Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 / 279 species

Green Heron, Mount Loretto
Aside from Puerto Rico, we didn't range very far this year in our birding trips: NY, NJ, CT, MA, DE, and DC. Last year we had trips to Arizona and Florida--we added something like 70 life birds in Arizona alone. As my brother said, we'll never get that many birds in one trip in the lower 48 again.

So 279 species is a good number and there are, I think, 37 life birds (bold type, below) on the list.

Puerto Rico was obviously the highlight of the year if for nothing else names alone--West Indian Whistling Duck, Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, etc.--but the birds that stand out in my memory are the chases--the Fork-tailed Flycatcher in CT, and especially the Barnacle Goose in the Bronx.

The flycatcher was exciting because it was so out of place--it's a bird I really never expected to see. The goose was most satisfying of all because we were able to read and report the band on its leg, proving that it was legitimate find (not an escapee) while adding a smidgen of information to the ornithological knowledge base.                                                                                                              
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Cove Island Park, CT
Photo by Shari Zirlin
Barnacle Goose, Orchard Beach, NY
Tomorrow we start our adventures anew, but probably at the same place as we did this year--Point Lookout, and isn't it appropriate to begin the new year from that vantage point?

Year List 2010

Species
Location
West Indian Whistling-Duck
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Snow Goose
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Brant
Point Lookout
Barnacle Goose
Orchard Beach/Hunter Island
Canada Goose
Willow Pond
Mute Swan
Prospect Park
Tundra Swan
Jones Beach SP
Wood Duck
Prospect Park
Gadwall
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
American Wigeon
Willow Pond
American Black Duck
Willow Pond
Mallard
Willow Pond
Blue-winged Teal
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Northern Shoveler
Willow Pond
White-cheeked Pintail
Pond Near Copamarina
Northern Pintail
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Green-winged Teal
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Ring-necked Duck
Prospect Park
Greater Scaup
Sandy Hook
Lesser Scaup
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
Common Eider
Point Lookout
Harlequin Duck
Point Lookout
Surf Scoter
Point Lookout
White-winged Scoter
Avalon Seawatch
Black Scoter
Avalon Seawatch
Long-tailed Duck
Point Lookout
Bufflehead
Gravesend Bay
Common Goldeneye
Gravesend Bay
Hooded Merganser
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Common Merganser
Prospect Park
Red-breasted Merganser
Gravesend Bay
Ruddy Duck
Prospect Park
Northern Bobwhite
Bombay Hook NWR
Wild Turkey
Upper Valley Road
Red-throated Loon
Point Lookout
Common Loon
Point Lookout
Pied-billed Grebe
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Horned Grebe
Point Lookout
Red-necked Grebe
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Northern Gannet
Sandy Hook
American White Pelican
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
Brown Pelican
Gran Melia
Double-crested Cormorant
Owl's Head Water Pollution Control Plant
Great Cormorant
Sandy Hook
Magnificent Frigatebird
Bosque Estatal de PiƱones
Great Blue Heron
Prospect Park
Great Egret
Prospect Park
Snowy Egret
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Little Blue Heron
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Tricolored Heron
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Cattle Egret
Coco Beach Road
Green Heron
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Willow Pond
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Glossy Ibis
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
White-faced Ibis
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Black Vulture
Costco Parking Lot
Turkey Vulture
Sandy Hook
Osprey
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
White-tailed Kite
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat
Bald Eagle
Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA
Northern Harrier
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Prospect Park
Cooper's Hawk
Prospect Park
Red-shouldered Hawk
Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch 
Red-tailed Hawk
Prospect Park
American Kestrel
Clinton Street
Merlin
Prospect Park
Peregrine Falcon
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Clapper Rail
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Virginia Rail
Cape May Migratory Bird Sanctuary 
Sora
Bombay Hook NWR
Purple Gallinule
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Common Moorhen
Meadowlands IBA--Kearny Marsh
American Coot
Prospect Park
Caribbean Coot
Coco Beach Road
Black-bellied Plover
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Snowy Plover
Cabo Rojo
Semipalmated Plover
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Piping Plover
Sandy Hook
Killdeer
Orchard Beach/Hunter Island
American Oystercatcher
Jones Beach SP
Black-necked Stilt
Bombay Hook NWR
American Avocet
Bombay Hook NWR
Spotted Sandpiper
Cape May Point SP 
Solitary Sandpiper
Wetlands Institute
Greater Yellowlegs
Sandy Hook
Willet
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Lesser Yellowlegs
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Whimbrel
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Hudsonian Godwit
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Marbled Godwit
Jones Beach SP
Ruddy Turnstone
Nummy Island
Red Knot
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Sanderling
Point Lookout
Semipalmated Sandpiper
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Western Sandpiper
Bombay Hook NWR
Least Sandpiper
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
White-rumped Sandpiper
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Pectoral Sandpiper
JBWR--Southern East Pond
Dunlin
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Stilt Sandpiper
Sandy Hook
Short-billed Dowitcher
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Long-billed Dowitcher
Bombay Hook NWR
Wilson's Snipe
Sandy Hook
American Woodcock
Prospect Park
Wilson's Phalarope
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Bonaparte's Gull
Gravesend Bay
Black-headed Gull
Bombay Hook NWR
Laughing Gull
Sandy Hook
Mew Gull
Gravesend Bay
Ring-billed Gull
Willow Pond
Herring Gull
Point Lookout
Glaucous Gull
Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull
Point Lookout
Least Tern
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Gull-billed Tern
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Caspian Tern
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Common Tern
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Forster's Tern
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Royal Tern
Jones Beach SP
Black Skimmer
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Rock Pigeon
