Inwood Hill Park with Loyan Beausoleil, 10/8/2023

Registrar: Lisa Kroop
Participants: 9
Weather: 50°F, sunny, blue skies, breezy – west wind 11 mph
Bird Species: 37

Because of a high probability for rain forecast for Saturday, we postponed our walk to Sunday and were rewarded with a beautiful and birdy day. 

We began by walking the path along the salt marsh. The tide was low and the mud flats were exposed, but no birds were to be seen there. Instead, standing out in the distance was a Great Egret shining white in the bright light and an Osprey perched overhead on a large limb over the water, steadily tearing apart a fish. Mallards swam below unperturbed. All of a sudden, seemingly coming out of nowhere, a Peregrine Falcon appeared, swooping, flapping in front of us over the ducks and down to the water, only to fly up and away with nothing to show for it but a lot of agitated birds. One of them was a Belted Kingfisher that flew across the marsh making its characteristic rattling call.

We then turned towards the woods, and within a few steps were focused on tantalizing movements in the leaves that ultimately gave glimpses of a Northern Parula and a Magnolia Warbler, and, down low, a Swainson’s Thrush. As we walked through the Clove, on a path bordered by tall cliffs on one side and very tall, mature trees all around, we could hear woodpeckers drilling, and Carolina Wrens calling loudly. There was a lot of small-bird activity high up in the tree canopy; it was hard to determine the species, but down low along the undergrowth and among the tree trunks we found a busy, second Magnolia Warbler, and further up the trail, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

We made our way to the Overlook, and spent some time looking out at the vista of the Hudson River and the Palisades beyond, searching for raptors. Two Osprey flew by, going south over the river, followed somewhat later by an adult Bald Eagle and a Common Raven. Then we headed down towards Spuyten Duyvil, where we observed and counted a scattered group of Great Blue Herons in the trees and along the shore across from us – there were eight of them. And finally we walked past the same Osprey that we had watched at the start of our walk, this time approaching it from the opposite direction; it had finished its meal and was perched upright, facing us and looking quite content.

Many thanks to Loyan for a wonderful walk, and for being such an informative guide.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
Common Raven
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Mammals
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Gray Squirrel

Fall Migration at Inwood Hill Park & the Hudson River with Andrew Farnsworth, 10/4/23

Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Participants: 10
Weather: 66 – 76°F, Light N – E winds, Dense fog to start
Bird Species: 39

We were slightly disheartened when we started out our watch to dense fog. We couldn’t see that far out over the river, let alone New Jersey and the Palisades. We stuck it out and the fog eventually lifted and we started to see some migration happening. There was a near constant stream of Eastern Phoebes going north past our observation spot at the north end of the Dyckman fields and we had a nice assortment of raptors by the end of our stay. All the while, Andrew discussed the unique aspects of this particular spot in New York County as a great place to observe bird migration for raptors, waterfowl, and passerines.

Bird species:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Eastern Phoebe
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Central Park with Kevin Sisco, Carine Mitchell, and Ardith Bondi, 10/3/2023

Registrar: Kathleen Howley
Participants: 32
Weather: 61°–70° F, clear, north wind 3 mph
Bird Species: 65

The weather was perfect for our fall migration walk. For many of the participants, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Cape May Warbler were their “first of season” sightings.

Species List

Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting

Central Park Family Walk with Eric Ozawa, 10/1/2023

Registrar: Amanda Bielskas
Weather: Beautiful, early fall day, 67-72 degrees F, winds from the N 6-12 mph
Participants: 22
Bird species: 32

This was the second LSNY Family Walk, hopefully we will offer more this spring. We met on the Great Hill, near the restrooms at 10:00am and since the area was quite birdy we stayed up there for a while. On the Great Hill we observed several warbler species, a couple Red-Tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures. We then walked down to the Pool and ended shortly after that. We totaled 32 species for the morning and fun was had by all!

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Solitary Sandpiper
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Gray Catbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Common Grackle
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal

Shirley Chisholm State Park with Adelia Honeywood, 10/1/2023

Registrar: Suzanne Zywicki
Participants: 3
Weather: 68 degrees, sunny with slight haze
Bird Species: 38

After rescheduling from Saturday to Sunday, as needed due to lingering effects from Tropical Storm Ophelia, a small but determined group made our way to Shirley Chisholm State Park.  We arrived about 10 minutes before the gates to the Fountain Avenue section of the park opened; while we waited, we were treated to the melody of a Song Sparrow perched on a cable, singing away despite the season.  We spent about three hours exploring this section of the park, with highlights being several American Kestrels, an American Pipit (a life bird for two of us), a large flock of American Goldfinches in the Skybowl, and three warbler species.

