Registrar: Kathleen Howley Participants: 12 plus leader Weather: 40 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, slight breeze Sites Visited: Marine Park Nature Center, Plum Beach, Floyd Bennett Field Bird Species: 45
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler Eurasian Wigeon American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Oystercatcher Killdeer Black-headed Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Northern Gannet Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Turkey Vulture Snowy Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon American Crow Fish Crow Horned Lark European Starling Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow House Finch Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle
Birds Canada Goose Wood Duck Northern Shoveler American Black Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Coot American Woodcock (Bryant Park) Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Blue Jay American Crow Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch European Starling American Robin House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow (h) Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Dale Dancis Participants: 8 Weather: Saturday sunny am, cloudy pm, rain late pm, 30’s to 40’s F; Sunday rain, wind, 30’s to 40’s F. Bird Species: 53
Our journey began at the Coast Guard Station of West End Beaches. At West End 2 we had lovely looks at Horned Larks, Killdeer, ducks and our only sightings of Yellow-rumped Warblers. At Oak Beach there were close looks at the Red-throated Loon and distant looks at a female Common Goldeneye. At Eastport we were treated to large numbers of Greater Scaup, good numbers of Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeons and 20 Canvasbacks, plus other duck species and water birds. The Belted Kingfisher and two Merlins were also good sightings. The most interesting sighting made by Joe was a hybrid Redhead/Ring-necked Duck. We proceeded to Dune Road and Shinnecock Inlet. We did not know where to look first. Should we focus on the Snowy Owl flying from pole to pole? Should we direct our attention to the hundreds of Common Eiders accompanied by Surf and White-winged Scoters landing on the sand bar and in the water? Should we enjoy viewing the Common Goldeneyes and Dunlins? The weather was changing. The clouds looked ominous, and the decision was made to go straight to Montauk Point. We arrived there in the wind and rain. Undeterred by the weather, we went straight to the overhang to view thousands of sea ducks, including all three scoter species, Common Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks and more.
Early Sunday morning we proceeded to Montauk Point in torrential rain and gusty winds. Besides the afore-mentioned duck species, we enjoyed several sightings of Razorbills. Our energy was renewed after breakfast. The weather made birding difficult, so the leader decided it was time to go to Ditch Plains. Undaunted by the weather, we stood on the beach and observed 15 Bonaparte’s Gulls and—for our grand finale—one Little Gull. At Fort Pond we viewed Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers. Because of the flooding, rain and wind we could not visit Hook Pond and other sites. Despite the weather our persistence paid off and we had some excellent sightings.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan Northern Shoveler American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Canvasback Redhead/Ring-necked Duck, hybrid Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Common Eider Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Killdeer Dunlin Razorbill Bonaparte’s Gull Little Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant Great Blue Heron Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Snowy Owl Belted Kingfisher Merlin American Crow Horned Lark European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow House Finch Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Nancy O’Keefe Participants: 10 Weather: 40’s F, sunny early am, cloudy, then drizzle, calm. Bird Species: 35
Species Lists
Birds Canada Goose Wood Duck Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard American Black Duck Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove American Coot Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Blue Jay American Crow Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper European Starling American Robin House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal
Registrar: Louise Fraza Weather: A pleasant January day, sunny, with temperatures going from just below freezing to low 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Bird Species: 39
It was rather quiet, bird-wise, and sparrows and other small birds were scarce. But we did find a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets that gave us good looks as well as several Downy Woodpeckers that were chasing each other. After exploring the pines for owls (we did not find any) we walked around Hunter Island where we had close, satisfactory, looks at Common Goldeneye. Our last location was the Bartow Mansion grounds. There were few birds here too and, again, no owls but we had some good looks at raptors.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Loon Turkey Vulture Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker (h) Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow Tufted Titmouse Golden-crowned Kinglet White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper European Starling Northern Mockingbird House Sparrow White-throated Sparrow (h) Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
Birds Snow Goose Canada Goose American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Bufflehead Common Merganser Rock Pigeon Ring-billed Gull Turkey Vulture Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow (h) Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Horned Lark Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Goldfinch American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
We had a perfect early December day for this trip. The sun was out and it was almost windless. The grass had a coating of hoarfrost that was beginning to melt in the early morning sun. On the bay the water had just a light ripple. Everyone showed up on time and the mood was gregarious. An early surprise was the number of Great Blue Herons (about nine) on the island in the pond as well as a lot of Double-crested Cormorants. We had excellent, long looks at a posse of Common Goldeneye as they swam in the smooth water on the bay just offshore. Attention was called to a raptor in the big tree near the field, which turned out to be a Merlin. A bit later we saw an eagle fly over. After a bird-filled morning at the Playlands Edith Reid Sanctuary, we drove to a nearby town park where we had great looks at Purple Sandpipers on the rocks in the bay. From there it was on the Marshlands Nature Center. While we had our lunch at the picnic benches a Wild Turkey came strolling by — a survivor of last week’s Thanksgiving, someone remarked. In a tree at the top of the field that slopes down towards the marsh, we counted three Field Sparrows together with some Song Sparrows. All together, we tallied 62 bird species.
Species Lists
Birds Brant Canada Goose Mute Swan American Wigeon Mallard American Black Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Purple Sandpiper Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Cormorant Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk eagle sp. Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (h) Northern Flicker Merlin Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren (h) Carolina Wren European Starling Northern Mockingbird American Robin House Sparrow American Pipit House Finch American Goldfinch Field Sparrow American Tree Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal
