Registrar: Ursula Mitra
Participants: 11
Weather: 44-47 F, overcast, winds WSW 5 mph
Species: 54
This trip started on a high note as eleven Linnaean members collected in the Wolfe Pond parking lot for the annual Staten Island field trip with Richard ZainEldeen, one of the Linnaean Society’s veteran field trip leaders.
A Peregrine Falcon with a full crop was spotted sitting high in a tree, and it remained there until we left the park two hours later. Within minutes we saw an American Kestrel and a Merlin, also perched.
Richard took us to four planned locations: Wolfe’s Pond Park; Lemon Creek Park; Mt. Loretto Unique Area, where we saw four Harbor Seals relaxing on rocks out in the water; and Blue Heron Park, with its lovely nature center and picnic area.
When news of a Cackling Goose at Silver Lake Park reached us, Richard agreed to add it to the itinerary. We ended the trip on a high note there, seeing a female Common Goldeneye close up, Ring-necked Ducks, and the CACKLING GOOSE!
Thank you, Richard, for another great experience, and thank you to all of the participants for making this a very memorable trip. Nobody wanted it to end!
Here are the ebird checklists for all locations, with photos by the participants.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707223
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707330
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707370
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707417
https://ebird.org/checklist/S127707468
Species Lists
Birds
Brant
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Cardinal
Mammals
Harbor Seal
