Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper Participants: 20 Weather: Sunny, 31 degrees, little wind Bird Species: 33
Our trip started on the west side of Shinnecock Inlet in Shinnecock County Park where we observed a nice assortment of sea ducks including White-winged Scoters and many Long-tailed Ducks. From there our group made a couple of stops along Dune Road where we saw a Snowy Owl nestled in the dunes, a lone Snow Bunting, a number of Common Goldeneyes and more. Our caravan of hardy winter birders continued traveling back west and stopped at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge where we observed some land birds before our last stop at EPCAL (the Enterprise Park at Calverton, formerly Grumman), which has the largest remaining grassland on Long Island. While there we were delighted to see some new birds for the day, including Horned Larks and a very beautiful Eastern Meadowlark. Many thanks to our leaders for showing us such warm hospitality and sharing their extensive local knowledge.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mallard American Black Duck Common Eider White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Loon Great Blue Heron Northern Harrier Snowy Owl Belted Kingfisher Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Horned Lark Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Snow Bunting Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark
Registrar: Ursula Mitra Participants: 9 Weather: 26 – 28 deg F, overcast, winds from the NE 16-8 mph Bird Species: 54
Nine participants braved the icy cold and slippery slopes exploring four locations in Staten Island: The Moravian Cemetery, Fresh Kills Park, Wolfe’s Pond and Mt Loretto Unique Area. They even returned to the Moravian Cemetery after word of sightings of a Common Merganser and Evening Grosbeak there reached them.
The first stop was the Moravian Cemetery where we saw 21 species, including Ring-necked Duck, Wild Turkey and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. White-tailed deer roamed the cemetery in good numbers as well.
We moved on to Great Kills Park where we saw 12 species, notably many Common Goldeneye and Greater Scaup, but we also had wonderful close looks at a flock of 18 Horned Lark in the parking lot!
Our next stop at Wolfe’s Pond produced 26 species, among them a Merlin, Brown Thrasher, Horned Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser and Common Loon.
After lunch, we visited our last location, Mt Loretto Unique Area which was beautiful with wide open, snow covered fields and long vistas. We saw 25 species here, including a nice variety of raptors: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and two Bald Eagles! Notably absent were Red-tailed Hawks.
Everyone returned to Moravian Cemetery to be rewarded with the Common Merganser, but we could not re-locate the Evening Grosbeak that had been seen there earlier in the day. It was a long but rewarding day in good company. In all 54 species were observed by all. Many thanks to Anne Lazarus and Miriam Rakowski for leading this wonderful trip!
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Sanderling Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Merlin Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Horned Lark Ruby-crowned Kinglet White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren European Starling Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Linda LaBella Participants: 9 Weather: Cold, 35 degrees, windy and sunny. Bird Species: 40
We started this field trip at the Coney Island Pier where we saw a tremendous variety of sea ducks. A great surprise was the discovery of a Razorbill; it was so close to the pier that we all saw it without binoculars or scope.
We then walked down to the 35th-Street Overlook and Rob, our leader, found a Thick-billed Murre out in the bay. We had great looks at this rare bird, but after about 40 minutes it moved farther out and the waves made it too hard to see it.
Rob then took us to Coney Island Creek Park where we had the opportunity to see the Redhead, an annual visitor to the creek, as well as a number of other birds to add to the list.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Redhead Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Common Eider Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Purple Sandpiper Thick-billed Murre Razorbill Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Cooper’s Hawk Belted Kingfisher American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon American Crow European Starling Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
We would like to thank our excellent leader Gordon Lam for an exciting trip with many outstanding sightings. We also want to thank Lori for registering this complicated trip. Due to the cold and windy weather we began our journey at Fort Tilden, as a possible inland alternative to Breezy Point beach. We were immediately greeted by a Northern Harrier flying over the ball fields. Despite the cold, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadees and two Northern Mockingbirds emerged, along with a serenading pair of Carolina Wrens. A walk to the beach also proved productive, with six Common Eiders, two Long-tailed Ducks, Black Scoters and one lonely Sanderling acting as a preview of what was to come. With the weather being much more cooperative than we expected we all agreed to return to the cars and caravan to Breezy Point.
The walk down the ORV (off road vehicle) path leading to the Breezy Point beach was productive, Our first observation was a pair of beautiful American Tree Sparrows. Several playful, vocalizing Black-capped Chickadees seemingly followed us down the path, along with small flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Another exciting sighting was a Lincoln’s Sparrow (finely streaked buffy breast, broad gray supercillium). The next surprise was a Tree Swallow, a few of which overwinter. It cooperated enough to pose for pictures. We were also captivated by an Eastern Red Fox, which ran across the path, our mammal species for the trip. The fox is beautiful, but it is known to eat Piping Plovers and turtle eggs.