Gravesend Bay
Scaly-naped Pigeon
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Cabo Rojo
Zenaida Dove
Gran Melia
Mourning Dove
Prospect Park
Common Ground-Dove
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Monk Parakeet
Clinton Street
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Mangrove Cuckoo
Portal del Yunque
Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo
Portal del Yunque
Smooth-billed Ani
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Barn Owl
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
Barred Owl
Coles Brook Farm
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Prospect Park
Chimney Swift
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Antillean Mango
Gran Melia
Puerto Rican Emerald
Copamarina
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Puerto Rican Tody
Portal del Yunque
Belted Kingfisher
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Puerto Rican Woodpecker
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Prospect Park
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Prospect Park
Downy Woodpecker
Prospect Park
Hairy Woodpecker
Prospect Park
Northern Flicker
Heckscher SP
Pileated Woodpecker
Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
Caribbean Elaenia
Cabo Rojo
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Lesser Antillean Pewee
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Acadian Flycatcher
Bombay Hook NWR
Willow Flycatcher
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Least Flycatcher
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Eastern Phoebe
Green-Wood Cemetery
Great Crested Flycatcher
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Puerto Rican Flycatcher
Bosque Estatal de GuƔnica
Eastern Kingbird
Prospect Park
Gray Kingbird
Gran Melia
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Cove Island Park
Loggerhead Shrike
Jones Beach SP
White-eyed Vireo
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Puerto Rican Vireo
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Warbling Vireo
Central Park
Philadelphia Vireo
Prospect Park
Red-eyed Vireo
Prospect Park
Blue Jay
Prospect Park
American Crow
Prospect Park
Fish Crow
Heckscher SP
Horned Lark
Whitehall Crossroads - Leipsic
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Branch Brook Park
Purple Martin
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Tree Swallow
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Bank Swallow
Great Kills Park
Barn Swallow
Branch Brook Park
Cave Swallow
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Carolina Chickadee
CMBO Northwood Center
Black-capped Chickadee
Willow Pond
Tufted Titmouse
Prospect Park
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Prospect Park
White-breasted Nuthatch
Prospect Park
Brown Creeper
Prospect Park
Carolina Wren
Sandy Hook
House Wren
Prospect Park
Winter Wren
Prospect Park
Marsh Wren
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
E. B. Forsythe NWR--Wildlife Drive
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Prospect Park
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Prospect Park
Eastern Bluebird
Great Swamp NWR--Pleasant Plains Rd.
Veery
Coles Brook Farm
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Greenbelt Nature Center
Swainson's Thrush
Prospect Park
Hermit Thrush
Prospect Park
Wood Thrush
Prospect Park
American Robin
Prospect Park
Red-legged Thrush
Portal del Yunque
Varied Thrush
Central Park--The Ramble
Gray Catbird
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
Northern Mockingbird
Prospect Park
Brown Thrasher
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Pearly-eyed Thrasher
Caimitillo Trail
European Starling
Prospect Park
American Pipit
Prospect Park
Cedar Waxwing
Sandy Hook
Nashville Warbler
Coles Brook Farm
Northern Parula
Central Park
Yellow Warbler
Prospect Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Magnolia Warbler
Central Park
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Sandy Hook
Black-throated Green Warbler
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Blackburnian Warbler
Coles Brook Farm
Adelaide's Warbler
Bosque Estatal de GuƔnica
Pine Warbler
Prospect Park
Prairie Warbler
Higbees Beach SWA
Palm Warbler
Prospect Park
Bay-breasted Warbler
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--East Pond
Blackpoll Warbler
Prospect Park
Elfin-woods Warbler
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Black-and-white Warbler
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
American Redstart
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Prothonotary Warbler
New York Public Library
Ovenbird
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Northern Waterthrush
Prospect Park
Louisiana Waterthrush
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Common Yellowthroat
Cape May Point SP 
Wilson's Warbler
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Canada Warbler
Prospect Park
Bananaquit
Gran Melia
Puerto Rican Tanager
Caimitillo Trail
Puerto Rican Spindalis
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Black-faced Grassquit
Gran Melia
Puerto Rican Bullfinch
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Eastern Towhee
Prospect Park
American Tree Sparrow
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Chipping Sparrow
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Field Sparrow
Great Kills Park
Vesper Sparrow
Prospect Park
Savannah Sparrow
Wetlands Institute
Seaside Sparrow
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Fox Sparrow
Prospect Park
Song Sparrow
Prospect Park
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Swamp Sparrow
Prospect Park
White-throated Sparrow
Prospect Park
White-crowned Sparrow
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Dark-eyed Junco
Prospect Park
Lapland Longspur
Jones Beach SP
Snow Bunting
Jones Beach SP
Scarlet Tanager
Prospect Park
Northern Cardinal
Prospect Park
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Coles Brook Farm
Blue Grosbeak
E. B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine Unit)
Indigo Bunting
Bombay Hook NWR
Red-winged Blackbird
Prospect Park
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird
Cabo Rojo
Rusty Blackbird
Prospect Park
Common Grackle
Prospect Park
Boat-tailed Grackle
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Greater Antillean Grackle
Gran Melia
Brown-headed Cowbird
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge--West Pond
Orchard Oriole
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Venezuelan Troupial
Cabo Rojo
Baltimore Oriole
Cape Island--Cape May Point SP (CMPSP)
Antillean Euphonia
Bosque Estatal de Maricao
Purple Finch
Prospect Park
House Finch
Prospect Park
Pine Siskin
Prospect Park
American Goldfinch
Prospect Park
House Sparrow
Prospect Park
Orange-cheeked Waxbill
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Bronze Mannikin
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Nutmeg Mannikin
Laguna Cartegena - West End
Pin-tailed Whydah
Gran Melia