Pine Siskins are an "irruptive" species and this year seems to be one of those irruptive years. I saw 4 in the park today along Rocky Pass, mixed in, as they often are, with a flock of goldfinch. I say 4 but there could have been more--the flock was flying back & forth across the path pretty quickly. The siskins have been reported in a lot of different places in the park, in relatively small numbers. It seems early for them--to me they're a "dead of winter" bird. They must be on the move though--I saw a post from Robert Moses State Park on Long Island where someone counted 750 siskins flying by with goldfinches. That would be a sight!
Other than the siskins, the highlights of today's jaunt in the park were an absolutely beautiful drake Wood Duck, lit perfectly by the a ray of sunlight through the trees of the Lower Pool; a hen Ring-necked Duck on the Upper Pool; and lots of comical Northern Shovelers--no matter how many times I see them, they always strike me just an unlikely bird with their huge bills on their little bodies.
List:
Prospect Park
Number of species: 35
Canada Goose 25
Mute Swan 5
Wood Duck 1 Drake on Lower Pool
Mallard 50
Northern Shoveler 65
Ring-necked Duck 1 Hen on Upper Pool
Ruddy Duck 225
Pied-billed Grebe 4 One Upper Pool, one Lullwater, two Lake
Great Blue Heron 2 Upper Pool & S. Lullwater
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Coot 23
Ring-billed Gull 125
Herring Gull 25
Great Black-backed Gull 2 Sitting on canopy of boat in Lake
Rock Pigeon 8
Mourning Dove 16
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Lookout Hill
Downy Woodpecker 2 Wellhouse
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1 Sitting with gulls on canopy of boat.
Black-capped Chickadee 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 Wellhouse
Hermit Thrush 1 Peninsula
American Robin 4 Lily Pond
Gray Catbird 1 Lullwater
Chipping Sparrow 1 Wildflower Meadow
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 15
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 2
Pine Siskin 4 Rocky Pass right before Three Arches Bridge
American Goldfinch 10
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