After a 45-minute walk, we arrived at the beach. We were greeted by large flocks of Sanderlings and several Long-tailed Ducks and female Black Scoters. Heading west along the beach we kept an eye on the upcoming jetty, where we saw 12 Great Cormorants and 8 Double-crested Cormorants, along with 13 Common Eiders (one relaxing on the beach) and more Black Scoters. Looking west over the rocks we saw two beautiful male Surf Scoters and later two female Surf Scoters. Adding to our duck list were three Buffleheads, one Red-breasted Merganser and four White-winged Scoters in flight.
Other highlights were the interesting invertebrate remains found by Gordon. He explained the anatomy and burrowing habit of the Razor Clam, the importance of the Horseshoe Crab eggs in the ecological food chain, the unique reproductive strategies of the Common Slipper Shell and more. The grand finale was the sighting of a Snowy Owl by Michelle Talich, We followed proper etiquette and did not approach the owl. Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Common Eider Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Sanderling Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Northern Harrier Snowy Owl Downy Woodpecker Black-capped Chickadee Tree Swallow Carolina Wren Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrars: Louise Fraza and Linda LaBella Participants: 10 Weather: Cold and sunny, 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a 17 degree wind-chill factor Bird Species: 43
We started the walk on Orchard Beach where we immediately observed a Peregrine Falcon eating what looked like a gull sp. at the shoreline. We then went up the trail to Hunter Island covering the rocky eastern shore and Twin Island. At 10:30 AM we drove up Shore Road to explore the grounds of Bartow-Pell Mansion. It turned out to be a very productive morning despite the below freezing wind-chill factor.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Common Loon Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Merlin Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
Our birding adventure began en route to Croton when we saw at least two perched Bald Eagles from the train. Bald Eagles turned out to be the highlights of the day. After leaving the train station, we saw another one sitting on a nest of twigs. It swooped down towards us, flying low overhead and giving us great views. Later we witnessed three Bald Eagles gliding overhead effortlessly on flat wings in the heavy wind.
The other stars of the trip were five sparrow species. As we approached the Park, we noticed a few small brown birds feeding on the ground. Several had bright red heads, with creamy breasts and a central chest spot. We had great looks at these lovely Tree Sparrows. Mixed in with them were a few Song Sparrows.
Arriving at Croton’s landfill, we took the middle path of the three available up to the top. It was very windy, keeping most birds away, out of our sight. However, we did see a small bird scurrying on the ground like a mouse. It turned out to be a furtive Savannah Sparrow. As we continued to ascend, another small sparrow was spotted exhibiting the same behavior. We had only fleeting looks at this Savannah, which was quite white in appearance—perhaps an Ipswich type?
Some other highlights were the distant Common Mergansers on the Hudson and the even more distant Common Goldeneyes. At the trailer park above the landfill, we happened upon a feeder with a goodly number of birds to entertain us and bring our list up to 32 species for the day, despite the very gusty winds.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard American Black Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal
Because of the weather forecast for Sunday, Anne and Alice decided to change the day of this trip from Sunday to Saturday, and their decision turned out to be right one.
The participants met at 8:15 a.m. at the Coast Guard Station, and then we divided into two groups. The birding at the Coast Guard Station proved exciting as we had close up views of the Red-throated and Common Loons, Common Eider, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Bufflehead. With the aid of our scopes, we saw all three species of scoters, and Long-tailed Ducks in flight. One of the highlights was the Black-headed Gull spotted by Lenore Swenson among the other gulls along the spit.
During our treks along the beach, both groups viewed beautiful flocks of Sanderlings and Dunlin, and all of us had great looks at the Snowy Owl perched on top of the dune. At the Jetty a large flock of Black-bellied Plovers was seen.
When we broke for lunch, someone reported that a Spotted Towhee has been seen at Baldwin Harbor Park. Many of the participants then headed off to try to see it, while some others stayed to bird the conifers behind the parking lot. Everyone eventually ended up at the park, but, as it turned out, the Spotted Towhee was not seen by anyone that afternoon. However, we did enjoy seeing and hearing the Monk Parakeets.
We did not go to Point Lookout as seeing the Spotted Towhee took precedence for most of the participants.
We ended the trip with a total of 46 species.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Common Eider Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Black-bellied Plover Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Dunlin Black-headed Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Red-shouldered Hawk (en route) Red-tailed Hawk Snowy Owl American Kestrel Monk Parakeet American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Horned Lark Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow Red Crossbill Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
The day started off sunny but very windy, with wind chills in the teens. Despite the winds, and to the credit of our leader, we saw over 50 bird species.
Just after arriving at Rye Playland, we spotted a lovely female Common Goldeneye, so close that we could see her bright, golden eyes. Soon after, two striking female Common Mergansers revealed themselves. A few mature Bald Eagles flew by, not caring a bit about the heavy winds. Tom counted 19 Great Blue Herons lined up like soldiers on the islands and on the other side of the water.
At the Marshlands Conservancy, we were greeted by about a dozen Wild Turkeys vocalizing and scurrying around the grounds, with one perched atop the small visitors’ building, like a sentry. During our walk in the woods, our leader spotted two Great Horned Owls sleeping the day away.
Despite the heavy winds, we were glad to have spent the day out in nature.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Great Horned Owl Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Field Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal
