Registrar: Dom Ricci
Participants: 14
Weather: Around 18-26 F, sunny, windy
Bird Species: 29
Governors Island, sitting in the middle of New York Harbor, possesses a mix of coastal, field,
and other environments unique in New York county. On a crisp, clear morning after an overnight snow, a group of Linnaean birders led by Annie Barry traversed the island in search of winter avian residents including Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads. We encountered the usual array of gulls along the harbor coast and as well as several large flocks of Brant and Canada Geese, albeit with no sign of hidden rarities. The piers on the south side of the island held several pleasant suprises for observers: a Great Cormorant taking flight from among its Double-crested cousins; an American Wigeon napping alongside American Black Ducks on Lima Pier; and a lone Lesser Scaup swimming around Yankee Pier. Although we did not discover any storm-tossed vagrants, we were treated to the memorable image of a dozen Song Sparrows and a Swamp Sparrow feeding and staying warm atop an Earth Matter NY (https://earthmatter.org/) compost heap from which plumes of water vapor were visible rising into the sub-freezing atmosphere.
Species List
Brant
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
