Registrar: Debbie Mullins
Participants: 16
Weather: Sunny, calm winds, 40s-50s F
Bird Species: 62
Under the expert leadership of Peter Dorosh, we explored two parks on Jamaica Bay, the new Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens. At Shirley Chisholm SP we saw a Fox Sparrow and a Horned Grebe, first-of-season birds for many participants, as well as common winter waterfowl, including a Common Loon and Buffleheads. Three beautiful Northern Harriers sailing over the mounds of the former landfill were a treat, as were several lingering Killdeer and Tree Swallows.
We arrived at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at lunchtime. The new saltmarsh installation at the site of the old West Pond breach has now been completed, and visitors can once again walk all the way around the West Pond. We identified 14 duck species on the pond, including Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal. A mature Bald Eagle flew over the bay, prompting several thousand Brant to take off and circle the pond before settling down again. Two immature Bald Eagles were also seen flying overhead. Initially, we were disappointed not to see the Eurasian Wigeon that had been reported earlier in the week, but we found it later in the Pumpkin Patch Channel west of the pond. Another highlight of the walk was a Barn Owl resting in its box.
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
American Coot
Killdeer
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Barn Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
