Registrar: Ursula Mitra
Participants: 9
Weather: 26 – 28 deg F, overcast, winds from the NE 16-8 mph
Bird Species: 54
Nine participants braved the icy cold and slippery slopes exploring four locations in Staten Island: The Moravian Cemetery, Fresh Kills Park, Wolfe’s Pond and Mt Loretto Unique Area. They even returned to the Moravian Cemetery after word of sightings of a Common Merganser and Evening Grosbeak there reached them.
The first stop was the Moravian Cemetery where we saw 21 species, including Ring-necked Duck, Wild Turkey and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. White-tailed deer roamed the cemetery in good numbers as well.
We moved on to Great Kills Park where we saw 12 species, notably many Common Goldeneye and Greater Scaup, but we also had wonderful close looks at a flock of 18 Horned Lark in the parking lot!
Our next stop at Wolfe’s Pond produced 26 species, among them a Merlin, Brown Thrasher, Horned Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser and Common Loon.
After lunch, we visited our last location, Mt Loretto Unique Area which was beautiful with wide open, snow covered fields and long vistas. We saw 25 species here, including a nice variety of raptors: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and two Bald Eagles! Notably absent were Red-tailed Hawks.
Everyone returned to Moravian Cemetery to be rewarded with the Common Merganser, but we could not re-locate the Evening Grosbeak that had been seen there earlier in the day. It was a long but rewarding day in good company. In all 54 species were observed by all. Many thanks to Anne Lazarus and Miriam Rakowski for leading this wonderful trip!
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Wild Turkey
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Sanderling
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Horned Lark
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Mammals
White-tailed Deer
