Registrar: Gillian Henry Participants: 15 participants Weather: 68 ℉, clear and sunny with mild northern winds. Bird Species: 47 species
On a beautiful September morning, we met our guide, Rob Jett, at 8 am and embarked on a pleasant walk through historic Green-Wood Cemetery in search of fall migrants. Although the day was relatively quiet, we still spotted ten early fall warbler species. Highlights included excellent views of a Broad-winged Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk in flight, as well as the unmistakable sight and sound of the famous Monk Parakeets tending to their large, colonial stick nest above the main entrance to the cemetery. In total, we observed 47 species, making for a delightful day of fall birding!
Species Lists
Canada Goose 36 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 28 Mourning Dove 17 Chimney Swift 5 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3 Green Heron 1 Broad-winged Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 8 American Kestrel 1 Merlin 1 Monk Parakeet 20 Willow Flycatcher 1 Empidonax sp. 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Red-eyed Vireo 10 Blue Jay 18 American Crow 5 Northern House Wren 1 Carolina Wren 2 European Starling 25 Gray Catbird 3 Northern Mockingbird 12 Veery 2 Gray-cheeked Thrush 1 Swainson’s Thrush 1 American Robin 18 House Sparrow 15 House Finch 3 American Goldfinch 1 Chipping Sparrow 6 Song Sparrow 2 Baltimore Oriole 1 Common Grackle 2 Ovenbird 1 Black-and-white Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 6 American Redstart 4 Northern Parula 1 Magnolia Warbler 2 Yellow Warbler 2 Blackpoll Warbler 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 1 Northern Cardinal 7
Registrar: Amanda Bielskas Weather: Beautiful early fall day, 62–73 degrees F, winds 15 mph Participants: 26 Bird species: 29
This was the first LSNY Birds & Brews walk of the fall. Fall evening walks are challenging to organize, because we start losing light fairly early.
The walk started at 81st Street and Central Park West. We began by birding along the paths of the park to give late arrivals time to catch up. Several raptors flew over, including an Osprey, a Red-tailed Hawk, and an American Kestrel. We spotted both White and Red-breasted Nuthatches in the pine trees and also found a good spot to view a Chimney Swift roost. We were targeting Common Nighthawks on this trip, but we had about an hour to bird before losing too much light, when we had to head to Belvedere Castle to observe Nighthawks.
Once at the castle’s overlook, we observed a few more species, including a Great Blue Heron and at least 200 Chimney Swifts going to roost in the 80s and along Central Park West. The stars of the night—the nighthawks—did not disappoint; a pair flying over Belvedere Castle circled several times just after sunset. There were perhaps more than two nighthawks, but it was hard to tell since they were circling behind the castle and nearly always appeared together.
In addition to the nighthawks circling the castle, we also had several Eastern Red Bats. After the sun had set fully, we headed off to a bar on the West Side for libations and some great conversation. We totaled 29 species for the evening and fun was had by all.
Species List
Birds Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift American Herring Gull Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Osprey Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Blue Jay American Crow White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow Common Grackle Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Northern Parula Northern Cardinal
Mammals Eastern Red Bat Norway Rat Raccoons Squirrel
Registrar: Richard Davis Participants: 45 Weather: 62–75 F and sunny, northwest wind 5–7 mph Bird Species: 45
It was a perfect fall day to slow down and look for migrating birds, including the warblers that hid themselves high in the canopy behind clumps of leaves, making us work hard to identify them. The jewelweed was thriving, attracting Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks that gave us generous views as they buzzed and tumbled through the yellow-orange flowers. An Eastern Wood-Pewee perched almost within arms’ length, and was not shy about hawking insects among the onlookers.
One group of participants lingered for more than an hour and finally got excellent eye-level looks at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a lifer for a few new birders, only to find another at Evodia later. A second group was even luckier, spotting up to four Yellow-billed Cuckoos and a Red-Headed Woodpecker. Species Lists
Birds Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Herring Gull Black-crowned Night-Heron Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Great Crested Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Veery Wood Thrush American Robin House Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Common Grackle Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Prairie Warbler Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
We met at Van Cortlandt Park for our mushroom exploration walk. Our leader, Paul Sadowski, is an instructor in mycology and a longtime member of the New York Mycological Society. After he gave us a quick overview on how to use a hand lens—even lending lenses to those that needed them—we jumped right in to begin our exploration of the Park.
