Registrar: Mary Beth Kooper
Trip report: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 17
Weather: 79-85 degrees Fahrenheit, partly sunny, northerly winds 5-8 mph
Bird Species: 46
Our leaders, Shannon Curley and Jose Ramirez-Garafalo, shared their field observations and extensive knowledge of Fresh Kills Park with an enthusiastic group of birders. Twenty-one years after closing as New York City’s only garbage dump, Fresh Kills Park is fulfilling the objective of becoming a rich habitat for numerous species of birds that are declining in New York State. We observed both Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows visiting probable nesting sites. Although we did not see Sedge Wrens on this trip, Jose pointed out that they have been observed later in the summer in previous years. Four species of swallows were observed, including Cliff Swallows, whose nests in the park were first documented in 2020. A surprising find was a Black-bellied Whistling Duck: we all heard a distinct call that we couldn’t identify until Jose realized it was the flight call of the duck. Many interesting butterflies, odonates, and insects, including a Gulf Coast Tick—one of the largest ticks in the US—were also spotted. Numerous egrets, several species of raptors, and a beautiful male Blue Grosbeak—together with the lovely rolling hills and waterways and the Manhattan skyline in the background—made for a rewarding and enjoyable field trip.
Species List
Birds
Black-bellied Whistling Duck (h)
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
American Crow
Common Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Grasshopper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Blue Grosbeak
Herp
Diamondback Terrapin
Butterflies
Black Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Orange Sulphur
Clouded Sulphur
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Monarch
Odonates
Spot-winged Glider
Wandering Glider
Black Saddlebags
Insects and Arachnids
Carolina Grasshopper
Soldier Beetle
Spotted Lanternfly
Gulf Coast Tick
