Registrar: Barbara Saunders
Participants: 16
Weather: 75 degrees F, sunny and clear, 4 mph northerly winds
Bird Species: 49
Birding in Green-Wood Cemetery is always a delight, especially in September. On this sunny morning, trip leader Rob Jett led us up grassy ridges, around weathered monuments, and through leafy, wooded areas in search of fall migrants. Although it seemed a slow day, we ultimately glimpsed 49 bird species! We all agreed the Yellow-billed Cuckoo was a treat to see—first, silhouetted against the sky, and then in full view. We later spied many warblers—American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats, Northern Parulas, and Palm Warblers, to name a few—all busily hunting for insects. Unfortunately, last week’s Townsend’s Warbler had moved on, but after much patient watching, we were rewarded with a Blue Grosbeak in the trees and grass just east of Sylvan Water—a female type, but since some observers noted blue on the wings, it was likely a young male.
Always an awesome sight, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds zipped from flower to flower in their quest for nectar. And, of course, Green-Wood wouldn’t be Green-Wood without the multitude of Monk Parakeets screeching away in their massive stick “condo” above the cemetery’s main entrance. Towards the end of our morning, another highlight was the beautiful American Kestrel perched atop a cross—a fitting guardian of Green-Wood. Happily exhausted, we all agreed it was a great early fall day of birding in this diverse and bird-rich gem of Brooklyn.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (h)
House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch (h)
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Yellow-breasted Chat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Butterflies
American Lady
Sachem Skipper
Monarch
Eastern Tailed-blue
Cloudless Sulphur
Cabbage White
Painted Lady
Black Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Orange Sulphur
Odonates
Familiar Bluet
Common Green Darner
Blue Dasher
Herps
Red-eared Slider
Snapping Turtle
Italian Wall Lizard
Mammals
Eastern Gray Squirrel
