Registrar: Matthew Fischer
Participants: 5
Weather: Scattered clouds, with cloud cover 20-40%; temperature 52–53°F; fresh, strong NW breeze;
humidity: 35–55%
Bird Species: 55
With a rare Gray Kingbird having been spotted at nearby Canarsie Park, our leader, Peter Dorosh, made an executive decision to change our meeting place and attempt to spot the bird. While we were ultimately unsuccessful (and the bird was not spotted there again), we had a great time in this under-birded location. In a small pond, we had great looks at Northern Pintails and juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons and later had close-up views of American Crows mobbing a Cooper’s Hawk.
We then returned to our original itinerary and were immediately rewarded with good views of an Ash-throated Flycatcher and a European Goldfinch mixed in with American Goldfinches and House Finches. We also saw an incredible diversity of waterfowl, including over a thousand Brant, a Green-winged Teal associating with American Black Ducks, plenty of Bufflehead, Red-breasted Mergansers, a Common Loon, and even two Great Cormorants.
Our final stop was the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where a Peregrine Falcon landed right next to the path and treated us to incredible views and aerodynamic displays. We also saw shorebirds, including Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, and Dunlin. Our splendid day ended with views of a local Barn Owl preparing to leave its box for some nightly hunting.
Species List
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Rock Pigeon
American Coot
Long-billed Dowitcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Loon
Great Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Barn Owl (sensitive)
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Peregrine Falcon
Ash-throated Flycatcher
American Crow
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Finch
American Goldfinch
European Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Butterflies
Clouded Sulphur
