Prospect Park 12/30--Year's Finale

Nethermead

I figured 4 days after the blizzard I wouldn't need snowshoes to bird the park, but I did take my Stabl-icers which were very handy on the slopes of Breeze & Lookout Hills. I didn't add any new birds for the year, so I end 2010 with 123 species in Prospect Park, a respectable number, being around 63% of all the birds reported there on eBird.

Most interesting find today were 2 Merlins, one chasing the other, zipping by over the Boathouse Pond. I think there may have been another (or one of the same pair) at the feeders because just as all the little birds took off in every direction, a small raptor zoomed in over my head and disappeared down in the Lullwater.

Peter has established the feeders alone as a hot spot on eBird which I think is a useful idea since so many birds concentrate in that area, so I've split my list in 2--feeders and everywhere else. All told, 28 species found tromping around in the snow for a little more than 2 1/2 hours.

I realized as I was entering my lists on eBird that I didn't see any geese today. There's not much open water in the lake and the ground is totally covered in snow, so that's partly an an explanation; still I can't ever remember not seeing at least a few geese anytime I've been near the water in the park.
Today's 2 lists:
Prospect Park
Number of species:    21
Mute Swan    6
American Black Duck    1
Mallard    200
Northern Shoveler    100
Merlin    2    One chasing the other over Boathouse pond. 
American Coot    6
Ring-billed Gull    700
Herring Gull    50
Great Black-backed Gull    3
Rock Pigeon    7
Blue Jay    4
Black-capped Chickadee    5
Tufted Titmouse    1    Lullwater Trail
White-breasted Nuthatch    1    Lullwater Trail
Carolina Wren    1    Trail above Wellhouse
American Robin    3    Lily Pond, Lullwater
European Starling    31
Song Sparrow    1    Near Wellhouse
White-throated Sparrow    50
Northern Cardinal    5
House Sparrow    10
Feeders
Number of species:    13
Mourning Dove    2
Downy Woodpecker    2
Black-capped Chickadee    10
Tufted Titmouse    1
Red-breasted Nuthatch    1
White-breasted Nuthatch    2
Song Sparrow    2
White-throated Sparrow    23
Dark-eyed Junco    3
Northern Cardinal    6
Red-winged Blackbird    1
House Finch    4
American Goldfinch    3