Registrar: Judy Rabi
Participants: 9
Weather: The weather started out cool and partly cloudy. By mid-afternoon the temperature was 76 degrees, sunny and humid. Winds were south-southwest.
Bird Species: 64
We started our day at the Conference House Visitor Center. The number of migrating Blue Jays and Northern Flickers were notable. Ospreys were also abundant. A green-banded Bald Eagle was easily sighted perched in a field with several large trees. Unfortunately we could not make out the full number on the band. Seth informed us that this was most likely a migrating bird, because Bald Eagles are not banded on Staten Island. Two Merlins perched and flying, were also seen in this field. Song birds and woodpeckers were also present in good numbers at the Conference House.
From the Conference House we made our way to Seaside Nature Park. Royal Terns, perhaps ten to fifteen of them, were perched and flying in close proximity in the small harbor-like area. A Belted Kingfisher, Boat-tailed Grackles, Double-crested Cormorants and Fish Crow were also present, not to speak of the many fiddler crabs scrambling in the mud.
We then moved on to Oakwood Beach. In this area an immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, a Little Blue Heron, egrets of both species, a Marsh Wren, Carolina Wren, Tree Swallows, American Crow and Ospreys were present. A white-tailed deer, monarch and cabbage white butterflies were also noted.
Our final destination was Miller Field. The pond at Miller Field yielded several species: Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Savannah Sparrow, Palm Warbler, and the one that many of us considered the bird of the day, an American Pipit.
We had 64 species in total.
Many thanks to Seth, whose ability to spot birds and willingness to share his knowledge of Staten Island habitats and species prevalence were immensely helpful to all of us.
Species Lists
Birds
Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Pipit
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Palm Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