Paul guided us through a few different habitats where we searched for fungi, including mushrooms. We stopped at a couple of really productive tree stumps that hosted several fungi species, and located other species along the way. Paul generously shared his knowledge of mushrooms and other fungi, and all who attended learned something new, with many discovering species we hadn’t seen before.
Species List
Mushrooms and Fungi Crust Fungi Cyphelloid fungi Ganoderma sessile King Alfred’s Cakes Luminescent Panellus Oak Bracket and Artist’s Bracket Shelf Fungi Slime Mold, Myxomycetes Turkey Tail Violet-toothed Polypore
Birds Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Northern Flicker Blue Jay European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow Common Grackle Northern Cardinal
It was a beautiful fall day for our first weekly Tuesday walk in Central Park. We started in Strawberry Fields, where we spotted birds of many species, including woodpeckers, flycatchers, and thrushes. The group was especially thrilled to see many warblers – Blackburnian, Tennessee, Cape May, and Nashville – all feeding in close proximity together with at least two Scarlet Tanagers. We continued on to The Ramble, where there were fewer birds, but we added species slowly and enjoyed our walk late into the morning, with most of us not leaving until early afternoon.
Species List
Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night Heron Cooper’s Hawk Osprey Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Wood-Pewee Empidonax sp. Great Crested Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Blue-gray Gnatcatcher White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Veery Swainson’s Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Baltimore Oriole Common Grackle Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Registrar: Amanda Bielskas Participants: 26 Weather: Sunny and warm, with high of 87, low of 72, 50% humidity and a slight breeze Bird Species: 74
Even before the walk officially began, a couple of early arriving birders saw a few warblers and a Black-crowned Night-heron behind the visitors’ center. After the rest of the group arrived at 8 am, everyone began birding in the gardens, staying for quite some time, since the tides would be more favorable later in the morning and the garden was quite birdy. We had great looks at many warbler species and heard a Mourning Warbler, its ID confirmed when a couple of folks got a quick glance at it. Other species seen by most of of the group included several flycatchers and woodpeckers. A pit stop at the visitors’ center to gear up for the next part of the walk produced a flyover Purple Martin.
We then headed to the south end of the East Pond. Highlights seen there included many shorebirds: Red-necked Phalarope, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper. Also seen were Bonaparte’s Gull, Black Skimmer, several Caspian Terns, and many duck species as well. We thought we might have a Baird’s Sandpiper, but after examining pictures and conferring with the e-bird reviewer, we decided that we didn’t have enough evidence to confirm our sighting and blamed the mirage bird on the heat and the long day.
The group birded for quite a distance along the shore of the East Pond, with some folks departing a bit early to head home, refill water bottles, or take a break. The rest of the group headed back to the visitors’ center for a well-deserved break, and the trip concluded around 3:00 pm.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mute Swan Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Green-winged Teal Greater Scaup Ruddy Duck Chimney Swift American Oystercatcher Killdeer Semipalmated Plover Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Stilt Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull (American) Great Black-backed Gull Black Skimmer Caspian Tern Forster’s Tern Common Tern Double-crested Cormorant Black-crowned Night Heron Snowy Egret Great Egret Great Blue Heron Glossy Ibis Osprey Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Peregrine Falcon Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue Jay Tree Swallow Purple Martin Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird American Robin Cedar Waxwing American Goldfinch Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Butterflies Cabbage White Orange Sulphur Cloudless Sulphur Summer Azure American Lady Monarch Zabulon Skipper Silver-spotted Skipper
Odonates Wantering Glider Blue Dasher Black Saddlebags-multiple, too many to count.
Registrar: Debbie Mullins Participants: 17 Weather: Low to high 70s F, clear skies, NNE winds at 5-10 mph Bird Species: 43
It was a perfect day for birding on the mudflats at Cupsogue County Park in Suffolk County—clear skies, cool breezes, and an expert leader, Eileen Schwinn. We started walking out to the mudflats at 8:30, about two hours before low tide, encountering several species of passerines, including warblers, in the pine trees along the road. Just before reaching the campground, we turned toward the bay and saw that the sandbars and shoreline were loaded with gulls, terns, and shorebirds. We saw all five expected species of gulls, as well as four species of terns, including nineteen Royal Terns. Eleven species of shorebirds were observed, as well as many Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and Black Skimmers. It was a real treat to see two Seaside Sparrows and a Saltmarsh Sparrow in the marsh, as well as a Clapper Rail. When the tide started to come in, we started walking back to the parking lot and enjoyed lunch together before returning to the city.
