Registrar: Debbie Mullins Participants: 17 Weather: Sunny, wind calm, mid 30’s to mid 40’s F Bird Species: 74
On the first really cold day of the fall, seventeen enthusiastic birders headed out to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Given the large number of registrations for this trip, the group had to be divided into two small groups to be in compliance with the LSNYC covid guidelines. Joe Giunta led the first group, while Anne Lazarus and Alice Deutsch co-led the overflow group. Despite migration being nearly over, we saw an amazing 74 species of birds!
The day started at the visitor center where we observed multiple sparrow species in the parking lot before even making it onto the hiking trails. In the north garden, passerines were abundant, including a large flock of Pine Siskins feeding on seed heads close to the trail. Looking up, we were treated to exciting views of the continuing American White Pelican circling overhead. Next, we walked out to the “breach” to observe waterfowl on the West Pond. To our delight, a Tundra Swan was spotted close to shore, giving satisfying up-close views.
On the way back to the visitor center, a Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen conducting a vigorous aerial harassment of a Common Raven. On the East Pond, we noted the return of many of our usual over-wintering waterfowl, as well as a few lingering Greater Yellowlegs. A grebe, initially identified as a Horned Grebe, actually turned out to be a much more rare Eared Grebe, and both groups were able to observe the bird.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Tundra Swan Northern Shoveler Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Greater Scaup Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Mourning Dove American Coot Greater Yellowlegs shorebird sp. Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Larus sp. Double-crested Cormorant American White Pelican Great Egret Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch Purple Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Fox Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-crowned Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Debbie Mullins Participants: 22 Weather: Overcast, drizzle, 40’s to low 50’s F Bird Species: 60
With wet and dark conditions, expectations were low for seeing many birds this late into fall migration. To our surprise, it turned out to be a very good day, with the three groups seeing 60 birds, including a Nelson’s Sparrow (interior), a rarity for Central Park, a Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Bluebirds and several lingering warblers. At the end of the walk we encountered Adrian Burke doing a hawk watch near the Pinetum who graciously helped the group spot and identify many migrating raptors.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Northern Shoveler Mallard Ruddy Duck Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Loon sp. Double-crested Cormorant Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Buteo sp. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch Purple Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Fox Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Nelson’s Sparrow (interior) Song Sparrow Eastern Towhee Rusty Blackbird Common Grackle Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Gabe Cunningham Trip Report: Anne Lazarus Participants: 10 Weather: partly sunny, calm, 60’s-70 F Bird Species: 54
The participants want to thank Gordon for leading this excellent trip. We especially appreciated his showing us the Vesper Sparrow, a bird we all wanted to see. Hawks, sparrows, and of course the ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warblers were the dominant land birds we observed. The Pine Siskins did not fail us. These playful finches displayed at multiple sites, but they demanded quick hand-eye coordination to see as they darted through trees and shrubs. A Bald Eagle sighting is always a treat, and we enjoyed one such sighting.
Lunchtime was also a birding experience. We were surrounded by Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, both species of kinglets, finches, and surprises like a Blue-headed Vireo and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. A lovely sighting in the Community Gardens was a male House Finch in beautiful plumage. Our attention was riveted by large numbers of American Robins, which appeared to be staging to migrate further south.
At the boat ramp, we observed a flock of Black-bellied Plovers and two American Oystercatchers on the dock, with many more oystercatchers lounging on the beach across the channel. A Royal Tern made a sudden appearance. The water was dominated by Laughing Gulls, Herring Gulls, and Double-crested Cormorants, as can be expected at this date. Altogether, we saw 54 bird species.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Royal Tern Double-crested Cormorant Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Northern Flicker American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Red-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Sparrow House Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Marie-Claire Cunningham Trip Report: Vicki Seabrook and Janet Wooten Participants: 9 Weather: Light rain and fog to mostly cloudy, temperature 61F, winds from the East-Southeast at 3 mph Bird Species: 50
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Northern Shoveler Mallard Ruddy Duck Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Double-crested Cormorant Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Winter Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin House Sparrow House Finch Purple Finch American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Eastern Towhee Common Grackle Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Registrar: Miriam Rakowski Attendees: 10 Weather: Temperatures, 50-63 degrees; winds NE 3 mph changing to SE 10 mph, with gusts. Bird Species: 50
We began our walk at the marshes, where the first flock to welcome us were Pine Siskins, high up in the trees. This is an irruptive year for Pine Siskins. Certainly, the numerous twittering flocks we kept seeing were the highlight for many.
Another interesting encounter was with Savannah Sparrows. Though it had gotten quite windy by then, we were able to watch four of them feeding down in the grass. One of these sparrows- very pale and grayish, was considered to be a possible Ipswich type, a subspecies of the Savannah Sparrow. After sending Jacob Drucker, a few pictures of the birds he wrote the following: “Proportions are basically the same, and grayish birds like this aren’t that uncommon.” An additional surprise was a Red-throated Loon.
The siskins were the last flock of birds we came across. Happily, they were feeding at eye level in the shrubbery at the edge of the water so we could enjoy good looks at these small birds. We clearly saw the yellow wing and tail markings on some of them, their slender bills, and their small, cute, notched tails.
It was great fun to go birding with both old and new Linnaean members.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Double-crested Cormorant Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Hermit Thrush American Robin House Sparrow House Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-crowned Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Nelson’s Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Common Grackle Common Yellowthroat Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Pearl Broder Participants: 10 Weather: sunny, slight breeze, upper 40’s-upper 50’s F Bird Species: 42
We all want to thank our Excellent leader, Gordon Lam for this exciting trip with unexpected sightings. The highlight was a Western Kingbird. The Blue Grosbeak was also a highlight. Royal Terns are attracted to Fort Tilden, and we saw 26 of them. Another big surprise was the sighting of an immature Bald Eagle. A harbinger of the changing season was the return of the Common and Red-throated Loons. We were entertained at lunchtime by the sudden appearance of 22 Black Skimmers. The lunchtime show continued with the arrival of two flocks of Sanderlings. We observed two Black-bellied Plovers, and this species will be seen throughout the winter. The Yellow-rumped Warblers were the dominant warbler species. We enjoyed watching the soon-to-depart Forster’s Terns, last of the genus sterna to bid us farewell, until their return next year.
Gordon also explained to us the history of Fort Tilden. He has a strong interest in ecology. We learned more about the relationships among the various plant and animal species. We did see evidence of a Ghost Crab, which is a more southern species. We saw the remains of an Atlantic Sharpnose Shark. It is a small shark inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast. This area is home to Bottlenose Dolphins, and one did make a brief appearance.
Species Lists
Birds Common Eider Black Scoter Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Black-bellied Plover Sanderling Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Forster’s Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Red-throated Loon Common Loon Double-crested Cormorant Osprey Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Northern Flicker Merlin Eastern Phoebe Western Kingbird Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow House Finch Pine Siskin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Northern Cardinal Blue Grosbeak Butterflies American Lady Monarch Buckeye
