Registrar: Suzanne Zywicki
Participants: 3
Weather: 68 degrees, sunny with slight haze
Bird Species: 38
After rescheduling from Saturday to Sunday, as needed due to lingering effects from Tropical Storm Ophelia, a small but determined group made our way to Shirley Chisholm State Park. We arrived about 10 minutes before the gates to the Fountain Avenue section of the park opened; while we waited, we were treated to the melody of a Song Sparrow perched on a cable, singing away despite the season. We spent about three hours exploring this section of the park, with highlights being several American Kestrels, an American Pipit (a life bird for two of us), a large flock of American Goldfinches in the Skybowl, and three warbler species.
We then moved on to the Pennsylvania Avenue section, hoping to see more shorebirds. Unfortunately, due to the relatively high tide levels, we were not very successful. However, we did see some additional gull species, several Semipalmated Plovers and a Swamp Sparrow, with the highlight being a large number of Forster’s Terns.
Many thanks to Adelia Honeywood for sharing her deep knowledge of the park and its birds.
Species Lists
Birds – Fountain Avenue Section
Canada Goose
Chimney Swift
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
American Pipit
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler
Birds – Pennsylvania Avenue section
Mute Swan
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Semipalmated Plover
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Forster’s Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch
White-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