On the way home, part of the group stopped at Heckscher State Park, Field 7, where we saw a Stilt Sandpiper in a parking lot puddle.
Species List
Clapper Rail American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Short-billed Dowitcher Willet (Western) Greater Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Dunlin Semipalmated Sandpiper Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Black Skimmer Least Tern Forster’s Tern Common Tern Royal Tern Double-crested Cormorant Snowy Egret Great Egret Great Blue Heron Glossy Ibis Osprey Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Kingbird Tree Swallow Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Goldfinch Seaside Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle Prairie Warbler Northern Cardinal
The focus of our walk was nesting birds, and we started at Conference House Park to find them. Beginning along a lush, wooded path, we soon saw evidence of recently fledged birds. Our first sighting was a Gray Catbird in juvenile plumage, followed by robins with spotted breasts, a young Baltimore Oriole, and a White eyed Vireo trio moving in the upper reaches of nearby trees. We kept a lookout for nests, and saw some empty ones – a possible Cooper’s Hawk nest in good condition, a distant Bald Eagle nest, some dilapidated nests of unknown species, and one that was occupied by an alert robin looking back at us. After exiting the woods, we headed to the beach near the southernmost tip of Staten Island (and of New York State, as a sign nearby proclaimed). Beyond, in the bay, a colony of nesting Double-breasted Cormorants was occupying a channel marker, and further out, at the top of a lighthouse, an adult Osprey perched on its nest. Back on the beach there were Canada Geese with goslings and large numbers of starlings; and flying over the water, close in, were Common Terns, and many gulls. Leaving the beach, we entered a meadow where we heard and saw the first Indigo Bunting of what would become several for the day, and in a wetland area, we discovered two well camouflaged Green Herons.
Our next stop was Mount Loretto Unique Area. This time we began by walking through a meadow, where we spotted Red-winged Blackbirds singing and moving among the grasses and a Tree Swallow family in a tree. We paused to observe some dragonflies along the path, and then headed to a platform overlooking a large pond, where an enormous snapping turtle swam towards us, looking at us expectantly; we concluded that it was accustomed to being fed. We were excited to see Least Terns hovering over the water and plunging for food; there were four of them, and they were unexpected. There were also Great Egrets, a Green Heron, and several Ospreys flying by; singing Indigo Buntings, Warbling Vireos, and a Northern Mockingbird; and vocalizing Green Frogs and Bullfrogs. We were unsuccessful at finding a Willow Flycatcher, but we were rewarded with the song (and view) of a Blue Grosbeak, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was heard.
Following lunch, we headed to Lemon Creek Park, where there is a long-established Purple Martin community. We learned that the initial housing was built in 1953 by the ornithologist Howard Cleaves, and the structures have been maintained by volunteers ever since. The houses were vibrant with many Purple Martin adults and chicks. Above the adjacent water channel (Lemon Creek) we saw our first Forster’s Terns of the day.
Our final destination was Great Kills Park to see the Bank Swallows and their nests, and, possibly, the reported, rare-for-the-season Black Scoter. We didn’t find the Black Scoter, but we had a nice surprise seeing a Little Blue Heron on the mud flats, holding its own against a harassing Great Black-backed Gull. And sharing the mudflats with the Little Blue Heron were a pair of American Oystercatchers, a Snowy Egret, a Boat-tailed Grackle, and along the grassy edge – and easy to miss – a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. And all the while, the Bank Swallows were swooping and flying in front of us and along the sand bank below.
Many, many thanks to Howie for leading us on this trip. In spite of the hot and humid weather, we all had a really great time and saw some really great birds.
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Mallard Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Chimney Swift American Oystercatcher Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Least Tern Forster’s Tern Common Tern Double-crested Cormorant Yellow-crowned Night Heron Little Blue Heron Snowy Egret Green Heron Great Egret Great Blue Heron Osprey Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Great Crested Flycatcher White-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay Fish Crow Bank Swallow Tree Swallow Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Wood Thrush American Robin House Sparrow American Goldfinch Song Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Boat-tailed Grackle Common Yellowthroat Northern Cardinal Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting
Butterflies Cabbage White Summer Azures Pearl Crescent
Odonates Eastern Amberwing Needham’s Skimmer Slaty Skimmer Blue Dasher
