingly small eye—all of which lead me to change the ID to Cooper’s Hawk. Some discussion with raptor nerds (in the best sense), made it seem likely that this bird, which appears to be molting some primaries, has also molted (lost) its inner, longer tail feathers, resulting in a shorter, squarer-looking tail, similar to that of a Sharp-shinned Hawk. (#accipitersareconfusing).
2) Near the pond, a raptor molting some of its primary feathers soared high over us, and though it was hard to see its markings against the light, we could make out symmetrical translucent patches in its primaries. “Red-shouldered Hawk” jumped to the mind of several of us, but the light patches didn’t exactly match the crescent shape one expects for this species. Dom’s photos reveal more details, including thin but distinct tail banding and fairly dense striping on the bird’s underparts. This bird has generated some contradictory discussion in the raptor ID group, with dueling opinions of immature Red-shouldered (RSHA) and Broad-winged Hawk (BWHA). These two species are very similar, particularly during molt, when the immature BWHA (like other buteos, such as Red-tails) can have translucent outer primaries that mimic the light “wing crescents” of the RSHA.
Species List
Canada Goose Mute Swan Wood Duck Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane Killdeer Green Heron Great Blue Heron Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Northern Harrier Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Video Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo American Crow Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Tree Swallow Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Marsh Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Eastern Bluebird Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Grasshopper Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Song Sparrow Eastern Towhee Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Blue-winged Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Yellow Warbler Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting
Registrar: Lisa Kroop Participants: 18 Weather: Cloudy with sun later in the morning, with temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 degrees Bird Species: 73 Trip Report Written by: Tod Winston and David Spawn
Our May 18 field trip to Sterling Forest State Park included birding in four distinct areas: the powerline cut at the end of Ironwood Drive, the thick woodlands along Ironwood Drive itself, the area surrounding the Sterling Forest State Park Visitor Center, and several swamps along Warwick Brook Road (outside of the state park). In all, we identified 73 bird species by sight or sound during the trip, including 20 warbler species.
Our morning began at 7:30am at the end of Ironwood Drive, our principal stop. Right away we heard the song of the Golden-winged Warbler, a top target for many in the group, as two male Wood Ducks flew overhead and Prairie Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and Indigo Buntings sang around us. A good view of the “Golden-wing” eluded most, however. After some fruitless listening and searching, we set off north up the powerline cut in hopes of finding more Golden-wings, fording a stream along the way. Highlights of this up-and-down portion of the trip included even more singing buntings, Prairie Warblers, and Blue-winged Warblers, along with several Field Sparrows. We also got nice views of Great Crested Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, and a pair of Yellow-throated Vireos feasting on Tent Caterpillars. We did not hear any more Golden-wings, however.
Determined to find this coveted species, we returned to the parking lot, where we again heard the Golden-wing’s typical four-beat, buzzy song. After much determined searching, all members of the group eventually succeeded in getting a view of the singing male Golden-winged Warbler, along with a cooperative Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Other species seen or heard as we birded along the powerline cut included Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Wild Turkey, Eastern Kingbird, Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Worm-eating Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler.
Perhaps the second-most sought-after species of the trip, the Cerulean Warbler, was heard by the pumphouse just west of the powerline cut, and seen by some—but a slow caravan up Ironwood Drive was needed to find and see several more singing Ceruleans. Here we also heard a calling Red-shouldered Hawk and were granted a quick view of a Pileated Woodpecker in flight.
We stopped at the Sterling Forest State Park Visitor Center to enjoy a rest, lunch, and scones à la David—and also added two more warbler species for the day–singing but skulky Pine and Hooded Warblers. A perched Turkey Vulture and a nesting pair of Barn Swallows were lunchtime bonuses.
The fourth and final leg of our birding journey included two stops overlooking swamps along Warwick Brook Road. In this distinctive and very birdy habitat, we were treated to views of a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, a nesting Northern Flicker, and a Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by a Red-winged Blackbird, while a Warbling Vireo and a Wood Thrush sang in the background.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Wood Duck Wild Turkey Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Green Heron Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Tree Swallow Barn Swallow White-breasted Nuthatch Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Eastern Bluebird Veery Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Eastern Towhee Song Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Ovenbird Worm-eating Warbler Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Golden-winged Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cerulean Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting
Registrar: Amanda Bielskas Weather: Drizzling this evening, 50-60 degrees F Participants: 9 Bird species: 29
This was the third LSNY Birds & Brews Walk. We started up at 103rd Street and looked around the Pool, we had several warbler species including Northern Waterthrush and Common Yellowthroat. Further along the Pool we also had several Northern Rough-winged Swallows. We headed into the Loch to try to avoid some of the rain where we found Ovenbirds, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and many Gray Catbirds. After the Loch we headed up to the Great Hill where we had 2 species of woodpeckers. We checked out the Children’s Glade and found an Eastern Wood-Pewee before we headed off a bit damp, but no worse for the wear to a local bar, Nobody Told Me for some casual conversations and libations. We totaled 29 species for the evening, which was not bad considering the weather!
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Great Egret Northern Flicker Red-bellied Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Blue Jay Northern Rough-winged Swallow European Starling Gray Catbird Veery American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Steve Holleran Participants: 60 Weather: Partly sunny in the 50’s and 60’s Bird Species: 73
After what seemed like a slow start, a total of 73 species showed up for us today, including 21 warblers. A brilliant Blackburnian Warbler drew crowds to Belvedere Terrace, a mischievous Hooded Warbler led us on a romp through the Ramble, and extended eye-level views were granted by a pair of male Scarlet Tanagers.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night Heron Great Egret Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Tufted Titmouse Northern Rough-winged Swallow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Carolina Wren House Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Veery Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Eastern Towhee Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler TennesseeWarbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting
Due to recent severe storms, many of the trails at Doodletown, one of our favorite locations and a reliable location for spotting Cerulean Warblers, had to be closed for repairs. Richard kindly offered to lead a migration walk on Staten Island instead. Clove Lakes Park turned out to be a fantastic substitute for Doodletown, and we saw an amazing 65 species, including a Cerulean Warbler and, for at least one participant, a likely Bicknell’s Thrush.
We started at the southern end of the park and walked north along a beautiful wooded stream. The first birds we saw were a Spotted Sandpiper, a Least Sandpiper, and a Killdeer foraging on a mudflat at the south end of Clove Lake. As we continued walking north we were surrounded by bird song and were able to see most of the birds we were hearing. Thanks to some good “ear birding” and Merlin, we got brief looks at a continuously singing Cerulean Warbler, the target bird at Doodletown. Altogether, we saw 19 species of warblers and an amazing collection of other migrants, as well. Although we had originally planned to go to Snug Harbor in the afternoon, we all agreed that Clove Lakes Park was too good to leave, and we continued to spot additional species right up until we departed at mid-afternoon.
Species List Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night Heron Great Egret Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Great Crested Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay crow sp. Barn Swallow Ruby-crowned Kinglet House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Veery Bicknell’s Thrush Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cerulean Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
