Lumps and Blobs

Here's one my techniques for winter birding: Look up into the branches of bare trees and put your binoculars on any lumps or blobs you see up there. Best result for today was a Red-Tailed Hawk sitting high up in a tree overlooking a small meadow. I came back 20 minutes later and it had not moved. Big blob among the thin branches.

It's also a good way to find Cedar Waxwings.

Prospect Park
Number of species:     37

Canada Goose     50

Mute Swan     7     Two on Boathouse Pond

Wood Duck     1     Boathouse Pond

American Black Duck     6

American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)     1

Mallard     230

Northern Shoveler     36

Hooded Merganser     1     Drake, Three Sisters

Common Merganser     1     Drake, mid-lake

Ruddy Duck     53

Red-tailed Hawk     1

American Coot     8

Ring-billed Gull     250     Around 50 on the ballfields.

Herring Gull     15

Great Black-backed Gull     4

Rock Pigeon     20

Mourning Dove     25

Red-bellied Woodpecker     2

Downy Woodpecker     3

Hairy Woodpecker     1

Blue Jay     13

American Crow     10

Black-capped Chickadee     4

Tufted Titmouse     4

White-breasted Nuthatch     1

Carolina Wren     1     In lake phragmites

American Robin     75

European Starling     150

Fox Sparrow     1     Lullwater Trail

Song Sparrow     1     On lake ice

White-throated Sparrow     30

Dark-eyed Junco     2

Northern Cardinal     19

Red-winged Blackbird     5

Common Grackle     1     Lullwater Trail

House Finch     5     On Lullwater trail & at feeders

American Goldfinch     3

House Sparrow     12