We then moved on to the Pennsylvania Avenue section, hoping to see more shorebirds.  Unfortunately, due to the relatively high tide levels, we were not very successful.  However, we did see some additional gull species, several Semipalmated Plovers and a Swamp Sparrow, with the highlight being a large number of Forster’s Terns. 

Many thanks to Adelia Honeywood for sharing her deep knowledge of the park and its birds.

Species Lists

Birds – Fountain Avenue Section
Canada Goose
Chimney Swift
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
American Pipit
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler

Birds – Pennsylvania Avenue section
Mute Swan
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Semipalmated Plover
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Forster’s Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Central Park with Kevin Sisco, Alice Deutsch, and Carine Mitchell, 9/26/2023

Registrar: Steve Holleran
Participants: 18
Weather: Intermittent rain with temperature in the 60s, light northerly winds
Bird Species: 46

Despite the wet weather, eighteen hardy birders explored the Ramble area of Central Park and reported a total of 46 species, including nine warblers. A highlight was the sighting of a Merlin, perched high above. We guessed it may have been digesting a recent meal, as it was stationary through repeated viewings and appeared to have a full crop. For some of us there were some first-of-season sightings as well, including Wood Thrush and White-throated Sparrow.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Herring Gull
Great Egret
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Veery
Swainson’s Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Belvedere Castle Hawk Watch with Phil Ribolow and Anne Ribolow, 9/19/2023

Registrar: Nick Dawson
Attendees: 35
Weather: 74 F and sunny. West wind 11 mph.
Species: 29

On a sunny fall day, the Linnaean Society called for a hawk watch at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. More than 30 people gathered to observe migrating hawks and listen to Phil and Anne Ribolow explain how to differentiate the various species flying high overhead.

Throughout the afternoon, we saw many Broad-winged Hawks, which migrate in groups as large as hundreds or thousands, referred to as kettles. Broad-winged Hawks are on the smaller side with chunky bodies and large heads. They are easy to identify because they soar rather than flap, the tail is short and square, and their wings come to a distinct point, which Phil refers to as the shape of a butter knife.

Knowing that many birders confuse Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, we focused on identifying these two bird species. We learned that Sharp-shinned Hawks are the smallest hawks in Canada and the U.S., similar in size to a jay or a dove. They have distinctive proportions, including small heads and square-tipped tails. When in flight, they push their short, rounded wings forward, making it difficult to see their heads. The bird also has a distinctive flight style, described by Phil as a “flap, flap, flap, then glide,” similar to a flickering candle. The wing beats are also somewhat erratic and difficult to reliably count.

Conversely, Cooper’s Hawks are larger in size, like a crow. It’s quite easy to mistake a female Sharp-shinned Hawk for a male Cooper’s Hawk because female hawks are larger than males. However, there are distinct differences. The Cooper’s Hawk tail is rounded at the tip, with a prominent middle feather and a clear white tip. The head is quite large compared to its body and has a rounded or crested look. In flight, the large and angular head projects far beyond the wings, giving the bird a cross-like appearance and making it easy to identify. Its wing beats are slower and more regular than a Sharp-shined Hawk’s, making it easy to count as they fly overhead.

A final highlight of the day was a Bald Eagle, easily identified by its distinctive white head. Phil noted that the bird flies like a plank, its large size keeping it from being buffeted by the wind and gliding rather than flapping its wings.

The best time to observe hawk migration in the fall is the day after a cold front has passed when the winds are steady from the northwest or west. These conditions produce strong updrafts as the air currents blow over the north and south-oriented land ridges. Stay tuned for hawk watch announcements, and please join us next year!

Birds
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Northern Cardinal

Central Park with Ken Chaya, Alan Drogin, and Kevin Sisco, 9/19/2023

Registrar: Richard Davis
Participants: 43
Weather: 59–74 F and sunny, with west wind 11 mph
Bird Species: 67

The weather was crisp in the morning, but warmed pleasantly as the day progressed. There was a solid variety of warblers, though not in great numbers or frequency—rather, a few in every location that kept the groups on the move through the park. The first view of a Prairie Warbler in Strawberry Field was a high point, with all the groups gathered on the hill to the east to see it dazzle as it caught the morning light. Later in the day, many people in each group gathered for the noon hawk watch at Belvedere, and, in fact, most of the raptors listed here were seen at that location.

Species Lists

Birds
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
House Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Veery
Swainson’s Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Common Grackle
Ovenbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Butterflies
Cabbage White Butterfly
Monarch

Odonates
Common Green Darner
Black Saddlebags
Carolina Saddlebags

Moths
Common Looper Moth
Swamp Cicada
Eastern Hornet Fly
Honey Bee